The New York Mets aimed for a World Series win in 2025, with owner Steve Cohen investing $765 million, including a massive deal for Juan Soto, to make it happen. Instead, the team suffered one of baseball’s most stunning collapses, missing the playoffs and prompting Cohen to dismantle the coaching staff he once relied on.

After a disappointing end to the season, the Mets front office parted ways with most of the coaching staff. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh were all fired. Catching coach Glenn Sherlock retired, and bench coach John Gibbons chose not to return. Manager Carlos Mendoza kept his job, but nearly his entire staff was let go following the unexpected collapse.

Eric Chavez, who held two separate terms as the Mets’ hitting coach since 2022, broke his silence with a heartfelt Instagram post following his dismissal. “So thankful for my time w/ the Mets. Thank you to the Cohen’s best owners in baseball,” the six-time Gold Glove winner wrote. “And especially the players, that group is super special and they worked their a**** off to. Be grateful in every situation. On to the next !!!”

His words carried a mix of gratitude and disappointment, acknowledging the effort his players gave despite the devastating outcome. On June 12, the Mets had the best record in baseball at 45-24, but things went downhill from there.

In their last 93 games, the team went 38-55, which was the fifth-worst record in baseball during that time. They had 62 wins on July 27 and a 96.8% chance of making the playoffs. The Miami Marlins instead shut them out on the last day of the season, ending their chances of making the playoffs even though things went well for them in other games.

Cohen’s $765 million investment, which included signing Soto, couldn’t stop the disaster, so the organization is now looking for answers to a costly failure.

Getting rid of coaches only fixes part of the problem. Cohen now needs to look at the roster itself, where veterans with big contracts who aren’t doing well have made things even more complicated and need his attention.

Mets face difficult roster decisions beyond coaching changes

Cohen’s offseason rebuilding project is just getting started with the changes to the coaching staff. The New York Mets lost 21 of their last 35 games, which was a huge blow. Now, the owner has to make tough choices about expensive veterans whose play doesn’t match up with their contracts.

As the front office looks at roster moves, two names keep coming up in trade talks. Starting pitcher Kodai Senga has to pay $28 million over the next two seasons. Infielder Jeff McNeil has to pay $15.75 million in 2026, and the team can choose to pay him the same amount in 2027.

Tim Britton of The Athletic said that both players are likely to be changed because their pay doesn’t match up with what they’ve done lately.

The organization’s problems are most clearly shown by McNeil’s situation. He won the National League batting title in 2022, but his performance has gone down since he signed his extension. He hit .243 and had a .746 OPS in 122 games in 2025, which are good numbers but not quite what people expected for his salary level.

Senga’s case is just as complicated. The 32-year-old right-hander had good numbers, with a 3.02 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 113.1 innings, but the team sent him down to the minors late in the season.

That choice showed that the team didn’t trust him in important games. This offseason, Cohen’s decisions will decide if the Mets can bounce back from this historic collapse or have another year of disappointment.