NY Mets 2024-2025 offseason thread | Page 5 | Syracusefan.com

NY Mets 2024-2025 offseason thread

www.nytimes.com

Mets’ Francisco Alvarez needed to fix his swing, J.D. Martinez gave him guidance

Alvarez sought help at Maven Baseball Lab, a training facility frequented by Martinez and other professional players.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

"Former Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez recommended Alvarez to Maven Baseball Lab, a training facility many professional players frequent. Martinez’s relationship with Tyler Krieger, who leads instruction on the hitting side at Maven, stretches several years.

At Maven, Alvarez revamped his swing.

“He wants to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In order for anyone to be a complete hitter, you need to use the whole field. There’s value to it. J.D. Martinez was an RBI machine, and he still is, because of his ability to go the other way when he needed to, his ability to take the single when he needed to with runners in scoring position."
 
Good news for those Mets fans who want to watch the games and do not want to pay for cable. I think this is a very progressive approach. Hope other teams follow the lead of the Mets.

 
great for people who live in the SNY area and dont buy a tv package

if you live out of the SNY area you can get MLB.TV for $100 for all the games
 
upperdeck said:
great for people who live in the SNY area and dont buy a tv package

if you live out of the SNY area you can get MLB.TV for $100 for all the games
Expand...
It is also nice the streaming uses the world class MLB.TV streaming technology.

The Yankees tried to develop their own app and from what I have heard, the product provided has been troubled. That said, I am not a Yankee fan and have never used it.
 
sutomcat said:
It is also nice the streaming uses the world class MLB.TV streaming technology.

The Yankees tried to develop their own app and from what I have heard, the product provided has been troubled. That said, I am not a Yankee fan and have never used it.
Expand...
The Yes app was much better last year, at least in my Apple TV device.
 
Just a quick discussion on Vlad Guerrero Jr. He says he will be a free agent at the end of 2025 and says he will go on the open market. The Jay had to the start of camp to sign him to an extension and it didnt work out. Lots of people are making the Mets the favorites to sign him. People are projecting $400 million to 10 years, perhaps more.

Will the Mets sign him? I say no chance. It is a chance of economics. The Mets have so much money committed to Soto and Lindor that another long term contract is just not feasible. You can’t tie up $120 a year on three players and have enough left to field a complete and solid roster. It just is not possible.

I expect that Alonso will likely opt out after 2025 and this time, the Mets will not bid on him. If he decides to stay for his second year, which is possible, it means he did not play well in 2025 and I am not sure he will be good enough to start for the Mets in 2026.

I expect that the Mets will backfill 1B with Ryan Clifford, a promising young 1B slated to play in Syracuse in 2025, or maybe move Vientos to 1B and put Acuna, Baty or Mauricio at 3B. A lot will depend on how these guys play in 2025.

My expectation is that Acuna will be the starting 2B by the start of 2026. Probably by late 2025. McNeil’s extension ends after the 2026 season, so they might trade him with one year left on his contract or hold on to him. His versatility makes him a good guy to have on the roster. But I think it is unlikely he will still start in 2026.

I also expect Drew Gilbert to have a solid year at Syracuse in 2025 and think he will probably get called up to the Mets around September to help the team down the stretch. I have him penciled in as the starting CF in 2026. I am very high on him. All he has to do is stay healthy. If Drew disappoints, I expect Jett will be the guy. If he also fails, we could end up seeing Acuna in CF as the starter. Or Benge, who is reportedly really advanced and expected to move up quickly in the Met farm system. The nice thing is there are a number of really good prospects in play here. At least one should end up being a solid player for us in CF in 2026.


Here is how I see the starting players in 2026:

Lindor SS
Soto RF
Vientos 1B
TBD DH
Nimmo LF
Mauricio 3B
Alvarez C
Gilbert CF*
Acuna 2B

*=or Acuna, Benge or Williams

I think the DH will be a veteran guy on a short term contract. Think a player like JD Martinez in 2024. If Clifford had a big year in Syracuse in 2025, he might end up taking the job himself in 2026.

The rotation will probably include Senga, Menaea, and Holmes. Peterson and Megill are on 1 year contracts for 2025 and probably become free agents. Montas is under contract for 2026 and if he pitches well in 2025, he will probably return to the rotation. I expect Sproat to break into the rotation and it is possible Tidwell, McLean, Scott or Tong could get some starts during the season as well. The rotation should get younger in 2026.

As far as relief pitchers go, Diaz is under contract until 2027 so I expect him to still be the closer. Hopefully Nunez and Butto have become established relief pitchers by then. Minter will be in the second year of his 2 year contract and should be a big piece. Garrett Reed has a year of arbitration in 2026 so he might still be around. As always with David Stearns, there will be some pitchers signed to short term contracts with interesting qualities the organization values. And they will probably do well.

Bottom line, I would expect the total money paid to players in 2026 to be down pretty markedly.

Vientos is not eligible for arbitration until 2027 so he is going to be a great bargain for the Mets in 2027. Probably will not even make 1 million.

Alvarez has his first year of arbitration in 2026, so he is likely going to get a bump to 7-10 million, with a lot depending on his 2025 season. But still, he should have a relatively low salary.

If Pete comes back, his salary will drop to a relatively affordable le $24 million for 2026.

Holmes is getting 13 million.

Senga is getting 15 million.

Diaz is getting 15.5 million in 2026.

Montas is getting 17 million.

Nimmo’s salary is set at $20.5 million for 2026.

Lindor is getting 34.1 million in 2026.

Soto is getting 46.85 million.

The key to get the payroll lower is to replace high priced veterans with younger players getting chicken feed pre-arbitration contracts. I think the Mets are on the way towards this happening. They have room to add a couple veterans getting short term contracts for $20 million or so but Steve Cohen wants to get the payroll under control and signing guys like Vlad is not going to allow that to happen.
 
YES and MSG are now available as a bundle for $41.99
sutomcat said:
Just a quick discussion on Vlad Guerrero Jr. He says he will be a free agent at the end of 2025 and says he will go on the open market. The Jay had to the start of camp to sign him to an extension and it didnt work out. Lots of people are making the Mets the favorites to sign him. People are projecting $400 million to 10 years, perhaps more.

Will the Mets sign him? I say no chance. It is a chance of economics. The Mets have so much money committed to Soto and Lindor that another long term contract is just not feasible. You can’t tie up $120 a year on three players and have enough left to field a complete and solid roster. It just is not possible.

I expect that Alonso will likely opt out after 2025 and this time, the Mets will not bid on him. If he decides to stay for his second year, which is possible, it means he did not play well in 2025 and I am not sure he will be good enough to start for the Mets in 2026.

I expect that the Mets will backfill 1B with Ryan Clifford, a promising young 1B slated to play in Syracuse in 2025, or maybe move Vientos to 1B and put Acuna, Baty or Mauricio at 3B. A lot will depend on how these guys play in 2025.

My expectation is that Acuna will be the starting 2B by the start of 2026. Probably by late 2025. McNeil’s extension ends after the 2026 season, so they might trade him with one year left on his contract or hold on to him. His versatility makes him a good guy to have on the roster. But I think it is unlikely he will still start in 2026.

I also expect Drew Gilbert to have a solid year at Syracuse in 2025 and think he will probably get called up to the Mets around September to help the team down the stretch. I have him penciled in as the starting CF in 2026. I am very high on him. All he has to do is stay healthy. If Drew disappoints, I expect Jett will be the guy. If he also fails, we could end up seeing Acuna in CF as the starter. Or Benge, who is reportedly really advanced and expected to move up quickly in the Met farm system. The nice thing is there are a number of really good prospects in play here. At least one should end up being a solid player for us in CF in 2026.


Here is how I see the starting players in 2026:

Lindor SS
Soto RF
Vientos 1B
TBD DH
Nimmo LF
Mauricio 3B
Alvarez C
Gilbert CF*
Acuna 2B

*=or Acuna, Benge or Williams

I think the DH will be a veteran guy on a short term contract. Think a player like JD Martinez in 2024. If Clifford had a big year in Syracuse in 2025, he might end up taking the job himself in 2026.

The rotation will probably include Senga, Menaea, and Holmes. Peterson and Megill are on 1 year contracts for 2025 and probably become free agents. Montas is under contract for 2026 and if he pitches well in 2025, he will probably return to the rotation. I expect Sproat to break into the rotation and it is possible Tidwell, McLean, Scott or Tong could get some starts during the season as well. The rotation should get younger in 2026.

As far as relief pitchers go, Diaz is under contract until 2027 so I expect him to still be the closer. Hopefully Nunez and Butto have become established relief pitchers by then. Minter will be in the second year of his 2 year contract and should be a big piece. Garrett Reed has a year of arbitration in 2026 so he might still be around. As always with David Stearns, there will be some pitchers signed to short term contracts with interesting qualities the organization values. And they will probably do well.

Bottom line, I would expect the total money paid to players in 2026 to be down pretty markedly.

Vientos is not eligible for arbitration until 2027 so he is going to be a great bargain for the Mets in 2027. Probably will not even make 1 million.

Alvarez has his first year of arbitration in 2026, so he is likely going to get a bump to 7-10 million, with a lot depending on his 2025 season. But still, he should have a relatively low salary.

If Pete comes back, his salary will drop to a relatively affordable le $24 million for 2026.

Holmes is getting 13 million.

Senga is getting 15 million.

Diaz is getting 15.5 million in 2026.

Montas is getting 17 million.

Nimmo’s salary is set at $20.5 million for 2026.

Lindor is getting 34.1 million in 2026.

Soto is getting 46.85 million.

The key to get the payroll lower is to replace high priced veterans with younger players getting chicken feed pre-arbitration contracts. I think the Mets are on the way towards this happening. They have room to add a couple veterans getting short term contracts for $20 million or so but Steve Cohen wants to get the payroll under control and signing guys like Vlad is not going to allow that to happen.
Expand...
You do not need to lower payroll if you are worth nearly $3 billion.
 
sutomcat said:
Just a quick discussion on Vlad Guerrero Jr. He says he will be a free agent at the end of 2025 and says he will go on the open market. The Jay had to the start of camp to sign him to an extension and it didnt work out. Lots of people are making the Mets the favorites to sign him. People are projecting $400 million to 10 years, perhaps more.

Will the Mets sign him? I say no chance. It is a chance of economics. The Mets have so much money committed to Soto and Lindor that another long term contract is just not feasible. You can’t tie up $120 a year on three players and have enough left to field a complete and solid roster. It just is not possible.

I expect that Alonso will likely opt out after 2025 and this time, the Mets will not bid on him. If he decides to stay for his second year, which is possible, it means he did not play well in 2025 and I am not sure he will be good enough to start for the Mets in 2026.

I expect that the Mets will backfill 1B with Ryan Clifford, a promising young 1B slated to play in Syracuse in 2025, or maybe move Vientos to 1B and put Acuna, Baty or Mauricio at 3B. A lot will depend on how these guys play in 2025.

My expectation is that Acuna will be the starting 2B by the start of 2026. Probably by late 2025. McNeil’s extension ends after the 2026 season, so they might trade him with one year left on his contract or hold on to him. His versatility makes him a good guy to have on the roster. But I think it is unlikely he will still start in 2026.

I also expect Drew Gilbert to have a solid year at Syracuse in 2025 and think he will probably get called up to the Mets around September to help the team down the stretch. I have him penciled in as the starting CF in 2026. I am very high on him. All he has to do is stay healthy. If Drew disappoints, I expect Jett will be the guy. If he also fails, we could end up seeing Acuna in CF as the starter. Or Benge, who is reportedly really advanced and expected to move up quickly in the Met farm system. The nice thing is there are a number of really good prospects in play here. At least one should end up being a solid player for us in CF in 2026.


Here is how I see the starting players in 2026:

Lindor SS
Soto RF
Vientos 1B
TBD DH
Nimmo LF
Mauricio 3B
Alvarez C
Gilbert CF*
Acuna 2B

*=or Acuna, Benge or Williams

I think the DH will be a veteran guy on a short term contract. Think a player like JD Martinez in 2024. If Clifford had a big year in Syracuse in 2025, he might end up taking the job himself in 2026.

The rotation will probably include Senga, Menaea, and Holmes. Peterson and Megill are on 1 year contracts for 2025 and probably become free agents. Montas is under contract for 2026 and if he pitches well in 2025, he will probably return to the rotation. I expect Sproat to break into the rotation and it is possible Tidwell, McLean, Scott or Tong could get some starts during the season as well. The rotation should get younger in 2026.

As far as relief pitchers go, Diaz is under contract until 2027 so I expect him to still be the closer. Hopefully Nunez and Butto have become established relief pitchers by then. Minter will be in the second year of his 2 year contract and should be a big piece. Garrett Reed has a year of arbitration in 2026 so he might still be around. As always with David Stearns, there will be some pitchers signed to short term contracts with interesting qualities the organization values. And they will probably do well.

Bottom line, I would expect the total money paid to players in 2026 to be down pretty markedly.

Vientos is not eligible for arbitration until 2027 so he is going to be a great bargain for the Mets in 2027. Probably will not even make 1 million.

Alvarez has his first year of arbitration in 2026, so he is likely going to get a bump to 7-10 million, with a lot depending on his 2025 season. But still, he should have a relatively low salary.

If Pete comes back, his salary will drop to a relatively affordable le $24 million for 2026.

Holmes is getting 13 million.

Senga is getting 15 million.

Diaz is getting 15.5 million in 2026.

Montas is getting 17 million.

Nimmo’s salary is set at $20.5 million for 2026.

Lindor is getting 34.1 million in 2026.

Soto is getting 46.85 million.

The key to get the payroll lower is to replace high priced veterans with younger players getting chicken feed pre-arbitration contracts. I think the Mets are on the way towards this happening. They have room to add a couple veterans getting short term contracts for $20 million or so but Steve Cohen wants to get the payroll under control and signing guys like Vlad is not going to allow that to happen.
Expand...
Steve Phillips believes Vlad Jr. lands in the Bronx despite Guerrero saying that he'd never play for the Yankees. He's backtracking a bit and realizing that baseball is a business. Goldy will be gone, so 1B will be open. He'd be a nice 1-2 punch with Judge. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in Boston.
 
SUFaninNJ said:
Steve Phillips believes Vlad Jr. lands in the Bronx despite Guerrero saying that he'd never play for the Yankees. He's backtracking a bit and realizing that baseball is a business. Goldy will be gone, so 1B will be open. He'd be a nice 1-2 punch with Judge. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in Boston.
Expand...
That could be. I think the Yankees have a genuine desire to keep their payroll under control and have so much money committed to others right now this is going to be a problem.

But Hal shocked me with with he ended up being willing to spend to retain Soto. And the contract with Goldschmidt is for one year only.

If the Yankees have a bad season, I think this becomes a lot more likely.
 
sutomcat said:
That could be. I think the Yankees have a genuine desire to keep their payroll under control and have so much money committed to others right now this is going to be a problem.

But Hal shocked me with with he ended up being willing to spend to retain Soto. And the contract with Goldschmidt is for one year only.

If the Yankees have a bad season, I think this becomes a lot more likely.
Expand...
I think it's also somewhat dependent on how younger players like Dominguez and Jones do. Kind of tied in to how their season goes. If the young guns start reaching their potential, the need for Vladdy goes down.
 
SUFaninNJ said:
I think it's also somewhat dependent on how younger players like Dominguez and Jones do. Kind of tied in to how their season goes. If the young guns start reaching their potential, the need for Vladdy goes down.
Expand...
True.

In a perfect world, my guess is the Yankees are dreaming of putting Dominguez in center, Bellinger to 1B and moving Spencer Jones into LF in 2026.

That would really give them a good foundation of youngish players as starters to build around.

In any event, I don't see Vlad getting anywhere close to the $600 million he and his agent are apparently talking about right now. Players who play first base are just not getting the kind of money players at the high value positions are getting.
 
Salary is one thing.

But overspending kills your drafts for years.

Now if you just want to buy your way out like the Dodgers.
 
upperdeck said:
Salary is one thing.

But overspending kills your drafts for years.

Now if you just want to buy your way out like the Dodgers.
Expand...
Agree. The competitive balance overspend penalties getting dramatically higher as you exceed the limits in year 2, year 3, etc.

And you even get your 1st round draft pick moved out 10 places if you spend too much. That happened to the Mets this year.

www.mlb.com

Competitive Balance Tax | Glossary | MLB.com

The Official Site of Major League Baseball
www.mlb.com www.mlb.com
 
GreekFreak said:
Soto crushes one out in his first (spring training) at bat. Keith Hernandez says “You can’t make this stuff up.” Nice beginning. Full of hope as always.
Expand...
Why would anyone think it’s made up, Keith? Is he back on the blow?
 
So...Sean Manaea gets an oblique strain and is expected out until early April. And backup infielder Nick Madrigal broke a bone in his shoulder and is going to be out for 'a long time'. Montas has a high grade lateral strain and is expected out for 5-7 more weeks.

Not good.

Madrigal's injury might pave the way for Acuna to make the Mets opening day roster. I am going to speculate that the Mets won't do this because they want him playing every day, and that won't happen in New York. My guess is Young or Walton will start the season as the backup.

This should be of interest to Syracuse Mets fans. The Syracuse Mets have a chance to be a really good team this year. Lots of good young players that have been ranked in top 100 prospect lists at various times.

Ronny Mauricio (3B/SS/2B)
Jett Willliams (SS/CF)
Luisangel Acuna (SS/2B/3B/CF)
Drew Gilbert (CF/RF)
Brandon Sproat (SP)
Blade Tidwell (SP)
Christian Scott (SP)*
Kevin Parada (C)
Alex Ramirez (CF)
Ryan Clifford (RF/1B)

*=injuried, expected to start season post all star break

All of these guys will likely spend time in Syracuse. I expect a strong record and high finish in the regular season standings.
 
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Mets sign Jose Iglesias to replace Madrigal. He was a clutch piece last year and he wants to come back.
 
GreekFreak said:
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Mets sign Jose Iglesias to replace Madrigal. He was a clutch piece last year and he wants to come back.
Expand...
Enrique Iglesias Hero GIF by CNCO

He can be your hero
 
So now 2/5 keepers (Ronald Acuña be the other) in my fantasy league are starting the year on the IL. Super.
 
OrangeFoo said:
I guess it's better that he gets hurt now vs mid season? He's had crappy luck with injuries.
Expand...
I guess. Thought he did not look good with his new swing the spring.

Pretty comfortable with Torrens the primary catcher for a while. He can play defense and hit. I can consider him one of the top backup catchers in baseball.

It will be interesting to see who the backup catcher is.
 

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