Mets Roster Shaping Out Better Than Most Think

The seeds of change were sown across Flushing this season. And fans have understandably been upset.

Brandon Nimmo was traded for Marcus Semien, who’s making more money this season and 35. Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz both left in free agency, mostly due to disinterest from the richest owner in baseball and his front office regime. Two homegrown fan favorites, including the man who’s hit the most homers in Mets history, plus the best closer in Major League Baseball. Wait, there’s a silver lining to this?

Of course there is, because even though it seems the sky is falling, it isn’t. The players let go individually performed, but the conglomerate consistently fell short.

The team missed the playoffs by a singular game in 2025 despite pushing the Dodgers to Game Six of the NLCS in 2024 and then adding Juan Soto, plus failed to make the playoffs in 2023, 2021, and even 2019 when Alonso was Rookie of the Year and Jacob deGrom was the NL Cy Young.

It’s fair to give David Stearns the chance to build this roster through his eyes. And the replacements so far this offseason have been solid additions.

First let’s look at the replacements. The moves made this offseason have been under the radar, and as a result, they’re being underappreciated.

The addition of Jorge Polanco hasn’t gotten the correct amount of buzz. He clubbed 26 homers in Seattle, a notoriously terrible run environment, and slugged .495 and record an .821 OPS. Within the same ballpark of Alonso.

Polanco also had a ridiculous .337/.408/.985 slashline with runners in scoring position. He’s been clutch, and should help a Mets lineup that struggled to drive in runs outside the month of August.

Defensively, Polanco also fills out around the infield. If Semien needs a day off his legs, Polanco can play second base. If there’s a lefty on the mound and Carlos Mendoza wants to sit Brett Baty, he can play third. Then, of course, Polanco can now play first base after working through the 2025 season with the Mariners to become defensively versatile. He’s a manager’s best friend.

The other infield addition of Semien is also being undervauled. The second baseman has won everywhere he’s played, is a gold-glove caliber second baseman, and has the pop to hit 15-20 home runs at age 35. I won’t pretend he’s the same player from 2023 who clubbed 29 homers and drove in 100 runs, and neither should you. Semien is poised to put together another 3.0 bWAR, .700 OPS season. Which is inherently an improvement over Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuña.

Then of course is are the signings of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. Both former Yankees struggled last season for various reasons. Williams was tipping pitches. Weaver was rushed back from injury. Both are bounce-back candidates, with Weaver recording a 2.89 ERA and closing for the Yankees in 2024, and Williams registering a 1.25 ERA in a dominant 2024.

It’s not as sexy as the All-Stars in Alonso, Nimmo, and Díaz. But let’s dive into what was here before. Nimmo, Alonso, and McNeil clearly have logged their best days as Mets, and it was heading downhill fast last season.

Nimmo has logged back-to-back seasons with OBP’s at .327 and .324, well below the .381 OBP he averaged from 2017-2023. He hasn’t registered 4.0 bWAR since 2023, and with his plantar fasciitis and consistent neck injury, David Stearns is wise to bet that Nimmo’s age-33 season won’t see those ailments disappear.

Alonso meanwhile, is at the crossroads of his career. He’s going into his age-31 season, and was in the 40th percentile for whiff%, 52nd percentile for Chase%, and 53rd percentile for BB% in 2025. The next two seasons may see vintage Alonso in Baltimore, but what will 2027, 2028, and 2029 look like? He registered -9 OAA last season, and had multiple moments last year where his defense lost the Mets games. Plus, the Mets have two upcoming first base prospects in Jacob Reimer and Ryan Clifford.

On the surface, it looks like a lot of offense to replace. 63 homers, 218 runs driven in, and 6.3 bWAR combined in just two players. But last season, these two players drove the offense, and it underperformed consistently. The team squandered a 45-24 record, and entered the All-Star break 14th in runs.

It hadn’t worked year in and year out. And the core was entering their mid-30s. Change is always hard, but most times very necessary. Losing Díaz is the only inexcusable move from the front office, but the bullpen we see today won’t be the same as the one that will start Opening Day.

The lineup isn’t finished either. Jeff Passan and other reporters are on record stating the Mets are looking at players like Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker. There are still free agents or trades to be made. And maybe this article will age like wine. But regardless of moves to be made, the additions made by Stearns have been savvy. And the roster is shaping out better than most are giving credit for.

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