Juan Soto Upholds Mets' Future Optimism After Missing 2025 Playoffs

Juan Soto delivered a monster first season in New York after signing a 15-year, $765 million deal — finishing with a career-high 43 homers, 38 steals (a 30-30 season), a .921 OPS and leading MLB with 127 walks — but his performance couldn’t prevent the Mets from collapsing down the stretch. After a 45-24 start through June 12, New York went 38-55 the rest of the way to finish 83-79 and miss the postseason following a season-ending 4-0 loss to the Marlins and a tiebreaker disadvantage to the Reds. Soto called the outcome “a failure” but said he still “100 percent” believes in the organization’s future and its core pieces. The collapse has been attributed to injuries to key starters (Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, Tylor Megill), ineffective or re-injured arms (Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea) and a lack of depth, especially in center field and pitching. As the Mets head into the offseason expected to build around Soto, they face major roster decisions — including Pete Alonso’s decision to opt out and become a free agent — and pressure to upgrade pitching and other positions.