In a stunning collapse only seen a handful of times in Mets history, the 2025 New York Mets have gone from being the best team in baseball in June, to failing to make the playoffs. With the expectations from the 2024 “OMG” Mets, this team has failed to produce. The Mets, with the second highest payroll in all of MLB, INCLUDING signing Juan Soto this off-season, were defeated by the Miami Marlins yesterday to end their disastrous collapse. So, this begs the question, what happened?

The Best Team in Baseball –

On June 12th, the Mets were undisputed as the best team in baseball. They had the best record in MLB (45-24), being a whopping 21 games over .500. They had a 5.5. game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, were on a six game win streak, somehow had the LOWEST ERA in all of MLB, and had the 4th highest OPS in MLB. They were on top of the world. Star players like Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor were starting to find their grooves, and Juan Soto, one of the most prolific hitters of the century, was finally finding his stride as a Met. So, where did everything go wrong?

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries –

Ironically, on the same day which the Mets were the best team in baseball, their agonizing three month long collapse would begin. Kodai Senga, who was pitching against the Nationals on the 12th, injured his hamstring in a jump to cover 1st base. Senga was the Met’s ace, with a 1.47 ERA before his injury. He was taken off the field and placed on the injured list, and after his return, his ERA would balloon. The star player in him was hidden, and he would eventually finish his season with the Mets in AAA, after being sent down. A few days before the Senga injury, on June 4th, Lindor would break his toe off of a foul tip. This injury would follow Mr. Smiles for months after, as his batting average would dip increasingly below his, and MLB’s, standards. It would only continue for the Mets after this. On June 11th, reliever Taylor Megill would be placed on the 60 day IL. On June 26th, ace starting pitcher Griffin Canning would rupture his achilles, and leave for the season. All of these injuries would follow the Mets like a ghost, but they were not the only reason for the collapse.

Talent does NOT equal results –

David Peterson, widely regarded as one of the Met’s best players prior to the All-Star break (in which he was elected to pitch for the game), returned in horrible fashion. His ERA would go all the way up to 4.23, and he could not be depended on for starts. The Met’s two deadline acquisitions in reliever Ryan Helsley and center fielder Cedric Mullins would also go south for New York, as the two players would hardly make a splash, and Helsley would often give up runs in  many games. With the calling up of AAA phenomenon Ronny Mauricio, the Mets also expected results, and failed to get any at all.

The Plan during the End –

The Mets knew that they had problems with pitching, and began to try to ameliorate this issue by calling up their three best pitching prospects in Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat. The pitchers, especially Nolan McLean (5-1 record, 2.06 ERA), would do their best to solve the Met’s problems. But, ultimately, even with incredible seasons from Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, this help would not matter in the long run.

Death without a Splash –

Just yesterday, on September 28th, the Mets would finish their awful collapse after falling 4-0 to the Miami Marlins. If the Mets would have won this game, they would have been in the playoffs, as the Brewers defeated the Cincinnati Reds (playoff team) in a 4-2 game. The end of this collapse eerily mirrors the collapses of the Mets in 2007 and 2008, as both game 162s in these horrific collapse years would also be ended with a loss to the Marlins.

Backlash –

As a Mets fan, and seeing the reaction of the community online and in person, I agree that changes should be made. The GM David Stearns and Manager Carlos Mendoza have explaining to do, and this team, with Steve Cohen’s money, should ALWAYS make the playoffs. This offseason will be a big one for the Mets, as two of their star players in Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso will be eligible as free agents. The Polar Bear Pete has already confirmed that he will be opting out of his contract, as Diaz has not made a full decision. If the Mets let these two players walk, it could be even more disastrous for the organization than the situation they were already in.

Ya Gotta Believe, but believing has its limits…