For someone who often illuminates a spotlight on what the Mets organization has been doing wrong (and it’s quite a long list), today instead let’s take a few looks at things that are going right as we approach full Spring Training for the 2026 season.
Freddy Peralta’s arrival could be for as little as a single year as he has free agency pending at the end of the 2026 season, but no one is complaining about it given his high arsenal quality and the very low price being paid for his salary. It is now incumbent upon the front office to turn him into a long term Mets, much as was done with Johan Santana.
Kodai Senga is supposed to be completely healthy. If true then he’s a co-ace in this starting rotation. People are too quick to forget what he’s done while a member of the Mets and all it will take is the first double digit strikeout game to refresh the memory.
Clay Holmes made a highly successful transition from quality reliever to middle of the rotation starter. Yes, he seemed to run out of gas a bit towards the end of last season, but if you asked anyone if they’d sign up for a winning record with a 3.53 ERA pretty much everyone would sign up for that right now. It is possible with more time to work on arm strength and duration he could be even better.
Nolan McLean may be somewhat cursed by the magnitude of his success at the end of last season. Consequently expectations are sky high. Still, if you look through his minor league numbers it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. No one realistically expects a full season of 2.06 ERA but his numbers for his entire minor league career amounted to just a 3.10 number that improved each of the last two seasons.
Sean Manaea is one of the two huge question marks in the rotation. When he’s good he’s miscast as a number one starter, but three times he saw his ERA dip below 4.00 as a starting pitcher. No one knows what to expect this year, but a repeat of his NY Mets 3.47 ERA in 2024 would be most welcome.
David Peterson is the other lefty for whom no one can solidly predict numbers. In 2024 he finished with a 2.90 ERA and he started off 2025 with the same level of dominance before everything fell apart in the second half of the year. His ending number of 4.22 is borderline acceptable but folks would rather see a number between these two extremes to call him a true asset to the current six-man rotation.
Francisco Lindor has demonstrated both at the plate and in the field what kind of top tier player he is. Right now everyone is anxious for his recovery but pairing him as part of the double play combo make everyone feel warm and fuzzy about the coverage he’ll provide.
Marcus Semien has gone from shortstop to second base during his career. While his offensive numbers have sputtered over the past few years, the Gold Glove on his mantle is testament to the kind of defense that has been missing from the Mets probably since Doug Flynn manned that position.
Luis Robert, Jr. has been brought here as much for his Gold Glove as he has for his so far unrealized full offensive potential. While folks will appreciate what he can do with his legs and with his middle-of-the-order power, the fact is with a struggling corner outfielder on one side of him and an unknown commodity on the other he’s a Met for what he’s done with his leather.
Francisco Alvarez has had more than his fair share of injuries which curtailed his numbers overall, but winter conditioning and apparent full health have people optimistic about what he can provide not just as a slugger but also as a defensive stalwart behind the plate.
Juan Soto did everything the Mets had hoped when he signed that record setting contract last season. He added speed to make him an even more formidable offensive weapon. He is so good at producing runs that you’ll survive what he does in the field (though long term he maybe should become a DH).
Bo Bichette’s arrival came immediately after the club missed out on Kyle Tucker. It sure took a lot of the sting out of the new Dodger. He is a career .294 hitter having hit as many as 29 HRs and driven in as many as 103 in a single season. He’s sure a welcome addition to the lineup.
Jorge Polanco came as something of a surprise as a new Met. He’s played up the middle which is currently covered by Semien and Lindor. The story is that he is going to shift to first base which should be a bit less challenging defensively, but he’s still a competent hitter. In a given year he’s good for .263 with 23 HRs and 85 RBIs. They’re not Alonso numbers but they’re certainly solid.
12 comments:
Will Sammon has some interesting stuff in The Athletic regarding the pitching rotation.
1. In the last five years, the Mets are 9th worst in walks in MLB. The eight are teams worse than them didn’t make many playoffs. This was to Hefner’s encouragement as he stressed not throwing strikes and making hitters chase. Thus, all the nibbling over the years. The new coach, Willard, encourages attacking the zone. I do too.
2. Seems that Sean Manaea went to a private pitching facility during the winter and realized that he had dropped his arm too much in 2025 and that’s why the movement wasn’t there. He has fixed that and feels completely healthy… hmm, we shall see. Senga was at the same facility and is also fixed and throwing well.
Lots of positives IF folks stay healthy. Thankfully, Lindor got his surgery out of the way in the pre season. No games count until March 26, so he won’t miss much real time.
Polanco had 85 RBIs but almost all of his at bats, unlike Pete, were in the 2nd, 5th, and 6th slots in the order. Bat him in Pete’s spot in the order all season and that probably becomes 100 RBIs.
He is career .306 with RISP, pretty darned fine.
Career WAR? Pete slightly higher on a plate appearance basis.
Gus, good points.
Soto agrees with Reese (NY Post):
We had a great team last year,” Soto said Sunday upon reporting to spring training. “This year we have, I feel like, an even better team. It’s a great feeling. Definitely I played with those guys last year, but it’s a new year. We have forgotten about anything that’s gone on last year. Anything that happens, we focus on this year.
And SNY had this: Soto said that things are “great” between the two Soto & Lindor). “I think it’s a great relationship,” Soto said. “We talk all the time in the games and everything. We help each other.”
The addition of the ABS this year will force pitchers to throw more strikes. This is explained in the next post. Good time to transition from Hefner to Justin Willard.
Agree! Stay healthy is even more important than start healthy.
Who doesn't agree with Reese?!
Reece makes great points. It will take some time to gel, and the weather at the beginning of the season is not conducive to crisp play, but we are set up for success. All that remains is achieving it :-)
They are setup to compete for the whole season. Plus all the emerging talent bubbling up from the minors.
Just want to see them start playing (Saturday!)
Alonso led MLB with runners on base, he had 524 men on base in his plate appearances. I like Alonso and will miss him. But, he never improved his game, that’s why his rookie year still is his best year.
TexasGus-- I believe Alonso did improve his game a lot, and worked at his craft -- especially defensively. He just didn't match his numbers ever again. I think the ways in which he did improve will show up in a slower rate of decline than had he not done so. I wouldn't have resigned him for the number of years or the salary he received, but I don't want to diminish him unduly however. I also don't think he fits into the Mets scheme or way they want to play the game.
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