The Mets enter spring training fresh off a season where they went on a run that ended two wins shy of a World Series appearance, with Juan Soto now in tow and Pete Alonso back, and arguably as the team to beat in the National League East.
In addition to the franchise-altering signing of Soto and the late re-signing of Alonso, the Mets made a lot of big moves this winter to shore up their roster, including bringing back Sean Manaea, signing Clay Holmes (with the plan being to shift him to the rotation), adding A.J. Minter to bolster the back end of the bullpen, and re-signing Jesse Winker to add some more punch to the lineup.
While a lot is settled when it comes to the 26-man roster that should break camp, there are still a bunch of intriguing storylines to watch as New York preps for the regular season.
Here are the five biggest…
What’s the plan at second base?
Before the Mets and Alonso reunited, the corner infield spots were in flux.
The plan was for Mark Vientos to shift from third base to first base, with Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio competing for time at third base and Jeff McNeil the likely answer at second base.
Now that Alonso is back, things are much more crowded at second.
McNeil feels like the Opening Day starter there, and despite two consecutive down campaigns at the plate for him after winning the batting title in 2022, there’s reason for optimism.
In 140 plate appearances over 38 games from last July 22 through Sept. 6 — when McNeil’s regular season ended due to a fractured wrist he suffered when he was hit by a pitch — McNeil slashed 286/.379/.513 (.891 OPS) with five home runs and 12 doubles.
If McNeil can pick up where he left off, the lineup will be that much more potent. If not, Acuña, Mauricio, and Baty (who started getting reps at second base last season while with Triple-A), could emerge as options there.
How does Ronny Mauricio look?
The aforementioned Mauricio is in a bit of an odd spot since he hasn’t played in a game since tearing his ACL last winter.
He reported to Spring Training early and was taking grounders at third base before Alonso re-signed.
If Mauricio is back at full strength, he might be the Mets’ most intriguing young player who already has major league experience under his belt.
Mauricio opened eyes with his ability to make hard contact during his 26-game stint in the majors in 2023 but also displayed some of the traits that have so far limited his success.
During his cup of coffee that year, Mauricio got on base at just a .296 clip and struck out 31 times in 101 at-bats — a rate he’ll have to slice if he wants to make a serious impact at the big league level.
Mauricio’s power potential is real, though. He smacked 23 homers and 30 doubles in just 116 games for Triple-A Syracuse in 2023. Add to that Mauricio’s ability to play third base, second base, shortstop, and left field, and he’s the kind of player you can still dream on a bit as he enters his age-24 season.
What about Starling Marte?
The Mets have been willing to trade Marte this offseason, which isn’t surprising when you consider all the factors.
Marte is entering his age-36 season, which is also the final year of the four-year deal he signed before the 2022 season. The 2023 campaign was marred by injury and ineffectiveness (.625 OPS), and while Marte was better last year (.715 OPS and a slightly above-average 104 OPS+), he enters camp as perhaps the short end of a designated hitter platoon with Winker.
The starting outfield will feature Brandon Nimmo in left field, Jose Siri or Tyrone Taylor in center, and Soto in right, with Winker probably the first option to slide into the lineup when needed.
That leaves Marte as the DH against left-handers, and that’s a role he should excel in.
Marte had an .844 OPS against left-handers in 2024 after struggling against them in 2023 (while playing injured). In 2022, Marte’s OPS against lefties was .877.
Brandon Sproat’s first time in big league camp
The Mets’ Opening Day starting rotation is almost certainly set, and the pitchers who will be battling to be the potential sixth starter — Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill, and Griffin Canning — do not include Sproat, a 24-year-old flamethrower with massive upside.
But Sproat, who will be in big league camp for the first time, could easily force his way to the majors during the first half of the season if he’s able to master Triple-A Syracuse.
Sproat blazed his way through High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton last year. With Binghamton, he had a 2.45 ERA and 0.86 WHIP while striking out 77 batters in 62.1 innings over 11 starts.
He hit a roadblock during the 28.2 innings he threw in Triple-A, posting a 7.53 ERA. But there’s no reason to believe Sproat won’t be able to fix what ailed him in that small sample size when he returns to Syracuse to start this season.
Along with Sproat, it’s possible fellow pitching prospect Nolan McLean — who should begin the year with Binghamton — also makes his big league debut this season.
Who will get the last spots in the bullpen?
The back end of the bullpen is largely set if everything goes well health-wise, and should look like this:
Edwin Diaz
A.J. Minter
Ryne Stanek
Reed Garrett
Dedniel Nuñez
Jose Butto
Beyond what should be those five locks is Sean Reid-Foley, who is out of minor league options and is a safe bet to make the roster if he performs well in camp.
That should leave one spot left, with options to fill it including Tyler Zuber, Huascar Brazoban, and Danny Young.
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