“We looked at what all the (bidding) teams wanted to do for the next 15 years, and I think we have the best chance to win here.” Juan Soto had explained when he signed for the New York Mets. Bet he didn’t see this coming, though. With just a fortnight to go for the end of the regular season, the Mets, who had looked like one of the favorites for the playoffs early on in the season, have completely self-destructed in recent weeks. Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers was their eighth consecutive loss, and for the first time this season, their playoff destiny is not in their own hands.

Despite this, Juan Soto has kept up his performances in this down period for his club. Against the Rangers, Soto slammed his 40th home run of the season. If anything, Juan Soto’s 40-homer, 30-steal, 110-walk season could be of a little consolation to the Metsies if a late-season demolition results in the team not qualifying for the playoffs.

In the post-game, Juan Soto asked what a 40/30 season meant to him. He firmly replied, “It’s great, you know. It’s all the hard work we’ve been putting in since the beginning of the season.” Then, further stating the urgent appeal for Mets, he said, “We have bigger things in front of us that we have to go out there and get.” Bigger than his personal accolades, it’s the Mets’ ultimate goal that Juan Soto is eyeing.

While addressing whether the Mets can turn the odds around, he said, “Keep hoping, because we’re going to turn this around. We’re going out there, and we’re giving our 100% every night. There’s nothing else we can do.” Right now, the Mets are still half a game ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the standings.

However, their chances of making the playoffs have taken a big hit. Until last Tuesday, they had a decent 73% chance for October baseball. That figure has dropped to below 50% after going more than a week without a win. Now, the Mets are trying to talk themselves into optimism.

The Mets Clubhouse has not lost the belief despite the recent slide

After eight consecutive losses in the last stretch of the season, Juan Soto told the team in the clubhouse that they are “100 percent” a playoff-worthy team. “We’re going to turn this around,” he added, per The Athletic. The Mets’ players offered kind of similar comments that they’ve been saying throughout September. Most of them, including manager Carlos Mendoza, believe they can turn this skid around. However, no one could explain why their efforts aren’t translating to wins.

Speaking of the latest loss, Francisco Alvarez recorded an error, while Francisco Lindor had a misplay among all the other errors. Then the Mets placed their two men on base in the sixth inning. Right after that, Brett Baty was picked off to stall the rally. Even in the eighth, the Mets failed to advance him despite placing a runner on second. They make the worst possible errors at the worst possible time. Moving forward with 13 games remaining, they can’t make these costly errors.

In their division, the Giants have been on a winning streak. They’ve secured 14 of their last 19 games. The Cincinnati Reds are a little behind for now; however, they hold a crucial tiebreaker over the Mets. If these three clubs end up with a tied score, it would be the Reds who would be at an advantage.