'We have everything' - Juan Soto issues bold reminder of Mets’ powerhouse potential despite "failure" to secure playoff spot

New York Mets star Juan Soto's first season with the franchise after signing a record $765 million deal in the offseason didn't pan out as he would've expected, as the NL East team failed to qualify for the postseason.

Soto eclipsed his numbers from last season, setting a new career-best in home runs with the Mets. However, it wasn't enough to secure a playoff spot for the franchise after their season-ending 4-0 loss against the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

The Mets were the best team in baseball in the first two months of the season, but the fans witnessed a remarkable collapse as the team went 38-55 over the last three and a half months to miss out on a postseason spot that seemed guaranteed at one point.

Despite the heartbreak, Soto is backing his teammates.

“One hundred percent,” Soto on if he believes in the organization. “One season is not going to determine what we have here. We have everything that we need to go all the way still.”

Soto, who walked into free agency after his stellar year with the Yankees last season, was pursued by several teams in the offseason. The Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers were some of the big names involved in his sweepstakes and all four teams will play October baseball this year.

Juan Soto acknowledges "failure" for Mets despite career-best year

Juan Soto had his first 30-30 season of his career, setting new career highs in home runs (43) and stolen bases (38). Despite his solid personal season, Soto feels it's a "failure" after the Mets failed to make the postseason.

“Any time you don’t make it to the playoffs or win the championship, it’s a failure,” Soto said. “That’s how we’re going to look at it, and that’s how we’re going to work through things in the offseason.”

While the Mets are expected to build around Soto in the offseason, they have already received a big blow after All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso announced his decision to opt out of his current deal and become a free agent on Sunday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash