New York Mets named one of MLB's most improved teams in 2025, per insider

The New York Mets have been voted one of MLB's most improved teams in 2025, according to an MLB insider who polled executives.

Mar 28, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Coming off a season, where the New York Mets shattered all expectations by reaching the NLCS, just two wins shy of a World Series appearances, the team got better in 2025.

Two words: Juan Soto.

Juan Soto’s first of many home runs as a Met was a no-doubter pic.twitter.com/r82422Hbl2

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) March 29, 2025

The Mets may have come up short last year, but this only seemed to fuel owner Steve Cohen and a front office led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, who netted Soto to the largest contract in sports history at 15-years, $765 million back in December.

But New York wasn't finished after winning the Soto sweepstakes; They made sure to bring a number of key members of the band back as well: Sean Manaea, Jesse Winker, Ryne Stanek and last but not least: slugging first baseman Pete Alonso. They also brought in the likes of A.J. Minter, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas.

MLB.com's insider Mark Feinsand recently polled MLB executives around the league about which teams are the most improved in 2025. The Mets came in third with four votes behind the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers' and Boston Red Sox's six votes a piece. Following the Mets, the Athletics received two votes and the Houston Astros got one.

So why did executives pick the Mets as the third most improved club in baseball?

“Juan Soto,” an NL executive told Feinsand. “They added an MVP candidate to a playoff team.”

Read More: Juan Soto hits first home run in New York Mets uniform

Not only did the Mets add an MVP candidate to a postseason roster, they kept spending afterwards to make their team even better, providing talent around Soto.

“Adding Soto is a win on its own,” another NL exec told MLB.com. “But adding other pieces to that mix puts them in play to do lots of damage.”

Per FanGraphs' RosterResource, the Mets have the second highest payroll in the league at $325 million, which is only behind the Dodgers who are at $391 million. Los Angeles is coming off their second World Series title in four years while the Mets are trying to snap their 38-year drought without a championship.

The Mets have stars such as Soto, Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Manaea, Edwin Diaz, A.J. Minter and more. For that, they're viewed as the third most improved club in the game by MLB execs after landing Soto.