The team’s lineup looks much more balanced now.
Pending a physical that figures to be a formality, the Mets have brought back Pete Alonso on a two-year, $54 million deal that includes an opt-out after the 2025 season. With that, the team filled a significant vacancy in its lineup, whether it brought back Alonso himself or found a significant bat to play first or third base.
Over the past two seasons, Alonso ranks fifth in baseball with 80 home runs, and among the 118 qualified hitters in the game over that span, he ranks 35th with a 121 wRC+. With him back in the fold, here’s how the Mets’ lineup might look—with ZiPS projections for wRC+ included.
- Francisco Lindor, 125 wRC+
- Juan Soto, 166 wRC+
- Brandon Nimmo, 120 wRC+
- Pete Alonso, 126 wRC+
- Mark Vientos, 116 wRC+
- Jesse Winker, 114 wRC+
- Francisco Alvarez, 111 wRC+
- Jeff McNeil, 101 wRC+
- Jose Siri, 90 wRC+
The version of the team’s projected lineup at Roster Resource flips Alonso and Nimmo in the third and fourth spots in the order, and either combination makes sense there. Batting Alonso third would keep the lineup alternating between left- and right-handed hitters from top the bottom since Francisco Lindor is a switch-hitter. But having back-to-back lefties in Soto and Nimmo wouldn’t be the end of the world.
As for the bench, it now figures to include Luis Torrens, Starling Marte, Tyrone Taylor, and perhaps Luisangel Acuña. The Mets can go into the season with Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Jared Young, and—if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster—Acuña as depth in Triple-A Syracuse. Jeff McNeil might not have a completely firm hold on the Mets’ starting second base job, but if he were to move to the bench as a utility player to give way to Acuña, Mauricio, or another player in major league camp, the bench would still look pretty solid.