The New York Mets, on the final day of the season, had a chance to make up for the slow collapse and win against the Miami Marlins. They needed the Cincinnati Reds to lose, and fortunately, they did.
But, even so, the Mets couldn't get a single run across the plate, and lost the season finale, missing the playoffs. It was a crushing loss, but unfortunately, not completely unexpected after how the team had played down the stretch.
Not long after the regular season ended for the Mets, one Philadelphia Phillies slugger, Nick Castellanos, took a shot at the Mets on Foul Territory for missing the playoffs despite the $765 million investment into Juan Soto this offseason.
Nick Castellanos was surprised the Mets missed the playoffs after signing Juan Soto
"Not talking (expletive) or anything," Castellanos said. "But usually when an acquisition like that is made, a team does better than they did in the past."
Nick Castellanos says it's always a little surprising when a team [Mets] goes out and spends $765M on one player and doesn't make the playoffs.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 2, 2025
"Not talking sh*t or anything, but usually when an acquisition like that is made, a team does better than when they did in the past." pic.twitter.com/3WAZmao4pi
Castellanos is referencing the signing of Soto, in which the Mets spent a record $765 million on the young superstar this past offseason. While Soto himself has been great, the rest of the team has not.
The starting pitching completely deteriorated over the course of the year. Kodai Senga wasn't on the Major League roster by season's end, and it wasn't just due to injury; his struggles forced a demotion to the minors to figure out what was going wrong.
New York had to rely on rookies Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and Jonah Tong. While McLean looked the part of an ace, the other two rookies struggled at times, and with Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes also having their fair share of struggles, the pitching in the second half of the year was a main reason for the collapse.
Castellanos was once viewed in a similar vein as Soto, though to a much lesser degree. He signed with the Phillies on a $100 million deal over five years, and the Phillies immediately went to the postseason and found success.
More: Met's Juan Soto set to pass Mickey Mantle in incredible stat to create an unbeatable MLB record
Just like how the Mets missed the playoffs for reasons other than Soto, there were other factors at play for the Phillies, like Kyle Schwarber's addition to the team. But the Phillies still got significantly better after spending a lot in free agency, while the Mets regressed.
Meanwhile, the Mets, after spending the most any team has spent on one player in free agency, had a worse season than they did a year ago.
Soto wasn't the reason for the Mets' collapse. In fact, he was likely the reason they even had a chance on the final day of the season. While the rest of the roster struggled, Soto was still playing at an elite level, clobbering 43 home runs with a .263 batting average, 6.2 WAR, and an NL-leading 38 stolen bases.
While Castellanos isn't mocking the Mets, his surprise at the Mets missing the playoffs reopens the wound and makes the missed postseason sting even more.
New York has the talent to be a playoff team and a top contender going forward. Soto will be an integral part of such playoff-caliber teams, but for now, after year one, the $765 million signing hasn't borne playoff fruit just yet.
More Mets News:
- This ridiculous stat will have Mets fans praying for a playoff spot
- Mets make firm Brett Baty decision after trade rumors
- Mets expected to replace struggling Cedric Mullins with veteran
- Mets expected to keep Carlos Mendoza despite disastrous collapse
- Mets' Juan Soto earns base-stealing accolade from MLB insider Jeff Passan