Paul Articulates - Getting in depth

The demanding 162 game regular season in MLB can take quite a toll on professional baseball players even though they are young and resilient.  

Let’s take a look at the Mets’ 2025 season.  There were 185 calendar days between their March 27th opener in Houston and their September 28th loss in Miami that ended the season.  The Mets had three doubleheaders during that span (got swept in two of them).  So there were 159 playing dates and 26 off days during their season.  Most of those off-days were spent travelling, as there were 34 trips to and from New York. 

All the travel, the practices, the meetings, and the games can wear on any team.  The way to combat that wear on the body and the mind is through roster depth.  When the schedule doesn’t afford any down time, at least a day off from player can be used to heal.

So the question immediately comes to mind, “how deep were the 2025 Mets”?  There were certainly many opinions during spring training that year that the team had sufficient depth in most areas.  The season result, including the lengthy glide from the top team in baseball to the crash landing on the final day would imply that the depth was not there.  I think it was there on paper, but it was never realized.  Here is a breakdown by position:

Pitcher: The Mets used 46 different pitchers during the regular season, setting a MLB record for the most pitchers used.  This eclipsed the prior record of 42 by the Seattle Mariners in 2019.  Quality, not quantity defines depth.  Quality was something that eluded the Mets’ staff for the most part.  David Peterson had a great start and would have been deemed a success if the season ended in late July.  He turned in 15 quality starts (defined as 6 or more innings yielding 3 or less runs), which was almost twice as many as the next closest starter (Homes with 8).  But as a team, they registered only 39 quality starts which ranked 25th in MLB.  The Phillies led the league with 84 and the Braves were 4th with 70 to give you some perspective.  The bullpen wasn’t able to overcome this as they ranked 15th in baseball with a 3.93 ERA and their 1.29 WHIP was also middle of the pack (15th).  What baffles me is that what seemed to be the last three of the 46 pitchers used turned out to be terrific – McLean, Tong, and Sproat.  Had they been called up earlier the season may have had a different ending.  So the lack of depth was as much an organizational issue as it was talent and injury.

Catcher: Three catchers were used this year.  Francisco Alvarez was number 1 on the depth chart and holds the potential to be a top catcher for years to come, but injury, inconsistency, and bad timing combined to thwart his season.  But the depth was there.  Luis Torrens actually turned in a much superior WAR over 93 games played than Alvarez did in his 76 games.  Hayden Senger also showed great defensive skills when he was called in to back up Torrens.  In the minors, Kevin Parada looms as a developing first round pick, but I would put my money on Chris Suero to become the next rising prospect in the organization.

First Base: There was no depth at first base.  Pete Alonso played 162 games, and while a few of those were DH games, there was no trusted backup.  Mark Vientos and Jeff McNeil were rumored to have worn first base gloves, but this is not depth – it is emergency rations.

Second Base: McNeil as the starter was more than competent as a second baseman, registering 2.1 WAR.  Brett Baty, LuisAngel Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio all played the position as well.  Defensively, Acuna was by far the most skilled.  Offensively Baty was the best.  But for the combined effect of offense and defense on team success, McNeil was the guy.  From a depth perspective this is not good.  If McNeil needs a break or has to play the outfield, the Mets had to sacrifice either offense or defense with the replacement.  So for 2025 there was moderate depth.  The picture looks better in the future, as the three young guys are working to improve their games and are being hotly trailed by minor league prospects like Jett Williams and AJ Ewing.  Not much needs to be done to establish sufficient depth at this position besides just developing the talent in house.

Short Stop: Francisco Lindor is one of the better shortstops in the league.  Although he has not won a gold glove in the NL, his defense and field leadership can be counted on every game.  He was a workhorse, appearing in 160 games this season.  Behind him are Acuna, Mauricio, and Williams.  That is sufficient depth given Lindor’s reliability.

Third Base: When Brett Baty finally started hitting more consistently in the end of the season, he established himself as the primary third baseman supplanting Mark Vientos at the corner.  This provided better defense and also compensated for Vientos’ down year offensively.  Baty turned in 2.3 WAR for the 2025 season which is OK but not great.  His backups Vientos and Mauricio did not impress defensively.  I think Mauricio is capable, but he just seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in his time at third.  Many are looking forward to the advancement of Jacob Reimer in the future but I think his defense will be on par with Vientos.  This is not a deep position for the team.

Outfield: Much has been written about the center field woes on the Mets. They have swapped defensive minded center fielders like a spinning turnstile without any offensive production except for a brief streak by Tyrone Taylor.  Jeff McNeil has shown he can play an adequate defensive CF and certainly brings more offense, but with him turning 34 at the beginning of the 2026 season there is not much of an option there.  Fortunately the Mets have strong upcoming talent in this position with Nick Morabito, AJ Ewing, and Carson Benge promising to solve the CF dilemma.  At the corners, an aging Brandon Nimmo and the generational talent Juan Soto are players anyone would want on the roster.  Both have had sub-par defensive years that will hopefully improve.

Designated Hitter: Since the inception of the DH in the National League, the Mets have struggled to put a solid DH in the lineup.  The 2025 performance was no better.  Mark Vientos had a sub-par offensive year, and Starling Marte was not available in enough games.  Does this get better if Jesse Winker re-signs after being injured for almost  his entire walk year?  Not likely – the Mets need to keep on looking, as this is probably the shallowest position in the organization.

Overall, the Mets’ roster depth ended up being moderate, which underwhelmed the expectations set last February.  With a great deal of roster turnover expected, the Mets will be aiming for dramatic improvement at some of these positions.  Only time will tell.