The New York Mets have revamped most of their roster with hopes of not only run prevention, but to also compete with the best of them, AKA the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The New York Mets spent most of their offseason watching some of their biggest stars leave in free agency and join new teams.
Star slugger Pete Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract to become the Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman and star right-handed closer Edwin Diaz signed the largest annually paid contract to become the newest closer of the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers (three-year, $69 million).
They parted ways with other longtime Mets, like utilityman Jeff McNeil (traded to the Athletics) and left fielder Brandon Nimmo (traded to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien).
But in doing so, they opened the door to bringing in players who will better suit their offseason goal of run prevention. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns was clear that the focus of the offseason was to improve the pitching staff and defensively, which is what Stearns has done with his acquisitions for the most part.
Losing a player like Alonso who has impacted the Mets lineup tremendously since he debuted in 2019 is not only a tough pill to swallow for most fans, but incredibly hard to replace. Infielder Jorge Polanco was signed to a two-year, $40 million deal to platoon at first base and designated hitter, but his bat alone doesn’t come close to matching Alonso’s impact.
It will require a collective effort from all the players brought in to try and match his production but also elevate the team to a better place, which is definitely possible. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince certainly thinks that’s a possibility, considering the Mets ranked No. 1 on his list of National League contenders that are most likely to dethrone the Dodgers in 2026.
“This has been an odd but ultimately compelling offseason in Queens. The Mets are taking massive defensive risks (and potentially making history) with Bo Bichette at third base and Jorge Polanco at first,” Castrovince wrote Saturday. “They let Díaz walk to the Dodgers, and it remains to be seen if they were right to trust the underlying metrics about Devin Williams’ 2025 instead of just sticking with what works. They have a lot of injury concerns baked into this roster.”
Polanco is a great defender. The concern is that he’s played just one inning at first base in his career, so how much he plays the position as opposed to DH-ing will probably be determined during spring training and the beginning of the regular season.
Infielder Bo Bichette is known for his great offensive skills, not his defensive prowess. He is tasked with playing the hot corner, one of the most difficult positions to play. Not all shortstops can adapt to playing third base, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Castrovince mentions that the Mets rank third in FanGraphs’ projected team WAR (wins above replacement), trailing only the Dodgers and New York Yankees. The analytics think New York will have a great season, but dethroning the Dodgers great? We shall see.