The New York Mets missed the playoffs in 2025, after having expectations to make a playoff run. Now, the Mets have goals of a deep playoff run in 2026.
Now, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is making his goal for the 2026 season clear, per the Mets beat reporter for NJ.com, Max Goodman.
“Our goal is not only playing in October, but playing deep into October and winning the World Series,” Mendoza said.
The Mets made the playoffs in their first year with Mendoza at the helm, finishing third in the NL East, but earning a Wild Card berth. They would defeat the Milwaukee Brewers in three games in the Wild Card series. They would then defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the Division Series, putting them one series away from their first World Series berth since 2015. The Mets fell to the Dodgers in six games, though, ending their season.
This led to high hopes for the 2025 campaign, and things started well. The team was 45-24 on June 12, sitting in first place in the division by 5.5 games, and ten games over the Cincinnati Reds. Then the collapse came. By July 18, the Mets had dropped to second place in the division by a half game, and the Reds were just four games back.
By August tenth, they were 5.5 games back in the division, and their chances to make the playoffs had dropped from 96.2 percent to 77.5 percent according to ESPN. Regardless of the collapse, the Mets still had a chance to make the playoffs. The Reds lost on the last day of the season, and the Mets were still playing. It was a win-and-in situation, but the team failed to secure the win.
While the Mets were hoping for greatness in 2025, they found failure, and now look towards 2026. Still, after the 2025 disaster, if failure comes again this year, Mendoza may not only miss his goal, but may also be looking for a new job.
