Wins have been tough to come by for the Mets since late July. Even after putting together a three-game winning streak starting Saturday, they’ve dropped 16 of their last 21 and now sit seven games back of the Phillies in the NL East. And what’s more is that they’re barely clinging to the final NL wild-card spot, holding just one fewer loss than the Reds. Thursday didn’t help either, as they blew an early lead and fell 9-3 to the Nationals.

Still, Juan Soto isn’t overly worried. He insists the Mets are “100 percent” a playoff team, even though their chances look shaky for a club carrying the biggest payroll in baseball. And Soto, who inked that massive $765 million deal with the Mets this past offseason, hasn’t exactly been hot himself. Over the past week, he’s slashing just .167/.344/.417 and went 0-for-5 with three SOs on Thursday.

Now with a little more than five weeks left in the season, the pressure is cranking up on the Mets to hang onto a playoff spot. Soto knows what’s at stake. But he’s also trying to keep the mood steady as the team looks to snap out of this slump.

“I mean, it ain’t late but it ain’t early, either,” Soto said. “We have to win today. We don’t have to be focused on what is gonna happen in the future, or what happened in the past. We gotta focus on what we can do today.”

Well, the way the Mets collapsed after jumping out to a 3-0 lead doesn’t exactly inspire fan confidence. No matter how optimistic Soto sounds. The pitching fell apart, and the bats went silent as the Nationals stormed back with nine straight runs.

Quite naturally, fans are ripping Soto and the team.

Soto gets called out by the fans

Fans are yet to accept that Soto actually said, “It ain’t late!” The Mets are now just seven games over .500 at 67-60. That’s a big drop from where they stood a little over a month ago. “Oh come on….if this is the mentality of this team, no wonder they lose,” one fan said. Notably, the Mets have lost 16 of their last 21 and hold only a half-game lead over the Reds for the final wild-card spot. So, with numbers like that, it’s no wonder fans aren’t buying into Soto’s confidence. And some are starting to question whether it’s already too late.

Apart from what the Mets are doing, it’s no different for Juan Soto as well. Commenting on his struggling stint, one user commented, “Grounder to 2nd or strike out Soto. You’re looking awful.” Well, Soto is hitting just .247 this season and is on track for a career-high in strikeouts. Yes, he does lead the Mets in homers (31) and runs scored (90), but given the massive contract, his production hasn’t quite lived up to the level the team needs to contend truly. In the 3-9 loss game against the Nationals, Soto scored nothing from 5 at-bats! “Hey, Juan 0-5,” another fan remarked to his struggle.

And then there’s the Mets’ pitching. One user wondered how Soto could be confident despite having such a struggling pitching lineup: “In just two weeks, we will be discussing what this team can do to improve for 2026. No pitching and no chance this year. It’s over!” For instance, Kodai Senga, who took the loss on Wednesday, has a 6.00 ERA over his last six starts while averaging less than five innings. Sean Manaea looked sharp early Thursday but couldn’t escape the fifth, and he hasn’t gone six innings in any of his last eight starts.

“.198 avg since all-star break and worst hitter with risp I’ve ever seen, oh it’s definitely late,” another fan commented about how Soto himself is struggling despite being the most expensive player in MLB. He is hitting .198 with 21 hits, 8 homers, 16 RBIs, and 20 runs scored in 29 games since the All-Star Game. In contrast, post-All-Star break in 2024, Soto was hitting .278 and had 18 HRs for the Yankees. So yes, an unreal downfall.

Is there still space to stage a comeback? Soto thinks so, but the fans don’t. Let’s wait and watch if the Mets can actually pull off a miracle hereon.