The 2025 Mets Have an Identity Crisis

Edwin Diaz and the Mets sulk off the field after losing their seventh game in a row.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu- Imagn Images

By Steve Sica,

Watching the Mets play in Milwaukee this past weekend you can’t help but think back to last October in what was one the most signature home runs in Met history, and probably the peak moment of the 2024 Mets run to an unexpected NLCS berth.

The Mets were two outs away from elimination before Pete Alonso took Devin Williams deep to give the Mets a 3-2 lead, and ultimately a Wild Card Series win. These types of comebacks and dramatic moments were typical of the 2024 Mets, and defined that team. Less than a year later, the Mets are back in Milwaukee and while most of those players are back, their identity is missing.

Last year’s team was all about redemption, it was a very us against the world mentality. After starting 0-5 and entering play on June 11th at 28-37, the team went on a run as they turned their season around. They were underdogs and embraced that role. There was of course Grimace, the Hawk Tuah girl, and the playoff pumpkin. Watching this year’s Met team though, the vibe feels way off compared to last year.

No longer considered underdogs coming into 2025, and rightfully so after they signed Juan Soto, arguably the best player in the game, the Mets were favored by many to win the division and make another deep run through October. The Mets identity this year should be about confidence and a swagger that they are the best team in the league and now they’re going to show you why. For the first two months of the season, that’s exactly how they were playing. On June 11th of this year, the Mets were 20 games over .500 at 44-24. Then, the wheels came off.

Over the next two months the Mets have gone 18-31, an ironic twist that the team started falling apart on the same date as last year’s team began their rise. The Mets are no longer playing with that, as Apollo Creed once said, “eye of the tiger.”. Watching games this summer when the Mets fall behind, you can’t help but want to shut the TV off. 

The offense, despite the addition of Soto, is sputtering, and even their MLB-best home field advantage is cracking as they’ve lost three of their first four home series’ since the All-Star break. The freefall has gotten worse as the Mets have started August with a record of 1-8. They’ve fallen to 5.5 games out of first place behind the Phillies, and now, are nearly on the verge of dropping out of a playoff spot altogether, as they’re just two games up on Cincinnati for the last wild card spot.

Last year’s team, as fans, we were happy to just get into the playoffs. That simply isn't enough for this year’s team. This team should be embracing these lofty expectations, and playing like a team that, on paper, is one of the best in the National League. The front office believes in this core with the addition of Juan Soto over the offseason and then putting together an elite bullpen at the deadline. But there’s something more that’s missing from this team other than their offense or a starting pitcher that can go beyond the sixth inning, and that’s their identity.

Watching the Mets in these last 50 games you can feel this team lacks that energy they brought to every game down the stretch last season. Whether they’re behind or have a lead, this team just seems to be waiting for something to go wrong, and when something does go wrong, they fold. 

Last October, Milwaukee was the backdrop for one of the greatest moments in Mets history. This past weekend, it was the stage for one of their most frustrating series of the season to date.

Sunday’s game was the perfect example. They jumped out to a 5-0 lead, and seemed like they’d at least salvage one game before heading back home. But Sean Manaea couldn’t make it past the fifth inning, and an overworked bullpen surrendered the lead right back. Even lock down relievers like Ryan Helsley and Edwin Diaz couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Brewers walked off Diaz and the Mets in the ninth.

There’s less than two months to go in the season. This team needs to find their spark, their mojo, their identity. Whatever you want to call it, this team lacks it. They don’t need to find their “Grimace” again. This team is good enough not to need gimmicks to play good baseball. They were the best team in MLB for the first two months of the season, so we all know that somewhere inside this team is greatness.

The division is starting to feel like it’s slipping away and now, even the Wild Card spot is dangerously close to the edge. I still believe that there’s just too much talent on this roster for them to not find some way to turn things around. Maybe some adversity is what this team needs. They thrived on that last year. But for the 2025 Mets to make another deep October run, they can’t hold onto last year’s energy. That’s in the past. They need to establish a new identity. They have Lindor, Alonso, Soto, Diaz, Helsley, and Senga. There’s no reason to believe that this team can’t go on a run in August and September, and play for the division title.

But time is starting to slip away, and before they can try to take the division crown away from the Phillies, the 25 guys in that locker room need to start believing that they can, because right now, this team looks defeated before they even take the field.