MLB: New York Mets 2025 collapse

The Mets had the second-highest payroll in all of Major League Baseball in 2025 at $342 million and still managed to miss the postseason.

Let’s dive into what some are calling baseball’s biggest collapse in recent years.

From having the best record in the league in June at 45-24, 21 games over .500, with a 5.5 game lead in the NL East, to barely finishing the season over .500, the Mets’ 2025 season was filled with frustration, disappointment and shortcomings.

After signing young star outfielder Juan Soto to the largest contract in professional sports history (15 years, $765 million), in the 2024-25 offseason, expectations were through the roof high for New York.

Soto performed well at the plate in his first season in Queens, finishing with a .263 BA, .396 OBP, .921 OPS, 43 HRs, and 105 RBIs. His defense has been declining quickly, suggesting his years of becoming a DH are closer than the Mets may have hoped.

The largest downfall was that the Mets allocated such a large sum of money to signing Soto that they did not capitalize on starting pitching, which hurt them in the end.

They added RHP Clay Holmes as an experiment and turned him into a starting pitcher after spending the majority of his career coming out of the bullpen. Holmes was average for the Mets, finishing the season with 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA, 129 SO, and a 1.304 WHIP.

Yet the rest of the rotation fell apart and struggled immensely.

Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, and Griffin Canning all missed a significant amount of time due to injuries. This forced the Mets to rely on prospects to fill the holes in their rotation toward the latter half of the season.

The Mets were able to secure their franchise first basemen, Pete Alonso, for at least one more season. In the offseason, the Mets and Alonso agreed on a 2-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after the first season.

Alonso did everything the Mets could have hoped for in 2025. He now holds the franchise record for most career home runs as a New York Met after hitting his 253rd in August, surpassing Darryl Strawberry.

The slugger also led the NL in doubles with 41, and finished second in RBIs with 126.

The Mets’ playoff hopes came down to game 162 where they desperately needed a win to keep their season alive and clinch a spot in October. If the Mets were to win that game and the Cincinnati Reds lose, New York would have been in the postseason.

Alonso stepped up to the plate at the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, down 4-0 to the Miami Marlins. He hit the hardest-hit ball of anyone on the Mets the entire season – a 115.9 mph line drive to the left-center gap.

A line drive that should have gotten things going and could have changed the trajectory of the Kings of Queens season was caught by Marlins’ outfielder Javier Sanoja.

This heartbreaking, unbelievable moment encapsulated the entire 2025 Mets season in just one play.

Unfortunately for the Mets, Alonso has decided to opt out of his contract, making him a free agent this offseason.

After this devastating, roller-coaster of a season, it is going to be interesting to see how the Mets revitalize their team in the offseason and if they can turn things around in 2026.

Gina Scarpa is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gfs5427@psu.edu.