NEW YORK — One of the biggest shocks of the 2025 MLB season has just been confirmed: The New York Mets, the team that signed superstar Juan Soto to a $765 million contract, failed to make the playoffs.
This is a harsh reality for an organization that was once considered the new “giant” of MLB, willing to spend unlimited money in exchange for glory. But after a noisy year, the truth is only disappointment, empty seats at Citi Field, and the headache-inducing question: “Can money really buy winning?”
Juan Soto is still one of the most feared hitters in the league. He finished the season with impressive offensive records: top HR, RBI, OBP, and slugging. However, baseball is never just a game of individuals. With the rest of the Mets roster up and down, the bullpen unstable, and the pitching rotation torn apart by injuries, Soto’s numbers are like fireworks on a rainy night—beautiful but meaningless.
The truth is even more bitter when the Mets were once predicted to become a new power, with Soto at the center of a “super team project” directly competing with the Dodgers and Braves. But instead of building a balanced team, they put all their efforts into a record contract, only to receive a forgettable season.
Analysts did not hesitate to call this “the most expensive strategic failure in MLB history.” A series of questions were raised for owner Steve Cohen and the executive department: Why spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Soto but not seriously invest in the pitching staff? Why continue to depend on old names instead of nurturing the young?
“You can buy a star, but you can’t buy team chemistry,” said a former Mets manager anonymously. “The Mets are now a lesson in overspending on money and neglecting the foundation.
On social media, a number of Mets fans expressed their extreme disappointment. One comment that went viral on X read: “$765 million to sit at home in October. No team can beat the Mets more than the Mets themselves.”
Others have even called for the board to “rebuild from scratch” instead of continuing to waste money on superstars without a sustainable strategy. Citi Field has seen attendance decline significantly this season, and the trust of the fanbase is rapidly eroding.
There’s no denying Soto’s talent, but the Mets’ failure shows that baseball is not the NBA or NFL, where one superstar can turn things around. MLB requires depth, balance, and a long-term strategy. The Mets learned that lesson at the cost of $765 million.
Now, with Soto still under contract, the question is: will the Mets adjust in time to build a team around him, or continue to slide as a living testament to hubris and short-termism?
In New York, where the spotlight is always brightest, failure is also the most painful and obvious. And the Mets, after all, just turned this season into one of the most bitter falls in history modern baseball.
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