Showing posts with label 2025 Mets. Show all posts

Monday, September 29, 2025

Meet the Mess- A 2025 Mets Post Mortum

The 2025 New York Mets season is over, completing a two and a half month slow motion collapse. And among the many negative adjectives that can be used to describe this season, the harshest but most accurate one is: Failure. Failure. After missing the MLB playoffs with the highest payroll in all of MLB, the 2025 New York Mets are a failure. How they arrived at this conclusion is a long and winding journey full of injuries, and underperformances. After signing star outfielder Juan Soto to a mega-deal of 15 years $765M dollars during the offseason, the Mets were considered to be one of the favorites to win the World Series this year, and their first since 1986. For the first two and a half months, that seemed destined to happen.

Heading into the Father’s Day weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 13th, the Mets had the best record in all of baseball- 20 games above .500 at 44-24. The Mets would then immediately lose seven games in a row (a feat they would accomplish two more times this season) and would have one of the worst records in all of baseball for the rest of the season winning just 39 more games while losing an astounding 55 games. Only the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, both of whom lost over 100 games this year, had worse records in that same stretch. Something that seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the year.

So what happened? How did they plummet so horribly? The biggest reason for how this happened was pitching. In 2024 the Mets starting pitching staff arguably overperformed, filled with pitchers on short, prove-it deals. And prove it they did. Helping lead the Mets to Game 6 of the NLCS before losing to the eventual World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers. This year, the Mets tried to recreate that same magic but to much less successful results.

With the departures of starters Luis Serverino to the Sacramento A’s and Jose Quintana to the Milwaukee Brewers, and young starters like Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Blade Tidwell still some time away, the Mets needed to fill the voids that were left by Severino and Quintana. Mets President of Baseball Operations/General Manager David Stearns brought back lefty Sean Manaea after a successful 2024 season in Flushing on a three year $75M deal. Stearns also got creative and brought in former Yankees closer Clay Holmes from across town on a three year $38M to be a full-time starting pitcher for the first time in his major league career. Before the season could even begin, injuries began to take their toll on the Mets rotation. Sean Manaea suffered a strained oblique right as Spring Training began and wound up missing the first half of the season as a result. Veteran Frankie Montas, another free agent pitcher that was brought in during the offseason, suffered a high-grade lat strain and did not appear in a game for the Mets until late June.

One of the biggest issues for the Mets starting rotation all season was their inability to go deep into games. Throughout the year, Mets starters pitched 6+ innings only 43 times over 162 games. Of those 43 times, 16 of those games were started by David Peterson, and another seven games were started by three rookie pitchers, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat, none of whom made their debuts until mid August. Per Buster Olney of ESPN, from June 13th until August 15th when McLean made his Major League debut, the Mets had 14 different starting pitchers who posted an ERA of 5.34 in that two month period. In that same time period, McLean, Tong, and Sproat pitched to a 2.48 ERA in 29 starts combined for AA Binghamton and AAA Syracuse. To further drive home the point, the Mets had 39 quality starts (6 innings pitched, 3 earned runs) all season. That mark is the third worst in all of MLB, just barely ahead of only the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies.

Another key issue that plagued the team throughout 2025, was their inability to rally late. The Mets did not win a single game when trailing after 8 innings, going 0-70 this year. In the later innings of close games, the Mets had a .233 batting average (7th in the NL, 12th in MLB) and a .684 OPS (9th in the NL, 16th in MLB). For a team that had championship aspirations heading into the year, that is a horrendous mark.

Where do things go from here? On Monday the Mets announced that both David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza will be returning for next season. The Mets have been in a two year hiring/firing cycle since the end of the 2017 season, so allowing Mendoza one more season makes sense from that perspective. Constantly hiring/firing managers after two seasons doesn’t allow for much organizational stability. Perhaps some changes are ahead for the coaching staff. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has been at the helm since 2020, hitting coach Eric Chavez has been with the Mets since 2022. Maybe some new voices are needed on that front. But both Mendoza and Stearns will certainly be on the hot seat heading into next year as will the entire organization.

While wholesale changes to the roster aren’t needed, it’s certain that another year like this must not happen again.

Sunday, July 20, 2025

The Brave and the Bold- a 2025 Mets trade deadline preview

The MLB Deadline is fast approaching in less than two weeks on July 31st. The New York Mets currently hold the second of three wild cards in the National League and are just a half game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the division lead in the NL East. But after some injuries last month and some underperformances in their lineup, they could really use a boost across the board to not only solidify their playoff chances, but their World Series hopes as well. Having gone 11-20 over the last month, the Mets need to get out of the rut they've been in, and these moves have the potential to do so.

OFFENSE

The Mets could use another strong bat in their lineup. Their 1-5 hitters features many current and former All-Stars such as shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielders Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo, slugging first baseman Pete Alonso and super utility man Jeff McNeil. But it has been a massive struggle to find any consistent production from the bottom of the lineup. It has been a mix and match of young and underperforming players all season. Between infielders Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Rony Mauricio, and outfielder Tyrone Taylor, no one has been able to truly able to up their game and elevate the Mets to an elite level. Adding a big bat, at either center field or third base, would be a massive shot in the arm for this sputtering offense.

Outfield

Cedric Mullins

Some trade suggestions from ESPN and MLB.com have mentioned outfielder Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles as a potential trade target. Coming off their 91 win season last year, the Orioles this year can only be described as a tremendous disappointment. Baltimore is currently 11 games under .500 and are 13.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East lead and are 8.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the third and final wild card spot in the American League. Because of their implosion, Baltimore is expected to be a big seller at the deadline, with pending free agent Mullins being one of their bigger names on the move.

In 81 games this season, Mullins is hitting for a horrendous .218 batting average, with an OPS of .708. With only one season so far posting an OPS of .730 or better, and one full season of a batting average above .255, Mullins' bat just hasn't developed while with the Orioles. With each passing season, it seems more and more likely that his lone All-Star season in 2021 was nothing more than an aberration. Though maybe a change of scenery awakens his potential.

Jo Adell

A better target for the Mets could be Jo Adell, center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are currently two games under . 500 and are four games behind the Red Sox for the final AL Wild Card. They face a tough stretch coming out of the All-Star break that will make or break their season. LA flies east to play the Phillies for three, then coming to New York for a three game series against the Mets. After that, the Angels fly back home to face division rivals Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, both of whom sit above LA in both the division and wild card race.

At 26, Adell seems to be finally putting everything together. Making his debut during the COVID shortened 2020 season, Adell has struggled to find any consistency in his time in the majors. But in 2025, Adell is hitting for a .247 batting average and an OPS of .818 with 21 HRs and 57 RBIs in 91 games for the Angels. With two more seasons before Adell reaches free agency it is highly unlikely the Angels move him, especially since it would only make them worse this season and likely next. But trading Adell would likely provide a major boon to a barren farm system, currently ranked last out of 30 teams according to MLB.com.

Jarren Duran

Another outfielder that has been floated as a potential trade target for the Mets is Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. Like Adell, Duran is under team control for another few seasons, becoming a free agent after the 2028 season. But Duran has a much different skill set than Adell. Adell's biggest threat is his power bat, while Duran relies more on his speed. 2024 proved to be a breakout campaign for Duran, being named to his first All-Star team and winning the All-Star MVP. In his first full year in the majors last year, Duran hit for a .285 with an excellent OPS of .834. Duran mashed 21 HRs out of the leadoff spot while scoring 111 runs. He also lead all of baseball in doubles with 48 and tied for an MLB best 15 triples with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

This year, Duran has regressed a bit. He has only hit .257 and has an OPS almost 90 points lower than it was last year with .752. Despite the lower average and OPS, Duran's counting stats seem to be in line with his production from last season. Through almost two-thirds of the season, the young outfielder has launched eight HRs and has 50 RBIs. Duran also has scored 53 runs while smacking 25 doubles and an American League leading 10 triples.

With the Red Sox having won 10 games in a row heading into the All-Star break, the Red Sox are in prime playoff position and likely won't be sellers come the July 31st deadline. So why would they look to move one of their better players? Especially someone as young as Duran at age 28? Boston has a glut of young outfield prospects waiting in the wings, including the top ranked prospect in all of baseball, Roman Anthony. Since Duran becomes arbitration eligible after this season, the Red Sox might look to move him before he becomes more expensive.

Third Base

Eugenio Suárez

For third base, there really is only one prime target that will be available, Eugenio Suárez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The slugging third baseman is expected to have many potential suitors including the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and a potential reunion in the Seattle Mariners. While his batting average is a bit low at .254, Suárez has been a one man wrecking crew for the D-Backs this year. Named to just his second All-Star team, Suárez has crushed an NL leading 35 HRs this season so far and driven in 85 runs to boot, also to lead the National League. With his power numbers surging, Suárez's bat would provide a shot in the arm for the Mets lineup that already has great sluggers in Pete Alonso and Juan Soto.

Arizona is hovering around .500 at 49-50 and are nine games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead. But they're just four and a half games back of the San Diego Padres for the final NL wild card. It's unknown at the moment what Arizona plans to do at the deadline. Since Suárez is a free agent at the end of this year, trading him before he walks away for nothing might be the best decision to make.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Polar Bear Power Forever

Over the last nine months, Pete Alonso has had quite the resurgence. In Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, it seemed like Alonso’s potential last moments as a New York Met would be dropping a foul pop up and stumbling out of the batter’s box while tripping over his own bat. The following night, the pending free agent first baseman made the swing of a lifetime. With the Mets down 2-0 in a win-or-go-home Game 3 in the top of the 9th with one out, Alonso smacked a go-ahead three-run home run. Tacking on an extra run, the Mets won the game 4-2 and the series 2-1.

Nicknamed the Polar Bear, Alonso has been one of the faces of the franchise since his debut in 2019. In his rookie season, Pete put himself on the map by blasting an MLB rookie record 53 home runs- surpassing New York Yankees’ star outfielder Aaron Judge’s record of 51 from just two seasons prior. The following year, in a COVID shortened 2020 60-game season, Pete mashed 16 HRs in the 57 games he played.

Aside from this outlier shortened season, Alonso has yet to hit for less than 34 home runs in a single season. Barring a major injury, Alonso is due to surpass Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in Mets history in the very near future as of this writing. With 246 career homers, the five-time All Star needs just six more to tie, and seven more to break Strawberry’s franchise record, one that has stood for 35 years.

Free agency does not provide many appealing options if the Mets were to lose out on retaining Alonso. Some of the top names available at first base include former Mets Wilmer Flores and Mark Canha, now playing for San Francisco and Kansas City respectively. Current Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana could possibly fill the void, but at ages 37 (38 in September) and 39 respectively, it is hard to imagine that either player would be anything more than a stopgap.

Internally, the Mets do have a couple of players that could fill the void. One option would be current third baseman Mark Vientos. Vientos is a big power threat and profiles more as a first baseman with his slow-footedness than someone who typically mans the hot corner. In his first full season in the majors last year in 2024, Vientos showed he belonged.

The young slugger hit for a .266 batting average and an OPS of .837 while mashing 27 home runs and driving in 71 runners. But halfway through the 2025 season, Vientos has struggled mightily. So far, the young power threat has a batting average 40 points lower than his 2024 mark hitting just .220, and at .645 his OPS is almost an astounding 200 points lower than his previous season with only 6 home runs and a meager 21 RBIs so far in 2025.

Another choice to fill the potential massive void if Alonso were to leave is Ryan Clifford. Clifford is a highly regarded player, being ranked the sixth best prospect in the Mets farm system, having come over from Houston in 2023 when the Mets traded Justin Verlander back to Houston after half a season in Flushing. But at 21 years old, he likely is another year or two away from making an impact in the majors. In 74 games for AA Binghamton this year, the first baseman/outfielder has a .240 average and an OPS of .808 while smacking 13 HRs and driving in 42 RBIs.

Re-signing Pete Alonso should be the number one priority for the front office this upcoming offseason. Alonso has been repeatedly quoted saying he wishes to remain with the Mets for the rest of his career. It wouldn’t be a failure if Alonso were to leave, but it would be yet another name on a long list of franchise icons who didn’t get to play his entire career in Queens.

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