The New York Mets are nearly finished with their offseason roster overhaul, and we’re starting to get a solid idea of what the team will look like. GM David Stearns has emphasized run prevention in most of his moves, and while he’s made strides, there are still some issues that could send the Mets’ season sideways.
There’s no reason to pick things apart given that we haven’t seen the final product on the field, but there are some obvious questions that still need to be addressed. There are some issues pending, and at the very least the Mets will need Plan B to answer these questions if things do go sideways.
What if the defense springs leaks?
The Mets infield should be better at short, second and first, but there’s a big question at third with newly-acquired infielder Bo Bichette sliding over to a corner infield positions. Bichette was moved to the right side of the infield with the Toronto Blue Jays because of issues with his arm and range. Range shouldn’t be a problem at third given Bichette’s athleticism, but what if he can’t throw or he has trouble handling the shots he’ll see at the hot corner?
The outfield questions are potentially just as significant. Right fielder Juan Soto has vowed to improve the -13 runs rating he posted last season that’s become a talking point for the media and fans. Soto certainly has the athleticism to do it given the way he improved his base running last year, but what happens is he simply doesn’t have the instinct to make good reads and get a better jump with his first step?
What if the back half of the rotation fails again?
In theory it makes a lot of sense to assume that pitchers like Clay Holmes and David Peterson will be strengths instead of weaknesses if they’re pushed to the back half of the rotation. But Peterson and Holmes both faded badly down the stretch, and starters Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga were an out-and-out disaster. These pitchers will still have to supply a lot of innings and pitch in plenty of games, and until Stearns makes the expected deal to clean things up, this question will remain.
What if Carlos Mendoza loses the clubhouse again?
No one has really addressed this question yet, but it’s important. Part of the reason the Mets made all these moves was a report from the New York Post about fights in the clubhouse, personality conflicts and other related issues. Mendoza got a mulligan because of the Mets postseason run in 2024, but he’ll be closely watched this year if the Mets start playing some of the bad baseball they displayed last season.