Last night, the Mets officially announced their recent deal with star infielder Bo Bichette and swung a trade for former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. to patrol center field for the team this year. Those moves are the latest in what’s turned into a major overhaul of the Mets’ offense coming off a disappointing 83-win campaign that saw them miss the playoffs in Juan Soto‘s first season under club control. Franchise stalwarts Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil departed the club and a group of new faces have been brought in. It’s a bold decision by president of baseball operations David Stearns to overhaul the offense so dramatically when the team’s 112 wRC+ was good for fifth-best in the majors last season.
The club also missed out on Kyle Tucker and haven’t yet managed to secure a front-of-the-rotation arm. Those developments have left some fans frustrated with the team headed into 2026. Spring Training is now less than a month away. While it’s certainly not impossible to make additional moves to round out the roster, there’s a chance the biggest moves are now done. If the collection of position players the Mets have now is what they’ll enter the 2026 campaign with, how does it compare to the group they put forward last year?
Both lineups will have the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Soto in right field to kick things off. Things start to get significantly different from there, though. Alonso’s 141 wRC+ is difficult to replace, and no player the Mets have added so far figures to put up a gaudy number like that this year. Bichette (134 wRC+) and Jorge Polanco (132 wRC+) have both come into the mix on the heels of strong seasons in their own rights, however, and both figure to serve as legitimate middle-of-the-order threats for the Mets this season. Neither Bichette nor Polanco figure to provide the power that Alonso offered, as he swatted 38 long balls this year. Bichette has never hit even 30 homers in his career, and Polanco last did so in 2021.
As tough as the loss of Alonso is, however, it can certainly be argued at the team’s additions lengthen the lineup overall. While neither Bichette or Polanco offers quite the same offensive impact as Alonso, both were fair superior to Brandon Nimmo (115 wRC+) and Jeff McNeil (111 wRC+) last season. Marcus Semien (89 wRC+) and Robert (84 wRC+) weren’t at that level, but both are coming off injury-marred campaigns in 2025 and could see their numbers tick back up towards league average with better health. In the case of Robert, however, even a repeat of last year would be a substantial improvement for the Mets relative to what they got out of center field last year. The team’s center fielders (primarily Tyrone Taylor and Cedric Mullins) combined for a wRC+ of 71 with just 0.7 fWAR. That makes Robert a likely upgrade even if he can’t get close to the All-Star form he flashed back in 2023, when he posted a 129 wRC+ and 4.9 fWAR in 145 games.
Health for both Semien and Robert figures to be key to a successful Mets lineup this year, but perhaps the biggest wild card is how the team’s young talent will perform. All indications suggest that, if another move isn’t made, top outfield prospect Carson Benge will get a clear shot at regular playing time for the Mets in the outfield. Meanwhile, Brett Baty will be looking to build on a successful 2025 season while likely spending time at first base and DH alongside Polanco, and Francisco Alvarez will try to replicate last season’s monster second half across the full year. Versatile prospect Jett Williams also figures to play a role for the team at some point this year, though when that will be (and where on the diamond he’ll wind up playing) remains to be seen.
Assuming a big trade like Jarren Duran isn’t coming down the pipeline to change the look of New York’s offense, how do MLBTR readers think the Mets’ lineup will fare in 2026? Will they be able to match last season’s production? Could they exceed it? Or will they come up short and be a less productive offense than the one Alonso helped lead last year? Have your say in the poll below:
Assuming no major additions, how will the Mets' offense fare in 2026?
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The Mets' offense will more or less match the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 48% (2,251)
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The Mets' offense will significantly underperform the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 27% (1,243)
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The Mets' offense will significantly exceed the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 25% (1,151)
Total votes: 4,645
I’m a braves fan so I am a little biased
That rotation is brutal but that lineup will be best in baseball. Tons of upgrades. Those aging players will mold well together !
The rotation was brutal last year after guys went down who were stabilizing things…Megill, Canning, until McLean came up.
A full season (relatively) of McLean, contributions from Brandon Sproat, with Peterson, Holmes, Senga, and Manaea? Yeah, they need another starter for sure. But to say that is a terrible I think is really such an overstatement.
They will trade for a starter or sign Framber or Gallen. No doubt, and then wouldn’t be surprised at trading for another starter like Bubic near the deadline.
You left out Christian Scott and Jonah Tong. I don’t think the Mets are splurging on a starter when they have so many talented, cheap arms that are MLB-ready or close to it. Gallen ain’t an improvement, either.
Gallen ain’t an improvement ? He could be part of that teams late 30s club lol. And he’s most likely to have the best 26 out of any of the current list
@Steve Cohen —I would give Canning another shot if the price is right
Lineup best in baseball? Interesting.
I think I prefer Alonso, Nimmo, Baty at 3B (option to also sign Bichette for 2B) than Polanco (never played 1B, injury prone), Bichette at 3B (likely doesn’t have the arm for it), Robert (injury prone, not much with bat last few years), and an aging Semien
At 60, I’ve been following these guys since 1971, and I’ve seen it all. I’m not one of those doom and gloom fans. However, I believe this is going to be a disaster of a first half season for them, until the front office panics and tries to bandage it with more free agents after the ASG. To be perfectly honest with you, I would really enjoy seeing a lot of the young guys come up. I don’t necessarily care what place they wind up in.
Only if a lot of things go wrong, which is possible. Benge not being ready for the bigs and losing confidence, injuries hit several key players like Bichette and Polanco, Vientos strikes out 30+% of the time, Baty and Alvarez show their promising 2nd half last year was a mirage…
But I think they have a team that is a lot more pesky at the plate, more athletic, and definitely defensively superior up the middle.
I think this is a better team overall. I think everyone hates losing Alonso and Nimmo, but honestly, with Nimmo especially he was a liability defensively and no longer was the hitter he used to be. Won’t be surprised if the offense actually scores a lot more runs this year than last.
To be fair, Nimmo changed his approach at the plate and his 28/92 production is not easily replaceable. I don’t necessarily think there was a decline in his offense, just a different approach
@Balonious: Nimmo’s change in approach was a net negative. He shouldn’t have done it. His OBP cratered from a perennial .375+ down to a .326 over the last two years. And while he hit more HR, his SLG suffered overall. He peaked around .480 for a couple of season, but he’s down near .400 now.
He used to be a patient, more rounded hitter. Then he chased HR and bat speed, to his detriment.
This would have been so much better, but they just wanted to “shake things up” because lindor can’t play with those guys.
144 votes saw it my way thus far. 144 voters could definitely be wrong on this matter though.
FG projections
C Alvarez 119
1B Polanco 116
2B Semien 102
3B Bichette 121
SS Lindor 123
LF Benge 96
CF Robert 95
RF Soto 165
DH Vientos/Baty 115/108
AV: 116.6
Then a bunch of PA by bench players
Probably slightly over 112
imo, those are solid projections. I’d bump Baty up, personally, and drop Vientos a bit. I think Mets would be very happy if Benge put up close to league average as a rookie, though I think there’s a shot he finishes over 100. I’d maybe bump Alvarez up into the 120s as well, and even that out with Robert closer to 90.
These projections are nonsensical balderdash.
@whyhayzee: In which direction? Too high? Too low?
rct
Whyh doesn’t know and doesn’t understand anything about projections.
They are just like a Pavlov’s dog who sees the word and responds. They get a few like from the other marh challenged and feel good about themselves
Indubitably!
What’s the 5 or 6 starting rotation? I know they added bullpen help in Williams and weaver or as reference them WW2.
In no particular order McLean, peterson, manaea, senga, Holmes with tong, sproat, and Christian Scott waiting in the wings
Those projections are immaculately transcendental…
They’re nonsensical balderdash because they don’t include how many games each of these wayfaring knuckleheads will play.
They are not as good as last year.
Is it March 26? Wait until Opening Day to
access this team.
Mets golf
Should we access the team first, and assess it later? Or the other way around?
The later seems like cheating a bit.
Seems like a bit of excess to both access and assess tbh
Why is this discussion about retooling the lineup? It’s pitching that kept them out of the postseason and they haven’t done much to address it. I don’t know how much retooling the lineup will matter
Because this discussion is about what the Mets have done on OFFENSE and not what they have not with the pitching, which i agree with you on, but that’s a different discussion.
But since he brought it up! Will they pony up for Skubal or Peralta before the Dodgers do? There’s a poll they need to do.
Cohen should just go full Preller on this and make Stearns go get both! Why not
@Motor, let them both pay boku prospects for one year of each of them. I want to see the fanbase reaction.
Mets are not trading for Skubal or peralta
I don’t see Stearns giving up a bunch of prospects for rentals when Cohen can just buy them next year if he wants to try
A Skubal in front of this team could possibly win you a championship in 2026.
Exactly. If they want to catch up with LA, Philly, Atlanta, Milwaukee and the Cubs they need a true #1 starter.
This is a patchwork lineup. Long season ahead.
Stearns was good at that in Mikeaukee though. Putting pieces together to make a team. Seems to be some weird choices though.
@Salzilla: They’re trying to build for long-term success. Adding Skubal and the enormous prospect cost it’s going to take, plus needing to sign him to a crazy mega-deal, doesn’t make any sense. It’s putting all of your eggs in one basket. What happens if Skubal gets injured and needs TJ surgery?
What if any of your players get injured? What if the strike lasts more than a season? What if those can’t miss prospects all miss, because there’s plenty precedent. There’s a lot of what ifs in baseball, but you play for the season in front of you. Championships make a franchise, stop with all the hugging, and go frigging win.
Well..
A funny thing happened….
@Lalo this didn’t age well…
Sal
“Why is this discussion about retooling the lineup? ”
“Because this discussion is about what the Mets have done on OFFENSE ”
Very smart response
They haven’t done much to address their pitching because, presumably, they’ll have healthy versions of Senga and Manaea, they get back Christian Scott (who was almost as highly-touted in the minors as McLean prior to his injury), they’ll get a full season of McLean, they have Sproat and Tong waiting in the wings, and 2-3 more solid arms starting the season in Syracuse who could potentially help them down the stretch (Wenninger, Santucci, Zach Thornton). Plus Jesse Minter is returning early on and they have a few solid BP pieces in AAA (Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert). I think the pitching will be a lot better this year.
Almost all of the above won’t give them full seasons though so they’ll definitely need one at the least. In theory you’d want to get a front of the rotation guy to ease McLean into being that guy in years to come.
They have nine starters on the 40 man roster. They can do a six man rotation and still have three options to fill in as needed. I don’t see the need to add more. McLean, Tong, and Christian Scott have TOR stuff. Maybe not in 2026, but going forward. No need to mortgage the future.
Stuff and doing it are very different animals. That rotation failed massively last season. If any part of their 2025 roster needed bolstering, it was that. You should never ever say we have these youngsters to get it done on such an expense team. That’s bananas from a business sense.
“That rotation failed massively last season. If any part of their 2025 roster needed bolstering”
It did get bolstered, though. Senga and Manaea were injured or playing through injuries the entire season. Presumably, they’re healthier now. And they’re adding a full season of McLean, with potential full seasons from Tong, Christian Scott, and Sproat. I don’t understand, at all, the clamoring for a rotation upgrade. It’s already upgraded via health and four highly-touted young arms, with potentially three more on the way throughout the year.
“You should never ever say we have these youngsters to get it done on such an expense team. That’s bananas from a business sense.”
Rolling the dice with 4-7 (McLean/Sproat/Tong/Scott/Wenninger/Santucci/Thornton) extremely cheap, potential rotation options on a team with an already sky-high payroll doesn’t make business sense? I could not disagree more. It’s funny that people complain about the need for homegrown talent, then when it’s right there, complain that you shouldn’t rely on homegrown talent.
I personally could give a rat’s tukiss about homegrown vs. import, just keep on winning.
You have no legit TOR starter WITH experience. You cannot argue that. You have almost a full rotation of guys that will most likely be on some sort of innings limitations or just have not done it at this level or ever yet. It’s a lot man.
Senga and Manea are neither TOR and the latter simply isn’t that good. You guys need more IMO.
Homegrown talent is great. But…you have 3-4 pitchers (MacLean, Tong, Sproat, Scott) starting out as rookies with minimal exoerience and expected to contribute at the same time? Highly unlikely. In a few years it will likely be a strong base but does Cohen want to wait that long?
Hoping Senga and Manea stay healthy, Scott doesn’t have any setbacks and Holmes at least does what he did last year, and no sophomore slump from McLean.
That’s a lot of hoping. Or they could just pony up for Skubal.
You’re also assuming Detroit is willing to trade Skubal
The AL central is very winnable and Skubal alone can get them through a 5 game series
For two years in a row they have NOT gotten through a 5 game series though. One guy is not a team. He’s their best player for sure but they had a bunch of all stars last year and solid contributors. One guy doesn’t win a championship and they won’t be able to afford to effectively fill out the rest of the roster if they pay him $450 million. Why not get a handful of contributors while you can and keep that money to fill multiple holes and build a roster that isnt overreliant on one player?
Mets still need to do more at this point. They need to make another big trade.
Why? For whom? To play where?
Out – Alonso, McNeil, Nimmo
In – Bichette, Robert, Polanco, Semien
Yes, I think the Mets should still have an excellent offense in 2026.
And Benge, their #1 position player prospect and the #5 OF in baseball per MLB Pipeline.
They need to bring back Jesse Winker and then I will sign off on it.
Marte is another one Out.
Benge is another on In.
I agree with you that they should still have a good offense.
Of course not. They need to spend A Lot More Money!
Those mets fans won’t mind paying a bazillion dollars for a ticket.
I think they will underperform offensively but not significantly.
Other than that…
I’m still not getting that Polanco signing vs. signing Arraez for 1b.
Well I’m also not getting the Bichette signing for 3b when there were better.
So defense there is probably taking a hit.
That said, Luis Robert amd Marcus Semien are plus defenders, but neither has not been good or healthy for long periods of time recently.
So…pluses and minus there.
Polanco is better than Arraez. It’s that simple, imo. Arraez is a poor defender, slow, doesn’t walk, and doesn’t hit for power. He (probably) would’ve been cheaper, but the upside is higher with Polanco, imo. I can’t see Polanco being a worse defender than Arraez.
Polanco has not played first and Bo has not played 3rd, how anyone thinks that won’t be a problem is beyond me. They are fine players, I just question why Stearns got them for THIS team.
But to the task at hand,,,
Arraez has played the position and puts the ball in play a lot. He has been a pretty darn good table setter for years. He’s also 4 years younger that Polanco so I disagree on that upside. Also, you didn’t say slow for Arraez and not Polanco, right? And Arraez got on base a percentage point more than Polanco. Jorge really only has power on him. So to me, Arraez was the better option. It’s a missed opportunity to get a guy that really would have fit.
Admit it, this team is going to be an absolute mess. You can’t just bring in a bunch of mercenaries and expect instant success. They had issues in the clubhouse last year and a lack of team culture, how is bringing in a whole new slate of faces and egos and randomness going to gel (and at positions they don’t normally play) ??
Randomness is big key here and the calling card of Stearns in my opinion during his tenure. He’s constantly trying to put a square into a circle when there are perfect circles available.
The problems in the Met’s clubhouse last season were Nimmo, McNeil, and to a certain extent Alonso. They are gone and replaced by veteran leadership types in Semien and Polanco.
Semien was a 2B. Robert was a CF. Polanco was a mainly a DH last season but has played SS and 2B in his career so the move to 1B is a good one. Bichette had the worst range at SS in baseball, so a move to 3B increases his defensive value and its still on the left side so easier to adjust to than a move to 2B.
The Mets are going to be as good on the offensive and better on the defensive side of things. The question for me is still pitching. Not sold on relying on prospects like McLean and Tong to fill 30-40% of the starts in 2026.
Underperform what? Last season? Expectations? If expectations, whose expectation?
The Mets defense improved greatly. Semien is one of the best. Taylor is exceptional. LRJ is better than Nimmo by a large margin. Benge is a 55 FV defensive prospect and his best tool is his Hit tool. Now he will be pushed from CF where he played the majority of the time in the minors to LF so some of the pressure is off.
Semien has averaged 154 games over the past 5 years. Over the last 3 years since he moved to 2B, he has averaged 149 games and been one of the two best defensive 2B in baseball. Only Gimenez has been better.
LRJ is a different story. While the top OF have played 3500-4000 innings over the last 3 seasons, he has played only 2900. When he does play he has had an 8 DRS and 18 FRV over the last 3 seasons. Top 25 and top 15 on defense respectively. Nimmo, the guy he is replacing, had 3700 innings played but a -7 DRS and league average 0 FRV. Overall Nimmo had a 9.1 WAR and Robert a 8.0 WAR over the last 3 seasons. A 3.0 WAR and 118 OPS+ average vs a 2.7 WAR and 104 OPS+ average. The biggest difference is age. Nimmo was going into his age 33 season, Robert his age 28 season.
If improving on defense was the only goal, the Mets have done it. That will lower the team ERA, but its not enough to win a large number more games.
If improving on offense and overall was also a goal, they have added
(Last season’s stats)
Polanco – 524 PA | 134 OPS+ | 2.6 WAR
Semien – 534 PA | 97 OPS+ | 3.3 WAR
Bichette – 628 PA | 129 OPS+ | 3.5 WAR
Robert – 431 PA | 85 OPS+ | 1.4 WAR
Totals – 2117 PA | 114 OPS+ | 10.8 WAR
(Remember, OPS+ for a group of players is not just adding them up and then dividing by 4. You have to take into account the number of PA)
and subtracted
Alonso – 709 PA | 142 OPS+ | 3.4 WAR
Nimmo – 652 PA | 114 OPS+ | 2.9 WAR
McNeil – 462 Pa | 111 OPS+ | 2.0 WAR
Marte – 339 PA | 111 OPS+ | 1.0 WAR
Totals – 2162 | 121 OPS+ | 9.8 WAR
While they have improved marginally overall on the position player side, the hitting is not quite as good. They may be hoping for a rebound by Semien and LRJ on that front. I think they still need to add a starting pitcher and some depth for the pen. Either way, that is a good team. Its an 85 win team as constituted today. .
So again, under performed in what way and whose expectations?
My lord, Skip, this isn’t an audition.
I like to lay out my ideas in full. This website couldn’t afford me.
Nice analysis Skip.
I still think the NL is pretty much the same as last year.
Division winners Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, top wild card Cubs (unless Brewers trade Peralta and Megill).
I like San Diego and Atlanta for the other two wild cards but that is partly based on my assumption that the Padres will pick up one more starting pitcher in the next few weeks.
I think Mets and Reds are about the same but Atlanta will be healthier than last year and thus better positioned to snag that last WC spot.
They can’t have the Mango.
Peralta acquisition was significant. I now have Mets even with Atlanta.
I do like that a few key guys have less swing and miss in their games. Too many Ks in big situations last year.
They need to add a frontliner.
“ Alonso’s 141 wRC+ is difficult to replace, and no player the Mets have added so far figures to put up a gaudy number like that this year.”
They’ll recreate him in the aggregate.
bhambrave, Polanco’s 132 wRC+ goes a long way to replacing it. Polanco has played premium defensive positions so is almost a 100% guarantee to be an improvement on defense at 1B. Can’t be worse then Alonso, who was the very bottom of the barrel.
Bichette and his 134 wRC+ is a 23% improvement over Baty at 3B.
The aggregate of those two in the infield is much better than Alonso and Baty.
Even with Semien and his 89 wRC+ at 2B vs McNeil and his 94 wRC+ while playing 2B doesn’t tip the scale to 2025 vs the guys manning the infield in 2026.
It was a Moneyball joke.
This is a strange off-season for the Mets. They’re really counting on huge bounce back seasons from several players and continued success of mid to late 30s guys. This could go very wrong. Honestly they only have 1 dangerous LH bat in the lineup now and they’re a couple of injuries away from a last place finish.
There’s no chance they’ll finish last being in the same division as the Nationals.
Polanco and Lindor are switch hitters. So most of the time, they are dangerous LH hitters. Pretty soon Benge will be recognized as a dangerous left handed hitter. Plus while Baty may not be fully actualized over a full season, I wouldn’t say he’s not dangerous.
Looking forward to Benge. Need a significant SP. But watch a full year of McLean be something special
The lineup? Not really… but it’s still good. And there must have been a mental thing with that group because they had a couple of epic collapses that really never made sense. So perhaps the real value is the new group is mentally strong and can remain consistent… cause idk if they are all more talented. But if they don’t do anything about their pitching, then does the new lineup really matter?
They should have kept Alonso. His power production wasn’t really replaced.
His presence in the locker room is going to be another overlooked aspect. The tension between Soto and Lindor is going to be very entertaining going forward.
In a recent interview, Juan Soto got straight to the point when asked about his relationship with Francisco Lindor. “I get along well with Lindor. He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous person. He’s always happy and cheerful in the clubhouse,” Soto declared, dispelling any doubts about a possible feud. His words reflect mutual respect, despite their personal differences.
Mendoza was not PC when he called the rumors from Puma a lie. “It’s completely a lie.”
Sometimes its better not to read Puma or really anyone at the Post. Its a tabloid and it reads like a tabloid with its only goal to titillate, not inform. In today’s digital age we call what they publish clickbait, not news.
I think them replacing Alonso with Polanco was their biggest blunder of the offseason. Should’ve kept the Polar Bear as protection for Lindor/Soto.
I think letting Alonso walk was one of their best moves of the offseason. I wouldn’t want to be tied to an aging first baseman with poor defense who, in a bounce-back season, still didn’t even put up 4 WAR. $30 million a year for five years is a lot of dough. Mets will not regret letting him walk.
Could also argue that Alonso’s replacement (re: batting) was Soto last year, not Polanco this year.
The Robert deal has HUGE upside. Totally worth the gamble. I’m not a Mets fan, but I applaud the move.
The Mets five-man rotation at 2nd base is a game changer.
Line up is solid. Addition of many high obp hitters. Fielding should improve. Pitching hinges on McLean, sproat, tong in rotation and Christian Scott in bullpen . Also hinges on Devin Williams regaining form
Semien has averaged more than 149 games the past 3 seasons. You have more of a shot of playing 2B for the Mets than him being on the IL, on the bench, or traded by the AS break.
LRJ has averaged 118 games the past 3 seasons. He might be on the IL, but the chances of him being traded or on the bench are nil.
142 OPS+ vs 134 OPS+ is REALLY close. 3.4 WAR vs 2.6 WAR is not as close, but Polanco spent most of 2025 at DH, so it makes sense. Polanco has played mainly SS and 2B in his career, so its not a stretch to say that he MAY be better than the worst defensive 1B in the game, which is what Alonso was by both DRS and FRV.
Do you ever say anything that is positive, backed by actual facts, or at least based in this universe?
Facts.