“Have Got to be Better,” Juan Soto Takes Blame as Mets Miss Playoffs Again After Disappointing Season

Juan Soto and the New York Mets will miss the playoffs for a second season running as they struggled once again this year.

“Have Got to be Better,” Juan Soto Takes Blame as Mets Miss Playoffs Again After Disappointing Season

Juan Soto (Image via X/@SleeperMets)

The New York Mets will not feature in the playoffs once again. The NL East side had another disappointing season this time out, which saw them miss the postseason. 5-time All-Star Juan Soto recently opened up about their 2026 campaign and took the blame upon himself for this.

In December 2024, the Mets stunned the MLB world with the record-breaking signing of Soto. They brought in the former World Series winner on a historic 15-year, $765 million deal.

His first season in Mets uniform did not go well. After losing in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Steve Cohen-owned side was hoping to do one better. With Soto in their lineup, they were seen as World Series favorites.

After a solid start, the Mets stumbled and missed out on the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Then they lost two top names, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, as they both opted out of their deals and became free agents.

Unlike the 2025 season, when they had a good start, the Mets never took off this year. In April, they ended up losing 12 games in a row and matched some unwanted franchise records. With a 34-47 record in late June, the team finally parted ways with manager Carlos Mendoza.

While there has been a slight improvement under Andy Green‘s leadership, the damage had already been done. Following their 2-1 loss against the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month, they were officially eliminated from the postseason race.

For Juan Soto, this season has been one with ups and downs. While he has 27 home runs and 68 RBIs with a .274/.393/.522 slash line, he has also had 2 stints on the injured list.

In an interview with the New York Post (subscription required), he claimed he has to be better and be the one who takes the team forward.

It’s definitely not what I imagined in my head. There is nothing I can do other than blame myself. I have got to be better. I have got to be at the level to take us forward.

Juan Soto said

A few days back, the Mets announced the full-time appointment of Green as the manager. While there is nothing left to play for apart from pride this season, the pressure will be on Soto and the other players to deliver next year.

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Juan Soto urges Mets to make big free agency splash

After back-to-back disappointing seasons, the New York Mets will hope to turn things around in the 2027 season. Juan Soto has urged the team to make some big free-agency splash and get as much help as they can.

Juan Soto
Juan Soto (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

As mentioned above, the Mets lost two of their big names in Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. While Diaz has also struggled a bit with the Dodgers this year, Alonso has 41 home runs to his name this season for the Baltimore Orioles.

In the offseason, the Mets brought in Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams, Freddy Peralta, Luke Weaver, Luis Robert Jr., and Bo Bichette.

Polanco battled injuries and suffered a season-ending injury in August. He managed to play in just 37 games. Peralta struggled from the mound and was traded mid-season. Bichette, Semien, Williams, and Weaver all underperformed, while Robert Jr. was placed on outright waivers.

Soto wants the Mets to be aggressive once again and bring in some more big names.

We should go and get as much as we can, we need as much help as we can get. It was a real tough year for us, so I think we have got to go out there and grab as much as we can.

Juan Soto said as per New York Post

Thursday saw the Mets lose 3-1 against the Texas Rangers, leaving them with a 73-86 record. They will try to finish off the season on a high with a 3-game series against the Washington Nationals.

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