Have the expectations ever been higher for the Mets, who now boast a pair of superstars and the richest owner in the sport in their corner?
As the 2025 season begins, New York will look to take a step forward from its surprising and exhilarating run to the NLCS, only this time, it won’t be as a plucky underdog. Now, the Mets are a team to beat and a real contender, though it won’t be easy.
The National League is stacked, so for the Mets to accomplish their goals of bringing a title back to Queens for the first time since 1986, some key aspects of the roster will have to break their way. Sure, Juan Soto will be the main storyline to watch in 2025, but he feels as much of a sure thing as any in baseball, so we’ll leave him off this list. Same goes for Francisco Lindor, who at this point in his career, can be counted on to be in the MVP conversation while posting every day and playing spectacular defense at shortstop.
So, let’s take a look at some of the keys that could determine the team’s performance this season depending on how they pan out.
Is Clay Holmes a legit starter?
Let’s start with the team’s Opening Day starting pitcher, a sentence that would have sounded wild to any baseball fan had it been spoken six months ago. But the former Yankee closer will be on the bump to begin the season, and Holmes has earned it with a sparkling spring training.
We have seen former Yankee relievers blossom into very good starters, most recently Michael King with the Padres. If Holmes’ new changeup and high strikeout rate in spring holds up, the Mets might have once again found a diamond in the rough when it comes to the rotation, and will be able to add another victory to their famous pitching lab’s resume.
Mark Vientos, a budding star?
The Mets surprising playoff run was highlighted by Vientos’ October outburst, as the 25-year-old posted a .998 OPS with five home runs in 13 postseason games. That came on the heels of a regular season in which Vientos swatted 27 home runs. Can the former highly-touted prospect take another step forward in 2025? If so, the Mets lineup is suddenly even scarier, and perhaps in the conversation for one of the best in baseball. It would be even more so if…
Pete Alonso returns to peak form
Call it a down year or pressure from pending free agency or whatever you want to call it, but Alonso was not himself in 2024. It was the first time in his career that he posted an OPS below .800, and his 34 homers were his lowest mark in a season (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign). But, at just 30 years old, it’s highly unlikely that Alonso is past his prime and breaking down. There is room to get back his 2024 or 2023 form, and if that happens, and Soto has a 40-homer threat behind him in the lineup, then the Mets will be an awfully tough out for opposing pitchers.
Edwin Diaz’s velocity
Diaz’s fastball has been a major talking point around the Mets this spring, especially after the 31-year-old posted his worst ERA since his disastrous debut campaign with New York in 2019. It wasn’t a bad year by any means (3.52 ERA), but the decreased velocity has raised some concerns that the closer won’t be able to get back to his elite 2022 form, when he was arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball.
If Diaz struggles in 2025, perhaps to the point where his role as closer is in danger, the Mets bullpen suddenly takes on a different complexion, and putting lineups like the Phillies, Braves, and Dodgers to bed suddenly becomes even more challenging.
Will Kodai Senga bounce back?
We will begin and end with starting pitchers, because the rotation is without question the team’s biggest X-factor in 2025. Senga was an All-Star and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, but last year, he was limited to just one start due to injuries. The Mets will try to take it slow with Senga and give him as much rest as possible, and if that pays off to where he pitches like he did in his first MLB season, then the Mets suddenly have a very strong 1-2 punch atop the rotation once Sean Manaea comes back, and that would bode very well in a playoff series.