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A $340 Million Mishap as Mets Miss Postseason

BQE Admin on October 2, 2025

Young arms, Minor League championships turn heads towards future

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

With the second-highest payroll in the Majors, the New York Mets missed the postseason in what can only be considered an abject failure. Despite a roster ripe with talent and the team’s red hot start that saw them lead the National League at multiple points, the season came to a close with a 4-0 loss in Miami.

The Mets finished level with Cincinnati, both holding 83-79 records, but the Reds earned the tiebreaker with a 4-2 record against New York to clinch the final Wild Card spot in the NL. As Francisco Lindor grounded into a season-ending double play, Mets players shared looks of dismay, disbelief, and shock that their 2025 campaign had come to a premature halt.

As any division rival should, the Marlins clearly took pride in playing spoiler. Miami played New York very well all season long, winning the season series 7-6. They were victorious in 5 of the 7 games played against New York in the back half of the season, only finishing 4 games behind the Mets with a payroll roughly one fifth the size.

“Mets fans everywhere. I owe you an apology. You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part,” said owner Steve Cohen in a somber statement. “We are all feeling raw emotions today. I know how much time and effort you have put into this team. The result was unacceptable. Your emotions tell me how much you care and continues to motivate the organization to do better.”

A notable point in the Mets downfall was the lack of improvement following the trade deadline. While the acquisitions of Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers gave New York one of the best bullpens in MLB on paper, Helsley panned out as one of the club’s worst ever deadline pickups, with Rogers failing to find consistency.

Additionally, Cedric Mullins provided little improvement in CF despite an injury to Tyrone Taylor. He struggled to make an impact despite providing adequate defense in the outfield.

New Mets star Juan Soto acknowledged this season’s failure but remained optimistic about the future. He put together his first ever 30/30 season, leading the National League in stolen bases with 38 (tied with Oneil Cruz). He finished just two stolen bases shy of a 40/40 campaign, setting a new career high with 42 homers in 2025.

Another bright spot this year was the young pitching. Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat showed tremendous potential for the future, as pitching depth was a clear weakness all season long. Whether all three begin the 2026 season in the Majors remains to be seen, but all were up for the challenge as they tried to push New York into October baseball.

Mets Minor League affiliates also celebrated success this year. In the past few weeks, both the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies claimed league championships. Despite the MLB team coming up short, there is a good deal of talent awaiting their chance to prove themselves at the game’s highest level.

Mets Rookies Handed Trio of Losses

BQE Admin on September 9, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

Three Mets rookie pitchers faced consecutive defeats over the weekend as New York dropped the last two games in Cincinnati and the opener in Philadelphia. Still, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Nolan McLean all showed prowess and potential in strong starts.

Tong only surrendered three hits in his second career game. Unfortunately all three were sent over the wall as the Reds scored four runs in the first four frames. The rest of the outing went smoothly for Tong, finishing with six strikeouts in six innings of work. He was handed the loss as the Mets fell 6-3.

The next day, Mets #5 prospect Brandon Sproat stepped onto the big league mound for the first time. Like McLean and Tong, the young righty made a strong impression in his debut. 

The 24-year-old threw five innings of no-hit baseball, only allowing one run via sacrifice fly. In the 6th Cincinnati finally got to Sproat, with three consecutive hits to go up 3-1. Sproat struck out the next two Reds batters to end his night with seven K’s, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the loss.

Nolan McLean dazzled in Detroit but was finally handed his first loss of the year in Philadelphia. In 5.1 innings, McLean only gave up one run on seven hits with five strike outs. He displayed more masterful control of the breaking ball and the composure to survive busy basepaths.

Unfortunately the Mets were blanked by Aaron Nola and the Phillies bullpen. McLean was tagged with the decision in a 1-0 loss. It was New York’s sixth loss in their last nine games, a troubling trend as the Wild Card race continues to tighten up.

The Kids are Alright!

BQE Admin on September 2, 2025

A Clean Start for Nolan McLean, Tong Terrific Takes Over Queens

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

A pair of Mets youngsters took the mound at Citi Field last week, injecting some life into a struggling rotation. Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, two of the most highly touted arms in the Mets system, made their MLB debuts in August. Most notably, both earned big wins in a pair of important division games at Citi Field last week.

McLean, a right-handed spin savant, took the mound in front of the Queens crowd for the first time against the Seattle Mariners earlier in the month. He delivered one of the greatest pitcher debuts in club history, striking out 8 and only surrendering 2 hits in 5.1 innings of scoreless ball.

In his next two starts, McLean continued to impress, becoming the first in franchise history to win each of his first three games. He punched out 6 in 7 innings in Atlanta before getting another 5 against the Phillies at home.

McLean became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in the 80’s to win their first three games while pitching 20+ innings, striking out 20+, and holding opponents to a sub-.200 batting average. More importantly he displayed an ability to go deep into ballgames, something sorely missing from the Mets pitching staff.

The rookie’s 8 innings of work against Philadelphia were some of the most masterful from the Mets pitching staff all season. Only David Peterson has gone deeper in a game this year, throwing a complete game shutout against the Nationals in June.

On Friday night, another young Met arm was welcomed to Citi Field for the first time. Jonah Tong, carried youthful energy onto the mound just over a month past his 22nd birthday but kept nerves contained in front of a nearly sold out crowd. Tong didn’t have to worry about run support in his first Major League game as he was handed 12 runs to work with over the first two innings.

The youngster was just barely able to qualify for a win, throwing nearly 100 pitches over 5 frames. A pair of errors nearly cost Tong a chance at a decision, but he finished with just one earned run.

The 19-9 win set a record for the most runs scored at home as New York desperately tried to shake a groggy August. Despite their sweep of the Phillies, the Mets struggled last month with a 11-17 record even with impressive offensive numbers. With pitching struggles, it’s time to see what the new kids can offer in the season’s final stretch.

Nolan McLean’s 4th start was scheduled for Tuesday in Detroit. Tong is slated for a Friday night appearance in Cincinnati as the Mets look to earn some separation in the Wild Card race.

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