The New York Mets were clearly one of the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball last year; widely-expected to take the next step following their trip to the NLCS in 2024 thanks to the addition of Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million contract, the Mets ended up missing the playoffs entirely due to a horrid stretch towards the end of the season and the misfortune of tying the Cincinnati Reds, a team that owned the tiebreaker over them, in the win-loss column.
Now, the Mets are about to push for a bounce-back campaign without one of their most consistent players of the past seven years in first baseman Pete Alonso, which is a significant loss for the team's offense. Alonso has long been a valued member of the locker room as well, which could throw a purportedly fractured group into further disarray.
However, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza disputed the allegations of coaching a disconnected locker room, even laughing after being asked about the politics of the 2025 clubhouse.
“I wouldn't call it that way. That's the first for me about politics,” Mendoza said with a laugh. “I gotta laugh. I'm sorry. I've been pretty consistent with the messaging. It's not that the guys didn't get along. We just didn't win games on the baseball field,” Mendoza said in a call with WFAN Sports Radio.
Carlos Mendoza laughs off the idea that politics played a role in the Mets clubhouse issues in 2025:@craigcartonlive @CMacWFAN pic.twitter.com/5ewccql7XJ
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) February 17, 2026
Mets look to bounce back from disappointing 2025
The Mets bounced back from Alonso's departure by bringing in Bo Bichette to add more pop and defensive versatility in the infield, and the Mets also brought in Jorge Polanco, a man who raked for the Seattle Mariners in the postseason in 2025.
New York still has Soto and Francisco Lindor, while they beefed up their infield defense by bringing in Marcus Semien. On the pitching front, the Mets have their ace after bringing in Freddy Peralta via a blockbuster trade.
The Mets definitely are a more well-rounded and balanced team than they were last year, but will this be enough to fuel a bounce-back 2026 campaign?
