Juan Soto isn't looking elsewhere for someone to blame after the New York Mets fell short of the postseason for a second straight season.
Juan Soto isn't pointing fingers after another disappointing season for the New York Mets.
He's pointing one at himself.
With the Mets set to miss the postseason for the second straight year, Soto said he needs to be better if New York is going to turn things around.
"There is nothing I can do other than blame myself," Soto said, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. "I have got to be better. I have got to be at the level to take us forward."
That's a significant admission from the player the Mets signed to a record 15-year, $765 million contract before the 2025 season.
New York hasn't reached the playoffs in either of Soto's first two seasons with the organization.
Soto's second season was interrupted by calf injuries, but he still put up strong numbers. Through Thursday, the 27-year-old was batting .274 with a .393 on-base percentage and .522 slugging percentage, 27 home runs and 68 RBI in 108 games.
His comments come as the Mets search for reasons to believe the situation can change quickly.
New York's combination of young talent and financial resources recently made the club an early pick to rebound in 2027.
Soto appears to believe the Mets should be aggressive in making that happen.
Asked what the organization needs this offseason, Soto told Puma the Mets should try to add as much help as possible.
"We need as much help as we can," Soto said. "We need to go and get as much as we can."
Soto also expressed confidence in some of the young players who have emerged late in the season.
That group has given the Mets something to build around after a year in which the club fell well short of expectations and saw attendance at Citi Field drop sharply.
Soto has already begun looking toward what's next. After helping the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 18, he said the team's late-season play represented the beginning of its preparation for 2027.
But his latest comments make clear that Soto isn't putting the responsibility for a turnaround entirely on the front office or the players around him.
Before asking what the Mets can do differently next season, their highest-paid star is starting with himself.
