Mets receive bold vote of confidence from Yankees legend

The Mets finished 83-79 in 2025, but Yankees legend C.C. Sabathia believes they’re closer to a World Series than many think.

Jul 27, 2025; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame inductee CC Sabathia reacts making his acceptance speech during the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The New York Mets massively underachieved expectations with a $342 million payroll in 2025, falling short of the postseason at 83-79. But they may be closer to a World Series than most think.

At least, that is what Hall of Fame pitcher and New York Yankees legend CC Sabathia believes. On the latest episode of Network with Rich Kleiman, Sabathia assessed the Mets’ upcoming offseason—headlined by Pete Alonso’s second go-around in free agency—and argued that their roster is closer to competing for a World Series than his former team.

“Actually, I think they’re closer than the Yankees are, to be honest. They have the pitching, they have the young guys, and those three stars are gonna show up,” Sabathia said. “Soto went damn near 40-40 [43 home runs and 38 stolen bases], which is incredible after everybody talked about how slow of a start he got off to, how he wasn’t going to hit at Citi Field. He hit 40 bombs. And Lindor’s Lindor.”

Sabathia elaborated by saying the Mets have a lot to prove and will be “super motivated” next year because they missed the playoffs. The 2009 World Series champion said it is harder to reset and get ready for the next season after making a deep postseason run. Considering what the Yankees have gone through the past two years, coming up short in the 2024 Fall Classic and 2025 ALDS, he thinks it will be especially tough for them to get by in 2026.

Both crosstown rivals are bracing for stars at the top of their lineup to test free agency, as Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger are expected to opt out. Aside from bringing Alonso back, Sabathia thinks the Mets’ biggest priority should be adding veteran pitchers to complement rookies Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.

“You can’t expect those guys to be four, five starts into their big league career and have them go out and try to pitch in the playoff race,” Sabathia said. “They kinda got set up for failure, to be honest, but you need to get some older starters in there to teach those guys how to be pros, teach those guys how to pitch a big league season, and make 30 starts a year. I think everything is set up for the Mets to be good if they can adjust the pitching.”

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Only two Mets reached 30 starts in 2025 — David Peterson and Clay Holmes — both of whom are under contract next season. They also owe $17 million to Frankie Montas, who underwent Tommy John surgery in September, and nearly $35 million combined between Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, who dealt with injuries and were ineffective down the stretch.

The Mets’ starters struggled to provide length all season, ranking 27th in innings pitched. Their rotation combined for a 4.74 ERA after the All-Star break, with McLean being the only arm on the staff to show ace-like tendencies following his mid-August call-up.

Nolan McLean records his 11th strikeout on this nasty pitch! pic.twitter.com/0EaVCuUjCm

— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2025

During his end-of-season press conference, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns cited run prevention as the main reason the team disappointed in 2025. While he did not rule out going after a frontline starter this winter, improving the defense was a big point of emphasis.

Sabathia suggested one way the Mets can shore up their defense is by reuniting with center fielder Harrison Bader, who carries a $10 million mutual option with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 31-year-old ranked in the 92nd percentile for outfield range in 2025, recording +7 Outs Above Average over a career-high 146 games played. He also hit .277 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs.