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Let’s take a moment to examine some of the question marks facing the Mets for the upcoming season when Spring Training begins today and a week or so later when hitters join the pitchers and catchers.
- When Kyle Tucker boarded a westbound jet plane the Mets almost instantaneously revealed securing sensational hitter Bo Bichette in free agency. While it’s indeed a welcome addition it comes with questions. The plan is for him to transition to third base but no one knows how that will go. He also has an opt out in his contract if he feels he’d rather play shortstop again in the future or if he does so well that he smells a possibly bigger payday or more years on his next contract.
- How will Luis Robert, Jr. look at the plate after tailing off miserably for two years in Chicago? No one is questioning what Robert can do patrolling center field. The issue has been a combination of his health and his bat. The sensational 2023 seems very much like an outlier and he’s being paid as if it is replicable. Will he reemerge as a bonafide star or will he turn into the next Siri/Mullins/Bader clone in a Mets uniform?
- Will Marcus Semien do enough with the bat to justify his place in the starting lineup and his substantial salary after having appeared to be declining with age? No one is questioning how much his stability on the infield will help the guys on the mound but after two seasons when he combined for an average of .234 with 19 HRs and 68 RBIs he’s a far cry from the former Silver Slugger player he once was.
- How is Jorge Polanco going to adjust to being a switch hitting first baseman after playing around the rest of the infield for his long major league career? It’s not the first time the Mets miscast an infielder at first base. Remember Todd Zeile? Still, someone who could handle the range of middle infield positions shouldn’t have as much a challenge as others might have.
- What kind of defense will Brett Baty provide as a left fielder, or is he more slated to a DH role with the arrival of never-was MJ Melendez? While Baty fans and detractors have equal say in the man’s value, no one is going out on a limb and suggesting that Baty is an obvious solid defender where he has a single partial game in the majors. Newcomer MJ Melendez is a regular outfielder but his bat is even far more suspect than is Baty’s.
- What happens to Mark Vientos? There’s nothing much more to say. He’s not playing third base nor first base so his only option if he is still on the roster is as a DH. He has decent power but struggles with consistency and obviously has not fared will defensively.
- What happens to Ronny Mauricio? No one really knows.
- Is Carson Benge ready for a fast track to the Show? He will likely be a strong offensive player at some point in his career but after fewer than 100 AAA ABs he is likely not ready to be rushed to the majors until he develops more advanced bat-to-ball skills in the minors. He could be up as soon as late May but everyone wants to see how he does at the plate.
- Will Craig Kimbrel show enough left on his arm to force himself onto the Opening Day roster?
- Are they better off with Austin Barnes or Luis Torrens as the primary backup to Francisco Alvarez?
- Which version of Kodai Senga will the team see?
- Can Sean Manaea rediscover what worked in 2024?
- Which David Peterson arrives — the dominant one for the start of 2025 or the batting practice pitcher for the end of the season?
- Will Nolan McLean replicate the same level of dominance he showed during his major league debut in 2025m
- Will the re-engineered bullpen work? Which Devin Williams arrives for the Mets? Is AJ Minter finally fully healthy? Is the Yankee Luke Weaver the one who pitches now or will he revert to former form? Who are the last few fighting to go north to Queens?
- How will Carlos Mendoza deal with not only a new cast of characters but also a full slate of new coaches to help support his efforts which were less than spectacular in 2025?
Will David Stearns do anything to address the glaring holes in the roster? Thus far he’s not done anything except potentially recasting yet another player at a new position on the field and not finished building the pen. The bench is still very much a mystery.
9 comments:
Lots of questions. Which makes it fascinating.
With Roberts he hit really well at ages 21-23, then two straight bad years. He did hit much better over his last 30 games of 2025. I think getting out of 40-120 CWS hell, he will do better. I’d take .250/.300/.430 from him now that he is out of hell.
Lindor’s hamate bone may be the biggest question of all. If in doubt, remove it, so you are ready for Opening Day.
You can stand up any team in the league and there are at least 20 questions on that team.
Many questions. Not all will sort out but many will. Then adjust during the season with mlb-ready youth. Their flexibility will also help - position players, starting & relief pitching.
The bench will sort itself out. The roles & players will shift throughout the year.
Here is another question: How many Mets will fall to injury in 2026? We are not off to a good start. The hammate bone issue that Lindor has is very similar to the injury that Alvarez suffered last year. It took him a very long time to recover, and affected his swing for months. Although David Stearns remains optimistic, this is a tough blow right out of the gate. Lindor will not be "himself" until mid-season.
Remind me. What glaring holes i like the potential of our roster as it stands.
There is not an experienced right fielder and there is a question about the DH while also absorbing two new-to-their-sports corner infielders and an aging second baseman.
Great summary of questions that remain. I don't doubt the legitimacy of any of them. My issue has always been: how many of the questions you can ask have to be answered positively/favorably, for the team to succeed. I think one of the best ways to look at what the Mets are doing is creating a situation this year in which there are back-ups and reinforcements for nearly every answer that turns out to be negative/unfavorable, while building towards a future in which there are fewer questions, most of which are likely to have positive answers, and many back-ups and reinforcements when the answers are negative. At least that's one way to characterize the overall approach they are taking. And it is a very different approach than the one that created many questions almost all of which had to be answered positively for the Mets to have a good season because there were few if any back-ups or reinforcements waiting in the wings. Thanks Reece for posting as this stimulated in me at least yet another helpful way of characterizing the Mets distinctive approach throughout the organization.
I know it's the 6th year of a 5 year plan, but it is the first year of the new regime's owning and implementing its long range plan.
With Roberts getting out of CWS hell will help it's like leaving the Jets you have to be mentally fried.
who would bat leadoff if Lindor isn't ready? Move everyone up ?
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