Francisco Alvarez gives star-studded Dodgers some extra motivation with bold lineup claim

The New York Mets won the offseason, not only signing Juan Soto but also making a slew of other moves to improve their roster. The Mets were good enough to make an unlikely run to the NLCS this past season, and look even better on paper now than they did in October.

New York looks so good, in fact, that young catcher Francisco Alvarez believes his team now has the best lineup in the sport. While he's not wrong in the sense that they can fight with any team, the claim that the Mets have the best lineup in baseball is one that the Los Angeles Dodgers will almost certainly disagree with.

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Francisco Alvarez gives Dodgers ultimate bulletin board material with Mets lineup claim

With the Mets adding Soto and re-signing Pete Alonso, the first five hitters in their order can absolutely compete with any other top five. Soto and Francisco Lindor are MVP-caliber players, Alonso has never hit fewer than 34 home runs, Mark Vientos looked like a budding star in his first (mostly) full regular season and postseason, and Brandon Nimmo is one of the best players in the game to have never made an All-Star team.

What's funny about Alvarez making this statement is that his presence could be what makes or breaks his claim. Alvarez, once considered the best prospect in baseball by multiple outlets, showed flashes of brilliance by hitting 25 home runs in his first full season in 2023, but followed that up with a mostly disappointing 2024 campaign. If he can showcase more of that light-tower power in 2025 in the lower third of New York's order, the Mets might really have a case here — especially if Jeff McNeil reverts back to the All-Star he once was.

As great as the top of this lineup is, can Alvarez really say it's better than that of the Dodgers? I mean, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman have all won MVP awards and are among the best hitters in the game. Guys like Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, and Max Muncy, slated to hit below that vaunted trio, are all All-Stars and among the best at their position. Any lineup that has established veterans like Michael Conforto and Tommy Edman stashed in the lower third is an unbelievable one.

The Mets lineup is unbelievable in its own right, and might be the second-best in the sport. They are not the Dodgers, however. Alvarez acting as if they're even close to Los Angeles could give the Dodgers some bulletin board material that the Mets would prefer they not have.