In MLB The Show 25‘s March to October mode, seven teams are highlighted in Tier One as the “favorites”; these are the teams that the game predicts to be the most likely to make the playoffs, with a projected win total of 91 or higher. These are the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves, Mets, Rangers, Yankees, and Orioles. MLB The Show ended up being way off in their predictions, with four of the seven teams missing the playoffs. Of the four teams that missed the playoffs, no team failed quite as spectacularly as the Mets.
After spending a whopping $ 342 million in player salaries for the 2025 season (the 2nd most in the league, behind the Dodgers), including a ridiculous 15-year, $765 million deal for Juan Soto, the Mets disappointed during the regular season and ended up with an 83-79 record, missing the playoffs. This massive investment, followed up by a missed playoff campaign, has been the most recent embarrassment for a franchise that has had a woeful history, especially under high-spending owner Steve Cohen.
Unlike other top teams in the MLB that missed the playoffs, the failure and misery of the New York Mets is particularly egregious, given Cohen’s desperate attempt to throw as much money as possible to win a World Series, a feat that they seemed closer to attaining before they spent three straight seasons breaking the luxury tax threshold. In contrast, teams like the Guardians, Reds, and Tigers spend less than half the money of the Mets and manage to make the playoffs and potentially go even further. It’s this abysmal reality that Mets fans face that drives them to turn to video games like MLB The Show 25 for relief and catharsis. Luckily for them, the Mets are much better in the virtual world than they are in real life.
The Mets in the Game
Finishing 89-73 last season, the Mets started the year as the fourth-best overall team according to MLB The Show, ranking second in power and second in defense, while placing in the top half of the league in every category except contact.
Juan Soto is one of just three players in the game with a 99 ranking, along with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The Mets also have two other players in the top 75 players in the game, with 95 overall SS Francisco Lindor and 85 overall 1B Pete Alonso. With those three batters, the Mets have a solid corps of elite batters with 30+ potential. Another wildcard batter in the game is Mark Vientos, who, while only being an 83 overall, is often one of the best overperformers in the game.
The problem with the Mets in the game, and what ended up being their kryptonite in real life, is their terrible starting pitching. With Kodai Senga, Griffin Canning, and Sean Manaea each playing only a rough half of the season, the team struggled. However, even when healthy, the rotation remains near the bottom half of the league.
Despite their pitching struggles, the team is still good enough on paper to compete. Here is how they fared in five different simulations.
Sim 1
- 94-68, got the second wild card spot, behind the Phillies and Braves in the division.
- Beat the Braves in the wildcard round and lose to the Dodgers in the Divisional round.
Trades
- Traded for SP Shane McClanahan and RP Cade Smith
Awards
- Pete Alonso gets 2nd in MVP voting and a Silver Slugger
- Francisco Lindor wins a Gold Glove
- Juan Soto wins a Silver Slugger
Sim 2
- Closest to real life, finished 83-79, beat out the Pirates for the final wildcard spot by one game.
- Lost to the Cubs in the wild card round.
Trades
- Traded for 2B Brice Turang
Awards
- Mark Vientos wins a Silver Slugger
- Juan Soto wins a Silver Slugger
Sim 3
- Finished 98-64, three games behind the Phillies in the division, but good enough to get the first wild card spot.
- Lost to the Braves in the wildcard round.
Trades
- Traded for C Alejandro Kirk, 2B Edmundo Sosa, and CF Brenton Doyle
Awards
- Pete Alonso wins MVP and a Silver Slugger
- Mark Vientos gets second place in MVP voting and a Silver Slugger
- Juan Soto wins the batting title, Hank Aaron award, and a Silver Slugger
Sim 4
- Finishing 92-70, the Mets won their division for the first time in these sims, capitalizing on a Phillies team that finally lost more than 65 games for the first time in these sims.
- Lost to the Padres in the wildcard round.
Trades
- Traded for 2B Brandon Lowe
Awards
- Mark Vientos gets second place in MVP voting and a Silver Slugger
- Francisco Alvarez wins a gold glove
- Francisco Lindor wins a Gold Glove
- Juan Soto wins a Silver Slugger
Sim 5
- Finished 86-76 and missed the playoffs! The only time in the five sims that they missed the postseason.
Trades
- The team didn’t trade for anybody at the trade deadline
Awards
- Juan Soto finished third in MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger
- Kodai Senga finished third in Cy Young Voting
- Pete Alonso wins a Silver Slugger
- Francisco Lindor wins a Silver Slugger
Final Takeaway
- Playoff %: 80%
- Average record: 90.6-71.4
- Best record: 98-64
- Worst record: 83-79
- Furthest gotten: Divisional round
The Mets are better in video games than they are in real life, but not by as much as you might think. Sure, they are disappointing in real life, but in MLB The Show simulations, they couldn’t do much better, failing to make it past the divisional round in any of the sims. They made it into the playoffs in the game thanks mostly to impact performances by their big four hitters (Soto, Alonso, Lindor, and Vientos) as well as the occasional trade for middle infield or pitcher help. However, at the end of the day, the result was still a disappointment even in the virtual world.
Turns out the Mets being an underwhelming mess is a constant across the multiverse.
