New York Mets Preview
There are few teams that have tried as hard to win as the New York Mets. You have to give the franchise credit because they aren’t just cutting corners. They are really going for it and trying to put their best roster together each season. There are a lot of complainers about the Dodgers, but the Mets seem to be attempting to do a similar structure. Unfortunately for them, it hasn’t garnered as much success. Will this be the year the Mets cash spending gives them what they are looking for?
Last year recap:
The Mets have to be thanking the Detroit Tigers for their collapse. In 2024, the Mets turned the page and started to dominate. Remember when they had Grimace magic? They were one of the best teams in baseball and rode that success to the NLCS. Then, last season, they were 21 games above .500 on June 12th. They went on to go 38-55 for the remainder of the season. They had three losing streaks of at least seven games in that stretch as well. Even when they looked hot, winning seven straight after the All-Star Break, they followed it up with losing 14 of 16 games. They missed the playoffs, losing out to the Reds.
Offseason moves:
You knew there would be some tinkering from this team, but there were some major moves that happened. Pete Alonso, a Mets mainstay for years, left for Baltimore in a move that was fairly shocking. They adjusted by signing Bo Bichette, who is not the power threat Alonso was, but might give the lineup a bit more balance. They also added Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, and a few arms. Those were good moves to replace some of the guys that left. Two other moves, trading for Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr. could be the ones that send the Mets over the top this season.
Roster:
The Mets did get some bad news that Francisco Lindor is likely to miss some time. If they are healthy, there really are not a ton of weak positions, and even if there are, I’d fully expect the team to be involved in trade talks during the year. The biggest question, for me, is Luis Robert Jr. He is very talented, but can he stay healthy? So far in his career, he has shown that to not be the case. Injuries are a risk for everyone, but there are a combination of injuries and older guys in this lineup that make me concerned. Polanco is 33, and should be fine. He is coming off of a great year. Semien is 36 and only played in 127 games last year. Bichette was injured a lot last season, but at least he is younger. Juan Soto, in his second Mets season, could be more comfortable. The bullpen should be decent for the Mets, but the rotation still is questionable at best. Peralta secures a spot, but the rest of the team is guys that have shown success recently, but not necessarily ones I want to rely on.
Betting outlook:
The Mets are -310 to make the playoffs, and frankly I don’t get it. The Marlins should be okay, the Nationals will be bad, the Phillies should have one more good year, and the Braves are going to be better than last season. That’s just their division. If they make the playoffs, I expect it to be in the Wild Card. However, I’m personally not going into this season seeing their rotation and thinking they should be playoff locks. Give me the No at +250. I also think under 90.5 is the right look. They are not that deep of a team past their starting lineup, and you’re relying on some guys to be as good as they were last year, when we’ve seen people struggle their first year in New York.
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