Mark Vientos Boils Mets' 2025 Collapse Down to 2 Words

Mark Vientos didn't need much to explain what went wrong with the New York Mets in 2025.

New York Mets designated hitter Mark Vientos (27) | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The New York Mets were baseball's best team for the first two months of the 2025 regular season.

The pitching staff was firing on all cylinders, both when it came to the starting rotation and the bullpen. Pete Alonso was producing at an MVP-caliber level at the plate, many players were providing their own contributions, and the team's vibe seemed to be sky-high. What was perhaps the most impressive aspect of this was that Juan Soto started the season ice-cold and was the one player in the lineup who couldn't get anything going.

The problem is that once Soto inevitably caught (and sustained) fire, nearly everybody else on the Mets cooled off. New York's starting pitchers couldn't go late into games, their bullpen couldn't hold leads, and the offense couldn't string consistent offense together enough to give their staff enough of a cushion. The club looked disjointed, disoriented, and distant, and their lead in the NL East division dwindled.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) | David Banks-Imagn Images

Every team goes through a cold stretch at some point during a 162-game season. But as the summer progressed, the Mets couldn't shake the funk they were in, and kept losing games to the point where they fell out of the playoff race and ultimately missed the postseason one year after advancing to the NLCS.

Mark Vientos' Stance on Mets' 2025 Struggles Speak Volumes

It's impossible to pin the Mets' collapse on one single thing. There have been reports about a lack of clubhouse chemistry, several players had mediocre seasons, and things can happen in such a competitive and talented league.

One player who underperformed was Mark Vientos, who produced a .233 average with a .702 OPS and 17 home runs after a breakout 2024 campaign where he had an .838 OPS.

Mark Vientos arrives to spring training in style 😎 pic.twitter.com/iOGOd5RPKn

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 9, 2026

Vientos spoke with the New York Post for a February 9 article. And when asked about the Mets' collapse last season, he said that he thought the team was "forcing wins".

When asked to elaborate, Vientos noted that the team was playing too tensely and feeling like they had to win each game, which took the fun out of the game and impacted outcomes.

Read more: Bad Bunny's Alleged Francisco Lindor Support Gets Denied by Mets

Anybody who has played baseball knows this feeling, and unfortunately, it remained with the Mets for so long.

The good news is that the 2026 season is a fresh slate, and there are a lot of fresh faces in New York's clubhouse to ensure that "forcing wins" is a figment of the past.

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