Juan Soto: The $765 Million Scrutiny

No player in baseball, let alone the Mets, entered 2025 with a brighter spotlight than Juan Soto. After signing a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million contract, Soto was expected to be the franchise savior. Instead, his early tenure in Queens has been marked by underwhelming numbers and questions about his effort.

Soto’s stat line, .257 average, .378 on-base, .410 slugging, three home runs, and 12 RBIs through late April, would be respectable for most, but not for a superstar with the richest contract in sports history. Mets fans are vocal about their disappointment, especially as the team struggles to score in key moments and drops series to rivals like the Yankees and Red Sox.

But it’s not just the numbers. Soto’s perceived lack of hustle has become a flashpoint. During a recent game at Fenway Park, he admired what he thought was a home run, only to be held to a long single when the ball stayed in play. This prompted manager Carlos Mendoza to have a conversation with Soto about his effort, a moment that did not go unnoticed by the fanbase. As one columnist noted, “Being only 26 years old should motivate him to consistently sprint out of the box and give his all on every play”.

While advanced metrics still paint Soto as an elite hitter, his expected batting average and contact rates remain excellent, the optics and context matter. Mets fans, having watched Soto lead the Yankees to the World Series just last year, expected more than just above-average production; they wanted a transcendent star. For now, the gap between expectation and reality has made Soto a lightning rod for frustration in Queens.

Sean Manaea: The $75 Million Ghost

When the Mets re-signed Sean Manaea to a three-year, $75 million deal after a solid 2024 campaign (12-6, 3.47 ERA), they envisioned him as a reliable anchor in their rotation. Instead, Manaea has become the face of the team’s injury woes and a source of mounting fan exasperation.

Manaea has yet to throw a pitch in 2025, sidelined by a right oblique strain that has lingered far longer than initially expected. After starting the season on the 15-day injured list, he suffered a setback in his rehab, received a platelet-rich plasma injection, and was subsequently moved to the 60-day IL. The earliest possible return is now projected for late May or early June, but even that is optimistic.

The frustration among Mets fans is palpable. Social media is littered with comments like, “I don’t want to see anything about Sean Manaea except that he’s starting a rehab assignment. Thanks,” and “Seriously, what’s going on with Sean?”. The sense of deja vu is strong, another expensive acquisition sidelined and unable to contribute while the rotation is stretched thin.

Manaea’s absence is compounded by other injuries in the pitching staff, but his situation stings more given the investment and the hope that he would be a stabilizing force. Until he returns and proves he can still be effective, Manaea remains a symbol of the Mets’ ongoing injury curse and a target for fan frustration.

Edwin Diaz: The Jekyll and Hyde Closer

Few players in recent Mets history have experienced the highs and lows of Edwin Diaz. After a dominant 2022, Diaz’s career was derailed by a freak knee injury during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Since returning, he’s been a study in contrasts, sometimes brilliant, often maddening, and always nerve-wracking for fans.

Diaz’s 2025 numbers tell a confusing story. His ERA sat at an alarming 5.59, through his first six save opportunities, but boasted advanced metrics (xFIP 3.32, SIERA 2.93) that suggest better performance than the surface stats indicate. Yet, the experience of watching Diaz pitch is anything but reassuring. He oscillates between unhittable and wild, issuing more walks and getting hit harder than in previous seasons. A hard-hit rate of 52% and a noticeable dip in velocity have only added to the anxiety.

Fans are understandably fed up with the rollercoaster. As one observer put it, “He truly embodies the concept of Jekyll and Hyde. One moment, he can throw pitches that miss the strike zone by a significant margin… and the next, he strikes out three batters in just 10 pitches”. The memory of Diaz’s pre-injury dominance makes his current struggles even harder to swallow. In a city that once cheered Mariano Rivera, expectations for closers are sky-high, and Diaz’s inconsistency has worn thin the patience of even his most ardent supporters.