The 2025 New York Mets did it to themselves.
There the Mets were in Game 162 needing to win, while hoping the Milwaukee Brewers would find a way to beat the Cincinnati Reds, just to sneak into the playoffs. Of course, that never came to pass.
As has been commonplace for these Mets all year, they came up small, in a 4-0 loss to the Marlins down in Miami. The Amazin's were punch-less, amassing only five hits all afternoon as they looked like a team resigned to their very fates.
In the top of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, Pete Alonso lined the hardest hit ball of the entire season, a frozen rope at 116 mph to left field that was quickly caught by Marlins left fielder Javier Sanoja. Alonso looked on dejected. The game, the season, for all intents and purposes was over.
And the Mets, as they have since the middle of June in this long, torturous run to infamy, packed up their tents and were ready for vacation. This time for good.
What an absolute disgrace. Not only did the Mets get the help they needed on Sunday when Milwaukee did in fact beat the Reds 4-3, but it didn't have to come to this.
The Mets were 45-24 the morning of June 13 having just completed back-to-back sweeps of the Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals. They owned the best record in baseball. Juan Soto was starting to turn it on at the same time Pete Alonso was on pace for a MVP-caliber season.
The Mets were in fact on pace to win more than 100 games this season, But it all came apart.
Since June 13, the Mets went 38-55, one of the worst records in baseball in that time-span, joining the likes of the White Sox, Twins, Nationals and Rockies.
Whats more, the Mets were a league worse 0-67 when trailing after eight innings. Meaning, the Mets were the only team in baseball not to stage a ninth inning comeback and win.
What caused this? For starters the lack of chemistry was a major issue all year. The Mets front office, starting with President of Baseball Ops David Stearns took on the gamble that moving on from popular clubhouse guys like Jose Iglesias and Harrison Bader was a good idea.
It wasn't.
Bader even killed the Mets when he saw them in a Phillies uniform down the stretch.
The guys Stearms tapped to replace Iglesias and Bader in Jose Siri and Nick Madigral were injured. Siri didn't play much this year, and when he did was ineffective. Madigral was lost in spring training.
The Mets then turned their focus to young guys like Luis-Angel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio and neither one could produce consistently at the major league level.
On top of that, Stearns and owner Steve Cohen took a huge gamble on starting pitching, opting to go with reclamation projects and journeymen for the second straight year. That failed miserably. Griffin Canning was lost for the year with Tommy John Surgery. Frankie Montas was a bust, and then got hurt.
Sean Manaea, who was very popular last year, and signed a three-year $25 million deal in the off-season, got hurt and was never the same guy when he returned.
Kodi Senga was a shell of his former self after another injury, and had to finish the year in the minors.
The only saving grace were the three young starters the Mets called up in Noah McLean, Jonah Tong and Branden Sprout. All three should be in the rotation next year, even if they were rushed up to save this sinking ship in 2025.
McLean is the clear-cut Mets No. 1 ace, and Opening Day starter heading into next year, unless they swing a deal for a big time starter in the off-season.
And then there is this: Juan Soto. Despite hitting 43 homers, stealing over 30 bases and hitting .263 when it was all said and done, Soto had a rough first year in Queens. The $765 million man delivered only one three-run homer all season, a grand slam in late August. That was it.
Most of the time he hit into killer double plays when he had ducks on the pound like he did on Sunday.
Whatever the reason, Soto just never truly got comfortable in Queens this season. Sometimes money isn't everything.
Then there is Pete Alonso. The Mets MVP looked frustrated and fed up by Sunday afternoon. Who could blame him? He poured his heart in this season. He became the Mets leading all time home run leader, and still played on a team with the highest payroll that missed the playoffs.
On Sunday night, it became clear Alonso will opt out of his contract and test free agency again. This time, he should get a contract more to his liking. Will he be a Met? While he says the right things every time he's asked, let's be honest, the man could use a change of scenery. Perhaps it's the Bronx if he wants to stay in New York? Maybe Texas where he can join ex-Met Jacob deGrom? Maybe San Francisco finally gets something done? We'll have to wait and see.
Bottom line is this: the Mets need changes. They need wholesale changes to the roster. They need wholesale changes to the coaching staff, and GM David Stearns needs to understand that his seat is on fire this off-season.
He did a terrible job building this team. Not only were his moves last off-season terrible, but his trade deadline moves were a mess. He needs a home run this winter.
As for Carlos Mendoza, it's hard to pin blame on a manager who had to work with such a dreadfully built pitching staff. But even he will be on the hot seat too. If Willie Randolph could be on the hot seat in 2008 following the '07 collapse, so can Mendoza in 2026 following the '25 collapse.
It's gonna be a long off-season, a painful one for the Mets and their fans.
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