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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The expectations for the Mets had already been raised before one of the best hitters in baseball emerged on a $765 million arrangement in Clover Park this spring.
Behind a collective effort last season, the Mets reached the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015.
Now, with Juan Soto switching boroughs for the next decade and a half and Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea returning for at least one season to join forces with Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos, among others, the goal is to be back competing for a World Series crown.
There is some early turbulence with injuries to Manaea, Frankie Montas, Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil, but the front office, led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, has designed a unit to withstand any interruptions.
As the Mets look to get back to the World Series and win the NL East for the first time in a decade, here is everything you need to know about the team early in the 2025 season:
What to know: The top three spots in the lineup have been locked in since early in Grapefruit League play, but Carlos Mendoza admitted on Sunday that the cleanup spot could be interchangeable depending on the matchup on a given day.
With Astros left-hander Framber Valdez drawing the start on Opening Day, Vientos slides into the No. 4 spot behind Alonso, with Nimmo, the potential regular in that spot, sliding down.
More Mets news: First base coach Antoan Richardson squeezing all he can out of team's baserunners
Torrens will be filling in for Alvarez to start the campaign, while Mendoza said that Baty and Acuña just need to stay the course to split time at second base following McNeil's low-grade oblique injury.
The center field and designated hitter positions figure to be a platoon in the early going. Before a hot hand emerges, Siri and Tyrone Taylor should split time. The DH spot will likely come down to the matchup for Marte and Jesse Winker, who hit from opposite sides of the plate.
Closer: Edwin Diaz RHP
What to know: Holmes, who executed his transition back to starting pitching flawlessly this spring, is looking forward to drawing the Opening Day start on Thursday. The former closer posted a 0.93 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19⅓ innings in Grapefruit League action, proving he could handle the job.
"I think it's just a testament to having a thoughtful, intentional plan going into this," Holmes said. "It's nice to kind of see it come to fruition and being in such a good spot right now. Just really have a good foundation set for the season and we look forward to keep building this."
The final two spots in the rotation were revealed on Sunday as Mendoza announced that Megill would be starting the second game of the season after competing for one of the spots open following Montas and Manaea's injury. Canning also grabbed a spot in the rotation with a strong spring, sliding Paul Blackburn into the bullpen to start the season.
Based on their scheduled days of throwing, Peterson and Senga will throw one more time in Port St. Lucie before making their first starts against the Marlins next week.
Story continues below photo gallery
OF Jose Siri; C Hayden Senger; RHPs Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, Max Kranick, Frankie Montas (injured); A.J. Minter LHP; INF Nick Madrigal (injured)
OF Harrison Bader; RHP Luis Severino, Phil Maton, Adam Ottavino; LHP Jose Quintana, Brooks Raley; DH J.D. Martinez; INF Jose Iglesias
Frankie Montas (high-grade lat strain), Sean Manaea (oblique strain), Jeff McNeil (oblique strain), Francisco Alvarez (fractured hamate bone in left hand), Nick Madrigal (fractured left shoulder), Christian Scott (UCL sprain/Tommy John surgery)
The Mets have never had a Most Valuable Player in their 63-year history, but they've come close, including last year when Lindor finished as runner-up to the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani.
Soto was in the running in the American League as a member of the Yankees, finishing third behind former teammate Aaron Judge and the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr.
The Mets 'duo has the potential to be one of the most dynamic 1-2 punches in all of baseball. With Lindor's speed and knack for collecting extra-base hits, Soto should have a chance to crack his career-high RBI total of 110 — set in 2019 as a member of the Nationals, the same year they won the World Series.
The two superstars have an opportunity to be one of the most lethal combinations in baseball and will drive the Mets' offensive success in 2025.
Alonso is back in the heart of the Mets' lineup after a long drawn-out negotiation process that ended with him signing a two-year, $54 million contract right before spring training was set to begin.
The Mets first baseman, who is entering his seventh season with the team, will be looking to improve upon career lows in home runs (34) and RBI (88). Alonso has the chance to pull off something special if he can; he's 26 home runs away from matching Darryl Strawberry's franchise home run record.
While Nimmo has taken a step forward with his power the last two seasons, the Mets could stand to gain from a return to what he did best prior to the last two seasons. Despite driving in a career-high 90 runs in 2024, Nimmo's .224 batting average was the second-lowest of his career and his .327 on-base percentage was his worst mark of his career.
Given the early injuries to Montas and Manaea, the rise of Holmes and Senga's return to health are all the more important for the Mets rotation.
Holmes' ability to work through opponents' lineups two and three times will be key as he gets more comfortable with an expanded arsenal. The Mets will also have to monitor his workload. He has never thrown more than 70 innings in his professional career.
Meanwhile, Senga has set a goal of a tossing 162 innings — the threshold necessary to qualify for statistics leaderboards — after only recording four outs due to shoulder and calf injuries last season. If he reaches that mark, he'll be more in line for his rookie season when he struck out 202 batters.
After playing in 14 games down the stretch last season following Lindor's back injury, Acuña is set to handle some early reps at the major league level. The 23-year-old showcased his strong offensive potential with three home runs, two doubles and six RBI in a small sample size last season.
Acuña provides strong upside in his ability to play all of the infield positions outside of first base and the outfield. But the front office would like to see him get regular action to help his development along.
Brandon Sproat, the team's No. 1 prospect, showcased some promise with his powerful fastball this spring. The 24-year-old right-hander grabbed Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors last season as he soared up to Triple-A Syracuse last seaon.
In 11 starts with Double-A Binghamton, Sproat was 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 62⅓ innings but struggled in Triple-A. He'll be looking to take a step up at that level this season to make a push toward the MLB roster down the road.
Ronny Mauricio is continuing to work back slowly from a season-ending injury in 2023 and could factor on the major league roster when he's fully healthy. He'll remain in Florida for the beginning of the 2025 season before heading to Triple-A.
Mendoza will be looking for a smoother beginning to his second year at the helm as Mets manager. The Mets were on the back foot early in 2024 after dropping their first five games and falling to 11 games under .500 late in May.
The Mets manager aided the team when their backs were against the wall, leading them to a playoff berth with 89 wins. That recovery helped him finish third in NL Manager of the Year voting.
The expectations have risen in his second season, with a playoff berth being the baseline of the team's goals.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets 2025 season preview: Lineup, rotation and postseason keys
Continue reading...
Behind a collective effort last season, the Mets reached the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015.
Now, with Juan Soto switching boroughs for the next decade and a half and Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea returning for at least one season to join forces with Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos, among others, the goal is to be back competing for a World Series crown.
There is some early turbulence with injuries to Manaea, Frankie Montas, Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil, but the front office, led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, has designed a unit to withstand any interruptions.
As the Mets look to get back to the World Series and win the NL East for the first time in a decade, here is everything you need to know about the team early in the 2025 season:
Projected Mets Opening Day lineup
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- Francisco Lindor SS
- Juan Soto RF
- Pete Alonso 1B
- Mark Vientos 3B
- Brandon Nimmo LF
- Starling Marte DH
- Luis Torrens C
- Brett Baty 2B
- Jose Siri CF
What to know: The top three spots in the lineup have been locked in since early in Grapefruit League play, but Carlos Mendoza admitted on Sunday that the cleanup spot could be interchangeable depending on the matchup on a given day.
With Astros left-hander Framber Valdez drawing the start on Opening Day, Vientos slides into the No. 4 spot behind Alonso, with Nimmo, the potential regular in that spot, sliding down.
More Mets news: First base coach Antoan Richardson squeezing all he can out of team's baserunners
Torrens will be filling in for Alvarez to start the campaign, while Mendoza said that Baty and Acuña just need to stay the course to split time at second base following McNeil's low-grade oblique injury.
The center field and designated hitter positions figure to be a platoon in the early going. Before a hot hand emerges, Siri and Tyrone Taylor should split time. The DH spot will likely come down to the matchup for Marte and Jesse Winker, who hit from opposite sides of the plate.
Projected Mets rotation
You must be registered for see images
- Clay Holmes RHP
- Tylor Megill RHP
- Griffin Canning RHP
- David Peterson LHP
- Kodai Senga RHP
Closer: Edwin Diaz RHP
What to know: Holmes, who executed his transition back to starting pitching flawlessly this spring, is looking forward to drawing the Opening Day start on Thursday. The former closer posted a 0.93 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 19⅓ innings in Grapefruit League action, proving he could handle the job.
"I think it's just a testament to having a thoughtful, intentional plan going into this," Holmes said. "It's nice to kind of see it come to fruition and being in such a good spot right now. Just really have a good foundation set for the season and we look forward to keep building this."
The final two spots in the rotation were revealed on Sunday as Mendoza announced that Megill would be starting the second game of the season after competing for one of the spots open following Montas and Manaea's injury. Canning also grabbed a spot in the rotation with a strong spring, sliding Paul Blackburn into the bullpen to start the season.
Based on their scheduled days of throwing, Peterson and Senga will throw one more time in Port St. Lucie before making their first starts against the Marlins next week.
Story continues below photo gallery
Mets newcomers
OF Jose Siri; C Hayden Senger; RHPs Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, Max Kranick, Frankie Montas (injured); A.J. Minter LHP; INF Nick Madrigal (injured)
Players not returning from 2024
OF Harrison Bader; RHP Luis Severino, Phil Maton, Adam Ottavino; LHP Jose Quintana, Brooks Raley; DH J.D. Martinez; INF Jose Iglesias
Players starting 2024 on the injured list
Frankie Montas (high-grade lat strain), Sean Manaea (oblique strain), Jeff McNeil (oblique strain), Francisco Alvarez (fractured hamate bone in left hand), Nick Madrigal (fractured left shoulder), Christian Scott (UCL sprain/Tommy John surgery)
3 KEYS TO NL PLAYOFF RACE
MVP candidates pack a punch
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The Mets have never had a Most Valuable Player in their 63-year history, but they've come close, including last year when Lindor finished as runner-up to the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani.
Soto was in the running in the American League as a member of the Yankees, finishing third behind former teammate Aaron Judge and the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr.
The Mets 'duo has the potential to be one of the most dynamic 1-2 punches in all of baseball. With Lindor's speed and knack for collecting extra-base hits, Soto should have a chance to crack his career-high RBI total of 110 — set in 2019 as a member of the Nationals, the same year they won the World Series.
The two superstars have an opportunity to be one of the most lethal combinations in baseball and will drive the Mets' offensive success in 2025.
Homegrown Mets return to form
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Alonso is back in the heart of the Mets' lineup after a long drawn-out negotiation process that ended with him signing a two-year, $54 million contract right before spring training was set to begin.
The Mets first baseman, who is entering his seventh season with the team, will be looking to improve upon career lows in home runs (34) and RBI (88). Alonso has the chance to pull off something special if he can; he's 26 home runs away from matching Darryl Strawberry's franchise home run record.
While Nimmo has taken a step forward with his power the last two seasons, the Mets could stand to gain from a return to what he did best prior to the last two seasons. Despite driving in a career-high 90 runs in 2024, Nimmo's .224 batting average was the second-lowest of his career and his .327 on-base percentage was his worst mark of his career.
Successful transitions from Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes
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Given the early injuries to Montas and Manaea, the rise of Holmes and Senga's return to health are all the more important for the Mets rotation.
Holmes' ability to work through opponents' lineups two and three times will be key as he gets more comfortable with an expanded arsenal. The Mets will also have to monitor his workload. He has never thrown more than 70 innings in his professional career.
Meanwhile, Senga has set a goal of a tossing 162 innings — the threshold necessary to qualify for statistics leaderboards — after only recording four outs due to shoulder and calf injuries last season. If he reaches that mark, he'll be more in line for his rookie season when he struck out 202 batters.
Mets rookie watch
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After playing in 14 games down the stretch last season following Lindor's back injury, Acuña is set to handle some early reps at the major league level. The 23-year-old showcased his strong offensive potential with three home runs, two doubles and six RBI in a small sample size last season.
Acuña provides strong upside in his ability to play all of the infield positions outside of first base and the outfield. But the front office would like to see him get regular action to help his development along.
Brandon Sproat, the team's No. 1 prospect, showcased some promise with his powerful fastball this spring. The 24-year-old right-hander grabbed Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors last season as he soared up to Triple-A Syracuse last seaon.
In 11 starts with Double-A Binghamton, Sproat was 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 62⅓ innings but struggled in Triple-A. He'll be looking to take a step up at that level this season to make a push toward the MLB roster down the road.
Ronny Mauricio is continuing to work back slowly from a season-ending injury in 2023 and could factor on the major league roster when he's fully healthy. He'll remain in Florida for the beginning of the 2025 season before heading to Triple-A.
Manager's report: Carlos Mendoza
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Mendoza will be looking for a smoother beginning to his second year at the helm as Mets manager. The Mets were on the back foot early in 2024 after dropping their first five games and falling to 11 games under .500 late in May.
The Mets manager aided the team when their backs were against the wall, leading them to a playoff berth with 89 wins. That recovery helped him finish third in NL Manager of the Year voting.
The expectations have risen in his second season, with a playoff berth being the baseline of the team's goals.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets 2025 season preview: Lineup, rotation and postseason keys
Continue reading...
