Reese Kaplan -- Looking Ahead to Shaping a 2025 Mets Roster

By the time this column runs the Mets could be guaranteed a playoff spot or crashed and burned in legendary fashion.  When you sit to write as I am doing late Sunday afternoon it’s not long from finding that outcome when I awaken Monday morning.

Right now I don’t want to focus on what could be or might not be with the very short remainder of the 2024 season.  Instead, I think it’s time to focus a bit on the Mets off-season priorities as they sprint or stumble their way into David Stearns’ and Carlos Mendoza’s sophomore Mets seasons.

Starting Pitching

Kodai Senga if healthy is a given.  Ditto David Peterson.  Tylor Megill is on the periphery.  After that it’s a big mystery.  There’s no Sean Manaea, no Luis Severino, no Jose Quintana, no Christian Scott and likely no Paul Blackburn.  With only one solid and consistent starter who missed all but a single inning of the 2024 season, it suggests that starting pitching is priority number one.  Peterson and Megill will be around depending on whatever else happens but no longer does the club have use of minor league options.  Negotiating hard with Manaea would certainly be cheaper than the top 5 free agent starting pitchers.

Relief Pitching

Edwin Diaz is back.  Dedniel Nunez (if healthy) is back.  Jose Butto is back.  Huascar Brazoban can be back.  After that i’s all a guessing game.  The late season veteran additions Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton can both walk away.  The AAAA support squad is suspect.

Infield

The big neon red question mark, of course, is Pete Alonso.  How the rest of the infield falls rests directly on his decision to stay or go.  After that the club has a plethora of in-house major and minor league options to fill the rest of the infield though it would mean first base is still something of a great unknown.

Outfield

Here’s it’s desperately murky.  Brandon Nimmo is back.  Unless traded away in his fourth and final season so to is Starling Marte.  Tyrone Taylor, D.J. Stewart, Harrison Bader, Jesse Winker and whomever else spent a few innings in orange and blue are not likely part of the equation. 

Bench

A lot of what the bench offers is dependent on how they resolve the starting assignments.  It would be good to return Jose Igelesias to the club but he may desire a regular starting assignment elsewhere and try free agency.  At this point of his career Jeff McNeil may have played himself into a supersub role instead of being a starter.  You’ll have a backup catcher who at this point looks like it should be Luis Torrens.  After that it would be some outfielders who can hit, run or field with aplomb.  A return of Tyrone Taylor would not upset anyone at all.

Rookies to Promote

Now here is where there is some reason to smile.  Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio will likely be coming north (assuming Mauricio has a successful winter playing ball).  After that you have the questions of Brett Baty, Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams.  The latter two likely need more time in AAA but Baty has done that role quite a bit already and it’s make or break time for him.

Adding Players From Outside

It’s premature when the exclusive negotiating windows have not closed on the Major League’s pending free agents so it’s not exactly clear yet who is available simply showing them the team’s growth plan and waving Steve Cohen’s money.  Similarly, until much later in the year trades are unlikely to happen, but it does appear the Mets have some folks who could be used to fulfill moderate needs in the pen, the outfield or on the bench.  Again, David Stearns has likely rated all potential trade acquisitions already, but like any good executive will keep that list unknown.