Mets rightfully receive below average regular season grade during final week

Even if the New York Mets make the playoffs, it has been a disappointing regular season.

Sep 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) on the field before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are coming off one of their best wins of the season when they needed it the most.

Coming into the week, the Mets were not controlling their destiny in the National League Wild Card picture, with the Cincinnati Reds jumping them in the standings with the tiebreaker. Fortunately, New York was able to get a much-needed come-from-behind win against the Chicago Cubs to start the week, and they also received some help from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who defeated the Reds.

Now, the Mets once again control their destiny, and they might have found a spark in the road win against the Cubs. It was the first time perhaps all year that this team showed some fight and resilience to come back and win a game.

Read More: Mets back in control of playoff destiny after dramatic win

However, despite the win on Tuesday night being a great one that has New York back in the playoffs as of now, the overall campaign has been a disappointment. David Schoenfield of ESPN recently gave the Mets a regular-season grade of a ‘C-’, but prefaced that if they miss the playoffs, it will go down to an ‘F’.

Assessment of New York’s Season is Fair

David Banks-Imagn Images

The current grade and the caveat that it can drop to an 'F' if the Mets miss the playoffs is certainly fair. This was a team that landed the biggest offseason prize in Juan Soto during the winter, and started out the year as one of the best teams in baseball. In fact, they were the best team in baseball with a 45-24 record on June 12, and making the postseason was supposed to be a given for them.

Unfortunately, it has not been easy for the Mets for quite some time now. The starting pitching that was so great in the beginning of the season has been a disaster aside from some of the new arms that were recently called up. Furthermore, moves that appeared great at the trade deadline haven’t panned out for the most part.

New York finds themselves once again controlling their destiny, but the next five games could be defining for what this organization will look like in 2026. If they are to miss the playoffs, it would be shocking not to see someone held accountable for the collapse. The Mets have a payroll over $300 million, and missing the playoffs with the current six-team format would be a disaster.

Even though there are still important games for the Mets to play this week, the best they can realistically be graded for their regular season performance is slightly below mediocre. However, if they miss the postseason, it will be a complete failure.