Juan Soto Joins 40–30 Club, but Mets’ Bullpen Blows Late Lead in 3-2 Loss to Rangers

Juan Soto became the first player in New York Mets history to record at least 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season, but his milestone was overshadowed as the Mets dropped a 3-2 decision to the Texas Rangers on Saturday at Citi Field, marking the club’s eighth consecutive loss.

Soto’s solo homer in the seventh inning off left-hander Hoby Milner extended the Mets’ lead to 2-0 and delivered the milestone — his 40th of the season — making him the first Met ever to combine 40 homers with 30 steals in one year. The 26-year-old, who signed a $765 million contract before the season, has also set a career high with 32 steals and has been successful on 32 of 35 attempts (91.4 percent).

The homer capped a season in which Soto has added power to a previously one-dimensional profile. He hit a career-high 41 homers in 2024 with the New York Yankees but had never exceeded 12 stolen bases in any prior major-league season. Soto credited first-base coach Antoan Richardson for his development on the basepaths.

“For me, it means a lot,” Soto said when asked about the possibility of joining the 40–30 group. “It’s part of the journey of your career. But at the end, you’ve just got to think about the team. If you accomplish that, what we’re trying to do here is just help the team as much as I can.”

After Soto’s seventh-inning blast, the Mets were unable to hold the lead as the bullpen surrendered two runs in the eighth against Tyler Rogers and closer Edwin Díaz, who allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth. Soto added a one-out single in the ninth, but the Mets could not rally.

“It’s great. … It’s really impressive,” Soto said of the individual achievement, while acknowledging the club’s struggles. “We just gotta stay with our composure, stay with our heads up and believe in ourselves and believe in what we have. Definitely we believe in every single guy in here, trying our best and trying to come through. We’re playing our a– off every night, it’s just not going our way.”

Soto joins an elite group of players who have combined 40 homers and 30 steals in a single season — the 40–30 club has occurred 16 times in baseball history and includes Hall of Famers and MVP-caliber players such as Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, as well as recent two-way star Shohei Ohtani. Within Mets history, Soto’s 40 homers put him among a short list of players who have reached that mark, joining Pete Alonso (three times), Todd Hundley, Carlos Beltrán and Mike Piazza.

No Mets player previously had combined a 40-homer season with 30 steals. Howard Johnson, in 1989, stole 41 bases and hit 36 homers, but the specific 40/30 threshold had eluded franchise history until Soto’s seventh-inning drive.

While Soto’s individual campaign has reached historic proportions, it has not translated into wins in recent games. The bullpen’s inability to protect late leads has become a recurring problem: Saturday’s loss was the eighth straight for the Mets, extending a skid that has raised concerns about the club’s late-season posture. Manager and front-office remarks about roster moves or pitching adjustments were not immediately available after the game.

Soto’s season-long numbers illustrate the two-way impact he has provided: power production at an elite level alongside a sudden and efficient jump in stolen bases. Teammates and coaches, including Richardson, received public praise from Soto for their role in his base-stealing success.

Despite the team’s slide, Soto expressed confidence in the roster’s postseason potential. “One hundred percent … this is a playoff team,” he said. “We just have bigger things out there in front of us that we have to go out there and get it.”