The New York Mets have made the postseason in two of the last four years, holding out hope for a return in 2025.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Mets. They signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a record contract in the offseason and held first place in the NL East for an extended period. But the second half has not been nearly as kind to New York, which is now fighting to hold onto a wild-card spot as the postseason nears.
Even with their recent struggles, the Mets have had an edge in the NL wild-card race as the season winds down. But they’ve had to fend off the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds in order to potentially past Game 162 this year.
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Here's an updated breakdown of the Mets' playoff picture, from the NL wild-card standings to their magic number.
MORE: Tracking the full MLB playoff picture, magic numbers as regular season winds down
Mets updated MLB playoff picture, standings
The Mets were eliminated from NL playoff contention on the final day of the 2025 regular season. They finished with an 83-79 record, which was tied with Cincinnati, but the Reds held the tiebreaker to claim the final wild card spot.
New York had been eliminated from the NL East race early in September, as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the division. The final few weeks of the regular season had been about New York holding onto a wild card position, falling in and out of the bracket through a chaotic September, but the Mets ultimately fell one game shy of their playoff aspirations. New York began the season 45-24, but later lost its advantage in the NL East and wild card.
Here's the final look at the top of the NL wild-card standings.
Standings updated after Sept. 28 games.
NL wild-card standings
- WC1: Cubs*, 92-70 (.565), +9.0
- WC2: Padres*, 89-72 (.553), +6.0
- WC3: Reds*, 83-79 (.512)
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- Mets, 83-79 (.512), 0.0 GB
* Indicates clinched postseason berth
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Mets MLB magic number
A magic number is the number of wins (by the leading team) and/or losses (by the trailing team) needed for a team to clinch a particular race.
The Mets did not make the 2025 MLB playoff bracket. They did not have a magic number throughout the final portion of September, as they've been on the outside of the postseason picture.
MLB playoff tiebreakers
The expanded postseason format introduced by MLB in 2022 eliminated tiebreaker games, previously known as "Game 163." Instead, ties are now resolved using a series of criteria.
The first tiebreaker is the teams’ head-to-head record. If that record is even, the next tiebreaker is each team’s record within its division, even if the teams are in different divisions. If a tie still remains, the teams’ record within their league (American or National) becomes the deciding factor.
So, here's the process for a two-team tie:
- Head-to-head record
- Record within division
- Record within league
The process is a bit more complicated for three-team ties. If one team has a winning record against each of the other teams, that team wins the tiebreaker. If two teams have an identical record against each other but both have a better record against the third team, the third team is out and the head-to-head process would be used to split the remaining two teams.
The Reds held the 4-2 head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mets this season.