New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who arrived in town on a historic 15-year, $765 million contract last offseason, believes his team’s season was a “failure” after it failed to reach the postseason.
“It’s a failure,” Soto said, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, after being eliminated from postseason contention. “Anytime you don’t make it to the playoffs or win a championship, it’s a failure. That’s how we’re going to look at it, and that’s how we’re going to go through things in the offseason.”
Although he is disappointed by the result of the season, Soto made it clear that he “100 percent” believes in his team’s future even after a devastating second-half collapse that left the franchise outside the playoffs.
After the completion of games on June 12, the Mets had an MLB-best 45-24 record. However, New York proceeded to go 17 games under .500 (38-55) for the remainder of the year to finish 83-79.
The Mets needed a win against the Miami Marlins and a Cincinnati Reds loss against the Milwaukee Brewers to make the playoffs. The Reds lost 4-2 to Milwaukee, but the Mets lost 4-0 to Miami, leaving them outside the postseason.
Soto got off to a slow start but ultimately fared quite well, amassing a team-high 43 home runs alongside 105 RBI. He also scored 120 runs and posted a .921 OPS.
He, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor largely carried the offense. The problem is Alonso announced Sunday that he will decline his 2026 player option and become a free agent.
Alonso finished the season with 38 home runs and a team-high 126 RBI.
New York needs more help offensively, particularly in center field, where Tyrone Taylor (two home runs, .596 OPS in 112 games) and Cedric Mullins (two home runs, .569 OPS in 41 games for Mets after being traded from the Baltimore Orioles) both struggled. The Mets also saw regression from 2024 late-season and postseason hero Mark Vientos, who had a .698 OPS after an .837 OPS last year.
The pitching staff also left a lot to be desired. Injuries and ineffectiveness ultimately both played roles.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports broke it down.
“The Kodai Senga (hamstring), Griffin Canning (Achilles tear), and Tylor Megill (Tommy John surgery) injuries took away important depth at midseason, and Sean Manaea was never quite right after his spring training oblique injury. The Frankie Montas signing was a total dud. He had UCL surgery recently and the Mets will pay him $34 million from 2025-26 for 38 â…” innings of 6.28 ERA ball. Clay Holmes and David Peterson, two rocks atop the rotation early in the season, regressed in the second half. Badly in Peterson’s case.”
The Mets do have hope, though, in the form of late-season call-up Noah McLean, who very well could be the team’s 2026 Opening Day starter. McLean went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 48.0 innings (eight starts).
New York also brought up a couple of other promising prospects in Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong. Both had their share of struggles: Sproat had a 4.79 ERA in four starts, and Tong had a 7.71 ERA in five starts. But both could make an impact in 2026 and beyond. Tong is notably ranked 43rd on the MLB.com top-100 prospect list.
Ultimately, the Mets struggled mightily down the stretch. They have some hope for the future, especially with Soto in the lineup and McLean probably fronting the rotation. However, more work must be done to put this team back in the playoffs, especially if Alonso ends up walking.