New York Mets star in 'ultimate pressure cooker' to perform

This Mets slugger is under an extreme degree of pressure to produce right now.

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are in the midst of a downward spiral right now, having lost six straight and ten of their last 11 games.

While it feels like nothing can solve this team's ongoing woes on offense, there's no doubt that star slugger Juan Soto finding his form in the middle of the lineup would be helpful.

There's no doubt that Soto has huge expectations to produce not only now, but throughout the rest of his 15-year contract with the Mets. And Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller conveyed this aptly in an August 10 article that said Soto is currently in the "Ultimate Pressure Cooker".

"Signing a $765M contract comes with certain responsibilities, perhaps the foremost of which is ensuring your team doesn't go straight from the NLCS to missing the playoffs—before paying an estimated $83M tax bill on the second-highest payroll in the majors—in your first season," Miller wrote.

Aug 8, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) warms up before game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

"To his credit, Juan Soto has improved drastically from what was a woeful start. He had a .745 OPS and eight home runs through his first 55 games, but managed a .983 OPS with 18 home runs in the next 58 contests, which is even better than his career norms," he continued.

"Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to save the Mets, who were 12 games above .500 during his slow start, but have gone 18-29 dating back to mid-June. However, he is undeniably pivotal to their success, the Mets sitting at 46-24 when Soto records at least one hit compared to 17-29 when he doesn't."

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Miller concluded by writing, "They are now, just like the Yankees, teetering on the playoff cut line as the projected No. 6 seed. And from this point forward, every hitless game in a loss will be like a dagger to the heart of Mets fans who expected Soto to be the addition that ended their nearly 40-year World Series drought."

Juan Soto leaves no doubt ☄️

He's homered in 3 straight games! pic.twitter.com/fXY2yU5dZD

— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2025

Juan Soto Quietly Picking Up Steam

While it hasn't impacted the Mets' record much of late, it's worth noting that Juan Soto is starting to find his power stroke again after struggling for much of July and early August.

His solo home run against the Brewers on August 9 marked the third straight contest where he went yard. Unfortunately, all three of these bombs came without runners on base, which exacerbates the sentiment that Soto hits much better with empty bases.

Soto getting back to his MVP-caliber form could perhaps kickstart the Mets' offense — or so fans are hoping.