Juan Soto discusses Mets’ failure despite lofty expectations for 2025
After the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention on the season’s final day, Juan Soto discussed what went wrong on Sept. 28, 2025, in Miami.
It has already been a long offseason for the Mets.
After entering the 2025 campaign with visions of playoff excitement, they have been left to spectate following a season that fell woefully short of expectations.
Soon enough, the Mets and their front office can begin charting a course toward a bounce-back season in 2026. Led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets have already promoted Jeff Albert to become the club’s new director of major league hitting and brought on Kai Correa to be the new bench coach.
But there is still plenty of work to be done to address the roster, and that task opens up in a few weeks.
With that said, here are some dates to watch as the Mets look to fortify their roster to get back among top tier of clubs in Major League Baseball:
When does MLB free agency start?
The MLB offseason officially gets under way the day after the World Series as players become free agents. Game 7 of the World Series, if necessary, is scheduled for Nov. 1, so the latest date would be Nov. 2. MLB options must be exercised within five days of the World Series when free agency begins.
The deadline for teams to tender qualifying offers to free agents is also within a five-day window after the World Series.
A season ago, the Mets extended qualifying offers to Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, with the latter signing with the Athletics and the Mets receiving a compensatory draft pick between the fourth and fifth rounds.
Will Edwin Diaz be with Mets in 2026?
The one player to monitor regarding the qualifying offer is Edwin Diaz, if he decides to opt out of the final two seasons of his five-year contract. Diaz would be a prime candidate for the offer, which is expected to be around $22 million for 2026. It would give the Mets some slight protection if Diaz decided to depart.
Which Mets are 2026 free agents?
The Mets’ top free agents include Pete Alonso, who announced his intentions to opt out of the second year of his contract, Starling Marte and Ryne Stanek, along with the three relievers they acquired at the trade deadline: Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto.
Will Mets win any Gold Glove or Silver Slugger awards?
Major League Baseball’s award season will get underway Nov. 2 when the Gold Glove winners are announced.
Luis Torrens is a finalist behind the plate, while David Peterson is among the final contenders on the mound in the National League.
Torrens was tied for the fifth-best fielding run value among catchers in 2025, while his 43 percent caught-stealing rate was best in the National League. Peterson, meanwhile, converted all 37 of his defensive chances and he picked off three runners while allowing only four stolen bases against him.
Silver Sluggers will be announced on Nov. 9, with Alonso and Juan Soto on the short list for potential Mets honorees. Alonso slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs, 126 RBI and a league-best 41 doubles. He has never won a Silver Slugger.
Soto could potentially lock up his sixth Silver Slugger after slashing .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs, 105 RBI, 120 runs, a league-high 127 walks and 20 doubles.
When is the MLB Awards show?
Major League Baseball will hold its annual MLB Awards on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.
When are baseball’s GM Meetings?
While the hot stove never seems to reach a boiling point when the 30 clubs’ general managers meet, the groundwork for deals could begin to germinate in Las Vegas during the GM Meetings from Nov. 10-13.
MLB calendar: Non-tender deadline is Nov. 21
The Mets must decide whether to tender contracts to players on their 40-man roster with less than six years of service time by this date.
Some notable decisions for players who are arbitration eligible include Tylor Megill, Nick Madrigal, Austin Warren, Reed Garrett and Max Kranick.
In the case of Megill, he is under team control for two more years, but underwent elbow surgery late in the 2025 season and is expected to miss all of next season. The same goes for Garrett, who is under control for four more seasons.
David Peterson, Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens are all in their final year of arbitration eligibility and will become free agents after the 2026 season.
When are the MLB Winter Meetings?
A year ago in December, the Mets made a Texas-sized splash at the Winter Meetings in Dallas when they agreed to a record 15-year, $765 million deal to sign Juan Soto on the first day.
It was an active few days with the Yankees adding Max Fried after Soto departed, Nathan Eovaldi re-signing with the Rangers, and Garrett Crochet being acquired in a deal with the Red Sox.
The Mets might look to rekindle that magic in Orlando this season at the Winter Meetings from Dec. 8-11, although it is unlikely to make the same splash.
Who are the top MLB free agents?
The top free agents this offseason will be Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez. Alex Bregman also has an opt out for 2026.
What is the MLB Rule 5 Draft and who will Mets protect?
The Rule 5 Draft allows teams across the league to select players who have not been added to a team’s 40-man roster within five seasons of the time of signing if they were 18 years old or younger or four seasons if they were 19 years old or older.
The Mets have some notable names that would need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected.
It begins with 22-year-old outfielder Nick Morabito, who was the organization’s minor league player of the year in 2024. Morabito, the Mets’ No. 16 prospect, posted a .733 OPS with 63 runs, 59 RBI and 49 stolen bases for Double-A Binghamton this season.
Catcher Kevin Parada, the club’s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft who reached Triple A for the first time last season, would need to be added to be protected. As would another catching prospect, Ronald Hernandez, who was acquired from the Marlins in the deal that shipped David Robertson back in 2023.
Notable top minor leaguers Luke Ritter and JT Schwarz are also eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
Mets and arbitration cases: Mid-January
The Mets have 10 players are eligible for arbitration ahead of the 2026 season.
Notably, Francisco Alvarez will no longer be receiving the minimum salary in 2026.
The Mets and their players must agree to a contract before exchanging salary figures at this point in the calendar. If no agreement is reached, a panel of arbitrators would determine the salary for the upcoming season.
When do Mets pitchers and catchers report in 2026?
The Mets have not announced their 2026 spring training schedule, though pitchers and catchers are expected to report around Feb. 12 to Port St. Luice, Florida.
When is Mets’ 2026 Opening Day?
The Mets open the 2026 MLB season on Thursday, March 26, at home against Pittsburgh Pirates. Their first home series, which includes a Friday off day for a potential postponement, will continue March 28 and March 29 vs. the Pirates.