MIAMI — The most important problem for the Mets coming into the 2025 season wasn’t beginning pitching, and it wasn’t the NL East.
It was dealing with prosperity.
For the second 12 months in a row, it got here all the way down to Sport 162. However in contrast to final 12 months, there have been no heroics, no late-game theatrics and no post-game celebrations. The Mets had been eradicated from postseason rivalry in a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Sunday afternoon. The Fish rallied for 4 runs within the fourth inning off of three completely different pitchers, and right-hander Edward Cabrera threw 5 shutout innings.
The Cincinnati Reds clinched the ultimate NL Wild Card spot by nature of proudly owning the head-to-head tiebreaker. Each groups completed the season with 83-79 information.
“We got here in with a number of expectations, and right here we’re going house,” mentioned supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “Not solely did we fall brief, we didn’t even get to October. It is a staff that was constructed to not solely get to October, however to play deep into October. We’re pissed, unhappy, annoyed — I imply, you identify it.”
What ought to have been a affluent season ended as an unmitigated catastrophe. A staff that led the division lead by as a lot as 5.5 video games on June 12 collapsed to fall out of the race utterly. The costliest payroll within the sport, a generational slugger in Juan Soto added to an already-deep lineup, and among the finest closers in baseball in Edwin Diaz, and nonetheless, they had been eradicated on the final day of the common season.
A season that ends earlier than the postseason could be thought of nothing in need of a catastrophe.
Amazingly, the Amazin’s went 38-55 after June 12 to overlook the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, and the seventh time since 2016, the final 12 months they certified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons — and nonetheless the one time in franchise historical past the staff has reached the postseason in back-to-back years.
“It’s a failure,” Soto mentioned. “Anytime you don’t get into the playoffs or win the championship, it’s a failure. That’s how we’re going to have a look at it.”
They wanted assist from the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, and so they wanted to beat the Fish. The Brewers did their half with a win.
“That one is a pleasant little cherry on high of the sting,” mentioned outfielder and staff chief Brandon Nimmo. “It undoubtedly hurts.”
The Marlins, nonetheless, made no secret of wanting to finish the Mets’ season.
This was evident within the high of the fifth inning. Miami had a 4-0 lead when the Mets loaded the bases on Cabrera. In what might be his ultimate sport in a Mets uniform, Pete Alonso smoked a ball 116 MPH off the bat into the glove of Javier Sanoja for the third out. Sanoja was giddy with pleasure after making the catch.
When you’ve the costliest payroll within the sport, you’re going to have a goal in your again.
“I feel that’s the toughest ball I hit this 12 months and I assumed, for certain, it’s a double and we’re going to get rolling there,” Alonso mentioned.
It was the Mets’ finest probability to chop the deficit. That they had runners on each inning after, however there have been unhealthy pitches the Mets swung at and good pitches the Marlins made to proceed shutting them down. When the Mets get punched, they don’t stand up, failing to come back again to win a single sport this season when trailing after the eighth inning (0-70).
“We didn’t execute once we needed to,” mentioned a tearful Francisco Lindor.
Eight pitchers had been used. Mendoza deliberate to be aggressive, sending most of his starters to the bullpen, and he wasn’t giving anybody a protracted leash. The plan backfired within the fourth inning when he eliminated left-hander Brooks Raley with one on and one out, changing him with right-hander Ryne Stanek.
A fireballer with a tough fastball, Stanek has been wildly inconsistent this season, particularly over the second half of the season. Going to him was the improper transfer, because the inconsistencies continued. Eric Wagaman, the primary batter he confronted, drove a double to the middle discipline wall to attain Connor Norby and break a scoreless tie. Stanek obtained the second out, however then got here extra arduous contact and one other RBI double, this one from catcher Brian Navaretto.
Mendoza went to the bullpen once more, this time for right-handed submariner Tyler Rogers — a ground-ball pitcher who’s finest when introduced in for clear innings. It went from unhealthy to worse. Sanoja pulled one down the left aspect for a triple. Going again to the highest of the order, Xavier Edwards singled up the middle to attain Sanoja.
“We knew we had been going to be actually brief with Manaea, proper? When you get in bother and it turns into a bullpen sport, you try to piece it collectively. Stanek goes to play a job, Rogers goes to play a job, everybody goes to need to get outs. You play the matchups there. We felt good moving into for these matchups, and it didn’t work.”
Diaz, the sixth pitcher used, was introduced in to cease the bleeding. The correct-hander pitched two scoreless innings to present the Mets an opportunity to come back again, and wished to exit for a 3rd, however the Mets capped him at 30 pitches. It might have been Diaz’s ultimate look in a Mets uniform, since he can decide out of the ultimate two years of his contract this winter.
He has not but decided.
Left-hander Sean Manaea began the sport, and pitched 1 2/3 innings earlier than the Mets went to right-hander Huascar Brazoban for 3 outs, and so forth, and so forth. It was a failed and flawed sport plan drawn up by Mendoza and the remainder of the group, however with none dependable beginning pitchers accessible, it’s what they needed to do.
“I take duty,” Mendoza mentioned. “I’m the supervisor, it begins with me. I’ve obtained to take a protracted look right here to see how I have to get higher. That was the message for the entire staff as properly.”
