Only because it is the start of the new season, once again mentioned will be the four mainstays, four fan favorites, four players who were thought to be Mets until the end…who are no longer wearing a Mets uniform – Brandon Nimmo is with the Texas Rangers, Jeff McNeil is with the Oakland A’s, Edwin Diaz is with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pete Alonso is with the Baltimore Orioles.
Like many Mets fans, I was saddened to see them go. That is the fan in me. That is the nostalgia rearing its head. And whether it was wrong or right to let them go elsewhere…that point is now moot. They’re no longer Mets. It’s time to move on. Dwelling on it will not do anything. So get over it and think about what the new edition of the Mets will look like.
Scott K: I don’t even know who’s on the team anymore.
Catchers
The Mets will start the season with the same catching tandem as they ended the 2025 season – Francisco Alvarez as the starter with Luis Torrens as the backup. Alvarez, when healthy, can be the key to the team. Really. He has that kind of hitting ability and that kind of power. But he tends to be fragile and injury prone. That obviously affects his ability to hit and generate power. And he also needed to reclamation time in the minors last season and came back like the Alvarez he could be. You just never know. Does he finally perform like the bonafide star prospect he was projected to be or does he fizzle like others before him like Fernando Martinez?
I love Alvarez and expect him to be a 25-30 homer guy with 75-80 RBI rather than the second coming of Travis d’Arnaud. Torrens is a serviceable backup and hopefully won’t be counted on to be more than that, otherwise the Mets are in trouble.
Infielders
The Mets appear to have an abundance of infielders and yet they don’t really have what amounts to a great infield. There is, of course, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, and he will be surrounded by Jorge Polanco at first base, Marcus Semien at second base, and Bo Bichette at third base. Brett Baty and Mark Vientos make up the rest of the infield as spot starters, and will take turns as the Designated Hitter. Here’s the problem: Polanco has never played first base with the exception of an inning. Although as a middle infielder he has a lot of talent and should make the transition to first base a bit easier than it is for most. (Try not to think of Lee Mazzilli and Mike Piazza who both failed miserably in trying to make the change.) Bichette is a shortstop. And, for some, sliding over to third base from short is not that difficult. Cal Ripken did it. A-Rod did it. So it CAN be done. Semien has been a wonderful player for years. But he has been on the downside of his career and may not have the quick hands he has been known for. So while the offense from the infield may be somewhat awesome, this group will never be mistaken for Olerud, Alfonzo, Ordonez, and Ventura out there, that’s for sure.
Outfielders
The Mets are going north with four outfielders – Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor, Luis Robert, Jr., and rookie sensation Carson Benge. Just like the infield, the outfield has some question marks. Soto will be moving from right field, where he was brutal defensively, to left field which will hopefully will prove to be less brutal. Soto is a defensive liability and will at some point end up being a permanent DH, a la Giancarlo Stanton. Taylor is a really good defensive centerfielder, as is newly acquired Robert, Jr. But while Taylor was never able to repeat the offensive success he had at one time in Milwaukee, the Mets are hopeful that Robert, Jr. will have more success at returning to HIS once outstanding offensive performance HE had inn Chicago. It’s possible that the Mets might be saddled with two superior defensive players who can’t hit a lick. That’s where the emergence of Benge becomes so important. Although it was only spring training, Benge showed an ability to take the ball where it was pitched and hit with authority to all fields. And while he is projected as a centerfielder, he showed a lot of ability to play the right field with a strong arm, a vast improvement over Soto on the defensive side. But getting back to Soto, if he simply has a typical Juan Soto season, he will make everyone forget his lapses in the outfield. Although, I would switch Soto and Lindor in the lineup, and let Soto man the leadoff spot, where his walks and OBP would be more beneficial.
Pitchers
The starting rotation appears to be Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga – beginning in that order. While overtly unhappy about it, that pushes Sean Manaea into a bullpen role and spot starter scenario to begin the season.
Peralta is a great acquisition for the front end of the rotation and would end up being a steal if the Mets can sign him to an extension. Otherwise, Peralta as a rental is only worth it IF the Mets are able to achieve more success than they have in the last few seasons.
Peterson and Holmes are hopefully able to replicate their successes of last season (well most of last season for Peterson) and Senga is hopefully able to reclaim his initial success as a Met. The experts appear to believe that the evidence is all there for positive returns on all three.
But the darling of the staff looks like it just could be McLean. He is being touted as the next Jacob deGrom but he has a ways to go to earn that comparison. But the early returns indicate that he could be the next real ace for the Mets.
The bullpen will end up being what it is for every other team in Major League Baseball…a mixed bag of nuts. Bullpens are always a crap shoot. The key is to have less injuries and more consistency than your competition. And it also is determined by the team’s ability to shuttle bodies and arms back and forth from the extended bench which is the Triple A level.
Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Brooks Raley should anchor a decent bullpen. But the reality is that the Mets bullpen is not overpowering and isn’t going to intimidate anyone. If everything falls the right way, the bullpen crew will be formidable. But if those big three of Williams, Weaver, and Raley are not effective on a consistent basis, it might be a long season.
Daren S: They will be better than last season and, more importantly, a helluva lot more fun to watch.
The lineup I would like to see out there to start the season:
- Juan Soto LF
- Francisco Lindor SS
- Bo Bichette 3B
- Francisco Alvarez C
- Jorge Polanco 1B
- Mark Vientos/Brett Baty DH
- Carson Benge RF
- Marcus Semien 2B
- Luis Robert, Jr. CF
Bob G: 90 wins, 72 losses, eliminated by the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.
My Prediction: I tend to agree with Bob G. that the Mets will finish with a record of 90-72 but I don’t believe that they will get past the first round of the playoffs. The 90 wins will be mostly a result of some good, if not great, offensive seasons from Soto, Lindor, and Bichette. If Alvarez stays injury-free and plays at least 140 games, he will have a breakout season and hit .270 with 25+ HR and 80+ RBI. Vientos and Baty will regress from a lack of consistent playing time and others in the organization will soon be passing them by. One or both will be traded to a team in need of a third baseman and they will flourish with another team. The pitching will be a weak point with the exception of Peralta and McLean. The other starters will struggle to pitch more than five innings, six innings will look like a major accomplishment. The bullpen will be taxed and their will just not be enough arms and enough consistency.
