LOS ANGELES — Late Sunday, more than an hour after their season ended, a group of New York Mets still gathered in the corner of the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, beers in hand, not wanting to let go of 2024 just yet.
That was a prevailing feeling in the losing clubhouse after Game 6, an acknowledgment that this really was the kind of special season and unique dynamic that players strive for. And so, in the wake of the season’s conclusion Sunday night, after 175 games and a whirlwind of emotions, the Mets also could acknowledge this:
It’s about to get harder.
That’s right, the expectations, the pressure — those elements largely absent from spring training 2024 — will be back in full force in 2025. You don’t come within two wins of the pennant and strive merely to be competitive the next season. The competition in the National League will be healthy — and healthier, on paper. The Dodgers are tough enough to beat now; how will they be with a rotation? Atlanta welcomes back Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. next season. The Phillies and Padres will continue to be forces.
That should all make David Stearns’ upcoming offseason even more fascinating and revelatory than his first in Queens. The Mets are in a position to contend for a championship. What are the questions facing them this winter?
1. How do Steve Cohen and David Stearns feel about spending now?
Outside of their high-priced pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Mets were fiscally conservative last offseason. Stearns signed nine players to major-league deals last winter; all but one of them was for one year, and even that one included an opt-out after 2024 sure to be exercised by Sean Manaea.
The Mets have more than $150 million coming off the books after this season. They also won’t be on the hook to send an additional $17.5 million to Houston because Justin Verlander did not reach his vesting option.
New York’s spring goal of replacing some of its imminent departures internally in 2025 will not work out ideally, given that many of the Mets’ best prospects missed significant chunks of the minor-league season. There is a need to spend, and there is an opportunity to spend.
Since being hired last year, Stearns has suggested he’d be willing to spend at a level he hasn’t reached in the past. The pursuit of Yamamoto suggested as much. Does that mean going all-out for Juan Soto? Does it mean doing whatever it takes to keep Pete Alonso a Met? Does it mean another collection of one-year deals in hopes of hitting at a similar success rate?
Signing big-time free agents is a skill, and it’s one Stearns has yet to prove he possesses. The largest deal he’s signed as a GM/president of baseball operations was five years and $80 million for Lorenzo Cain. The second-largest was the one for Manaea.
2. Will Pete Alonso be back?
When he stepped to the plate two weeks ago in Milwaukee, Alonso appeared on the verge of as unsatisfying an end to a great Mets tenure. Instead, he hit one of the greatest home runs in franchise history, went on a hot streak during the NLDS against Philadelphia, and reminded everyone how vital he can be in the middle of the order.
How much is that worth?
Overall, Alonso’s regular season reinforced some of the concerns presented by his 2023 season. His batting average was still down, and his power dropped to a career-low (for a full season) 34 home runs. Of course, it’s pretty wild for any player with Alonso’s level of experience for 34 home runs to represent a career low.
The Mets were fairly open last winter that they were comfortable allowing Alonso to reach free agency, hoping they’d have a chance to match any offer he gets elsewhere. New York still has to know where the line is for Alonso, should he get a big offer from Seattle or Houston or across town.
If Alonso does come back, he’s just 27 home runs from setting the franchise record for career long balls. There’s value in that, too.
3. How can the Mets supplement their offense?
Against a Dodgers pitching staff missing so many of its best arms, the Mets struggled to score in the NLCS. Throughout the season, the lineup was susceptible to extended slumps, even from its best players, and its bottom half looked especially vulnerable in that series against Los Angeles.
Taking a step back, New York enjoyed huge years from Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos and an out-of-the-blue season from José Iglesias. Alonso had a nice year but of course is a free agent. Beyond that, the Mets had several players right around league average.
So where is there room for improvement? Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez have a good chance to have better, more consistent seasons at the plate. The Mets will have an opening at DH, where there are a few different options on the open market, and center field, where there aren’t.
4. Do the Mets need an ace?
The success of the Mets’ makeshift rotation fueled their rise from National League also-ran in late May to a postseason powerhouse — right up until they ran into the Dodgers’ superior lineup in the National League Championship Series.
Los Angeles’ domination of the series — it scored 46 runs in six games — highlighted what the Mets still lack in their rotation. Namely, the Mets don’t have starters who can get consistent swings-and-misses in the strike zone.
This winter’s market offers opportunity. Corbin Burnes is a free agent after a likely top-five Cy Young finish for Baltimore. Max Fried has been one of the sport’s best pitchers for the last six years. Blake Snell was really good again. Jack Flaherty rediscovered his elite form for much of 2024. Roki Sasaki might be posted. Garrett Crochet led the league in strikeout rate and could be on the move this winter.
Way back last offseason, a team source indicated the Mets would be aggressive in the starting pitching market this winter — that while Yamamoto was a unicorn last offseason, this year presented more bites at the apple. This market of starters doesn’t look as rosy now as it did in March, as often happens to free-agent markets, and the Mets will have to gauge just how worth a risky long-term investment some of those arms are.
5. What part of the Mets’ youth do they believe in?
This season was not as good for the Mets’ youth movement as they would have liked. Brett Baty did not seize the job at third base. Alvarez didn’t build on his rookie season the way most expected. Christian Scott required Tommy John surgery. Ronny Mauricio, Drew Gilbert and Jett Williams missed a ton of time. Mike Vasil, Dom Hamel and Blade Tidwell don’t appear closer to being big-league contributors.
There was still room for optimism. While Baty couldn’t hold down third base, Vientos sure could, following up a breakthrough regular season with a phenomenal postseason in which he was the club’s best and most consistent hitter. Do the Mets view Vientos as a long-term answer at third or a stopgap solution before he heads either across the diamond to first base or into the cage as a DH?
Alvarez is still a productive big-league catcher at 22 with room to grow. Does his offensive potential quell the Mets’ aggressiveness in adding other pieces to the lineup?
Luisangel Acuña changed the narrative of his season by coming up and contributing in a major way in September. Can he be an Opening Day option next spring, either on the infield or in center field?
And what can the Mets project in their rotation? With Scott out, is there anyone who can make a case for themselves in the rotation to begin next season? Does Brandon Sproat have ace potential? What could Vasil, Hamel and Tidwell bring to the major-league staff, and where do Williams, Acuña and Gilbert fit in the everyday lineup?
Breaking in young players in a big market when you’re trying to win is one of the hardest things in baseball. The Mets must excel there in the coming years.
(Top photo of Jeff McNeil: Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
