New York Mets Must Match Sky High Expectations
There are expectations, and then there are sky-high expectations that a team like the New York Mets will try to match, if not exceed in 2025. The question is is…
JUPITER, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 24: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets celebrates with teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium on February 24, 2025 in Jupiter, Florida.
(Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)There are expectations, and then there are sky-high expectations that a team like the New York Mets will try to match, if not exceed in 2025. The question is is it too steep a hill to climb?
Aside from the defending World Series champion LA Dodgers, and the defending A.L. Champion New York Yankees, no team comes into Opening Day with higher expectations than the New York Mets.
The Mets strung together a miracle second half in 2024 that saw the team rise from the ashes of the National League to become a contender for the pennant. We saw Grimace take the fanbase by hold; Jose Iglesias' hit single "OMG" become a rallying cry, Francisco Lindor challenge for the MVP (he probably should have won), and Pete Alonso come to life when it mattered most in the postseason.
New York then parlayed that success fairly quickly into the off-season signing Juan Soto away from the Yankees for a record 15-year, $765 million contract.
Couple that with the return of Pete Alonso on a two-year contract, and all of a sudden the Mets have World Series-level expectations entering the year.
We say pump the breaks a bit.
The Mets endured a brutal Spring Training that saw a number of key players go down with injuries.
- Sean Manaea suffered an oblique strain and is likely out until at least mid to late April.
- Frankie Montas suffered a lat injury and is out until June.
- Catcher Francisco Alvarez broke the Hamate bone in his left hand and is out for eight weeks, which takes him out May.
- Second Baseman Jeff McNeil is also suffering from an oblique injury with no timetable for return, opening up a platoon of Brett Baty and Luis Angel Acuna at second.
- Brandon Nimmo had been bothered by knee issues and is just now getting his legs back underneath him.
- Kodi Senga is coming off an injury-riddled campaign in 2024.
- And, infielder Nick Madigral, who was to replace the ever-popular Jose Iglesias as a utility man, was lost for the year with a dislocated shoulder.
In short, it hasn't been fun for the Amazins in the early going. The injuries to Manaea and Montas are the most significant as they affect an already challenged starting rotation that doesn't have a true ace.
Clay Holmes will get the ball on Opening Day; he hasn't started a game since 2018 when he was with Pittsburgh. He's spent a better part of his career as a late-inning reliever with the Yankees. Holmes acquitted himself well as a starter this spring; pitching to a 0.93 ERA in five starts, but the regular season is a whole other challenge.
Behind Holmes is a rag-tag group of starters. Tylor MeGill has been a number five starter his entire Mets career; Griffin Channing was a spot starter in Anaheim; Senga is coming off injury, and David Peterson, probably the best of the group had a career year in 2024 with a 10-3 record and a 2.90 ERA.
OUTLOOK:
The Mets have the potential to be explosive in 2025, especially offensively. The combination of Lindor, Soto and Alonso could produce over 100 home runs between the three of them, if all are healthy this year. To succeed on a daily basis however, players like Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos, and Alvarez (when he returns) must contribute regularly, and look for some pop off the bench/DH with Starling Marte and Jesse Winker.
If there is one weakness, it's pitching. Without a true Bonafede ace, the Mets will struggle to overtake Philadelphia and/or Atlanta at the top of this division. The Mets will need reinforcements in the pitching department come July.
PREDICTION: As they are currently constituted, the Mets project a record of 85-77, and are third in the NL East.
