The Mets’ Disappointing Season

The Mets are reeling after a major collapse this season.

On Thursday’s “Fol Territory,” Phillies player Nick Castellanos made a notable comment about the challenges faced by contenders in the National League East, particularly with an outside team potentially missing October baseball.

He specifically mentioned the Mets’ staggering $765 million investment in Juan Soto, which ultimately didn’t help the team secure a postseason spot.

“It’s quite surprising when a team puts out $765 million for one player and still doesn’t reach the playoffs,” Castellanos remarked. “Are you surprised? It’s a tough game, I guess. I’m not one to talk specifics, but typically when a team makes such a big move, you’d expect better results.”

The Phillies, in stark contrast, outperformed the Mets by a notable 13 games, despite the Mets being ranked first as recently as August 2.

But those days of promising performance are way behind for the Mets. They’ve recorded a disappointing 38-55 since June 13, ending with a 7-14 record in their last 21 games.

On the final day of the regular season, they faced off against the Marlins, who were vying for a wild card spot.

Even with their huge financial commitment, it seems difficult to assign blame for Soto’s underwhelming impact on the Mets.

Soto’s performance featured a .263/.396/.525 batting line, with a remarkable 43 home runs and 105 RBIs. He surprisingly led the National League with 38 stolen bases in his debut season with the team.

With a WAR of 5.8 according to Fangraphs, Soto may very well find himself among the top five candidates for the NL MVP when the voting results are announced in November.

Meanwhile, Castellanos and the Phillies are gearing up to host the Dodgers for Game 1 of the NLDS this Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.