The Mets enter the final two weeks of the regular season on the cusp of missing the postseason, a fact that was once unthinkable just a few months ago.
On June 12, a victory over the Nationals put the Mets at 45-24, the best record in all of baseball and led the Phillies by 5.5 games in the NL East. Since then, the Mets have plummeted, going 32-49 entering Tuesday's series opener against the Padres. Only the Rockies and Twins have had worse records.
At just 77-73, the Mets hold onto a 1.5-game lead for the final wild card spot and president of baseball operations David Stearns is just as surprised as the rest of baseball at what has become of the Mets' season after such a hot start.
"When you’re sitting where we were in mid-June, we didn’t expect to be in this spot, there’s no question about that," Stearns told the media ahead of Tuesday's game. "We’ll have time to evaluate and diagnose and do all that stuff. For right now, my focus is from here forward what can we do to win as many games as possible. That's in the regular season and the postseason."
Heading into Tuesday, the Mets still have a 79 percent chance at making the postseason with 12 games to go. For Stearns, a big reason the Mets have overcome the highs and lows of the 2025 regular season has been manager Carlos Mendoza. After Mendoza led the Mets to an improbable postseason berth to the NLCS as season ago as a rookie manager, the second-year skipper has been under fire for how a talent-laden, $300-million team has underachieved.
Stearns praised Mendoza and the coaching staff for guiding this year's team despite that.
"We’ve remained consistent as a group," he said. "As a coaching staff, we’re putting in the work and doing our best to prepare our players. And that’s where our focus is."
Stearns later added, "Mendy has done a very good job. He's been a positive leader, a consistent leader, and he's done what he can to get our group going. I think he's going to continue to do that."
Stearns open to using starters in bullpen
One reason for the 2025 Mets' inconsistencies has been the volatility of the starting rotation and bullpen. Veterans Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga have struggled, while Clay Holmes is entering uncharted territory with the number of innings that the converted reliever is undertaking. Then recently-acquired relievers like Ryan Helsley have contributed to the Mets' bullpen woes this year.
While Stearns has supplemented the rotation with three youngsters (Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat), the Mets will have to lean on their veteran starters in the postseason. Even if that means using them in the bullpen.
"I wouldn’t take any of that off the table right now," Stearns said of potentially using Senga or Holmes in the bullpen. "With 12 games left in our season, we’re going to do what we need to do to win as many games as possible and if that means asking pitchers to take on various different roles during different turns in the rotation, that’s what we’re going to do."
Holmes is the most experienced of the bunch, pitching in the postseason. Holmes has appeared in 19 playoff games in three different seasons with the Yankees, with last year's campaign seeing him pitch deep into October. He pitched to a 3-1 record and a 2.25 ERA across 13 appearances (12 IP).
While Holmes pitching out of the 'pen in the playoffs is a possibility, it will still be a conversation the team will have as they look to mix and match against their opponent.
"It’s still a transition for him to do that," Stearns said of potentially moving Holmes to the bullpen. "It’s as much, what the matchups say, who we’re facing, what the rest of the pitching staff is performing and holistically trying to make the best decisions as you can."
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