If this were college, the Mets would have flunked out by the second semester.
That’s how ugly this season got. The expectations were high, the results collapsed fast, and by the time the trade deadline fire sale rolled around, the Mets had already spent weeks looking like a team heading nowhere. They settled into the NL East basement in late April and never climbed out, finishing last for the first time since 2003.
Still, a few people on the roster and in the organization did manage to pass. Here’s how the grades broke down.
Andy Green was the clear winner on the staff side. When he took over for Carlos Mendoza in late June, he did more than just occupy the seat.
The former vice president of player development helped give a lost club some structure, and he played a major role in shaping the young talent that kept the season from being a total wash. Whether he can handle a job with real stakes remains to be seen, but he earned the opportunity.
Grade: A
David Stearns, meanwhile, had a season full of swings that mostly missed. The decision not to chase Pete Alonso in free agency was deeply unpopular, and several of the big bets - Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Freddy Peralta among them - went sideways.
He doesn’t get buried with an F because he did push young players forward, pulled in a decent return at the deadline, and clearly saw something in Green’s managerial future. Grade: D-
Among the position players, Juan Soto still did plenty of damage when he was on the field. Calf injuries limited him to 51 games, but he still paced the club with 27 homers and a 154 OPS+.
Even with the interruptions, the offense was noticeably different when he wasn’t around. Grade: B
Francisco Lindor had a rough year by his standards. Injury issues and uncharacteristic mental mistakes in the field dragged him down, though he still reminded everyone why he belongs in the conversation among the game’s best shortstops.
His 300th career homer was a milestone worth noting. Grade: D+
Bo Bichette’s season followed a frustrating arc of its own. He started badly, found his footing later, and still arrived too late to change much for a team already buried in a hole.
Even so, he gave the Mets useful veteran leadership, handled a new position well, mentored younger players, played in all but two games, and led the club with 78 RBIs. Grade: C
At catcher, Luis Torrens looked like exactly what a backup should be. His bat wasn’t the loudest, but he was dependable behind the plate, pitchers trusted him, and he even put together a .325 August. Grade: A-
Francisco Alvarez’s defense improved a bit from last year, but the blocking issues remain, and the leap the Mets hoped for still hasn’t happened. Grade: C-
Brett Baty was useful because of his versatility, though the hot streaks came late enough in the season to limit the overall impact. Grade: C
Ronny Mauricio never got the kind of consistent run he needed. The raw power is obvious when he connects, but the chase rate was a problem and the broken thumb he suffered in May made things worse. Grade: D
Mark Vientos also failed to take the next step after his strong 2024. The defense, the speed, and the .212 average all worked against him, and he’s now a non-tender candidate, even if there’s still a chance he thrives somewhere else. Grade: F
On the younger side, Carson Benge turned heads quickly. He began the season hitting below .200 in the first month, then finished on the short list for NL Rookie of the Year thanks to a complete all-around showing. Grade: A+
A.J. Ewing gave the Mets speed, defense, and a late-season surge at the plate.
Called up in May, he shook off a miserable August in which he hit .171 and finished by batting .309 in September. Grade: B+
The pitching staff had its own mixed bag. Nate Lavender made his long-awaited major league debut after Tommy John surgery and became an important piece of a bullpen that had been stripped down at the deadline.
He gave up earned runs in only two of his 21 appearances. Grade: A
Nolan McLean started rocky, then took off. By the end, he looked like someone who could settle in as a very good No. 2 starter, with enough upside to dream a little bigger. Grade: A-
Christian Scott offered encouraging signs in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He showed strikeout potential, handled adversity well, and looks like a real candidate for next year’s rotation, even if he occasionally got burned by the big mistake. Grade: B+
Jonah Tong also showed promise after a difficult year in the minors. His expanded repertoire helped, but he still needs more time to develop. Grade: C+
Sean Manaea’s year was all over the map. His velocity dipped, he began in the bullpen, fought his way back into the rotation, flashed real dominance at times, then faded in September.
He also had a meaningful role in helping the team’s younger pitchers. Grade: D+
Kodai Senga produced one of the strangest lines on the board: awful as a starter, shockingly effective as a closer. He wants back in the rotation, but this version of him looks better suited to the new role. Grade: C
Freddy Peralta’s stint with the Mets was a disaster from the start. Mechanics, inconsistency, and short outings all dragged him down before the Rays traded for him and somehow fixed things.
The one silver lining for the Mets is that maybe they’ll figure out what Tampa Bay did. Grade: D-
Tobias Myers had a brief run of strong work before fading, getting sent to Triple-A, and then coming back in September with results that were fine, if not exactly revealing. His 5.53 ERA keeps him from being the biggest problem in the Peralta trade. Grade: D-
Jorge Polanco fought hard to get back and even tried to learn first base, but injuries kept getting in the way and the Mets never seemed comfortable using him there anyway. Grade: F
Luis Robert Jr. couldn’t stay healthy, and his only indirect contribution was opening the door for Ewing’s promotion. Grade: F
Marcus Semien hit .215 and appeared to lose a step at second base, which stung because defense was a big part of why he was brought in. He was steady in the room, but that didn’t come close to offsetting the rest. Grade: D
The grades made one thing clear: the Mets found a few building blocks, a handful of surprises, and a lot of problems that didn’t go away quickly enough.
In Other News...
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Now comes the part the Mets always have to navigate this time of year, when marginal additions can turn into real decisions. Cairo, Weston and Abner all sit in that gray area where recent performance and organizational need will shape what comes next, but the bigger question is how much room New York is willing to keep open for players it only just brought in and has not yet seen on the field. [Read more 🡒]