Mets Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Juan Soto headlines much-improved team

Believe it or not, we're roughly one month away from pitchers and catchers reporting. The MLB offseason often feels very slow-moving, but Opening Day continues to creep closer.

An argument can be made that no fan base is more excited for the 2025 season to begin than New York Mets fans, who will get their first glimpse of Juan Soto in a Mets uniform next month. The Mets signed the best free agent of this offseason's class, inking him to a 15-year deal worth a record $765 million.

The Mets already made a surprising run to the NLCS last season, so adding a player of Soto's caliber to a core that is largely still in place has fans dreaming of a possible World Series appearance.

The Mets still have more work to do, but for now, let's take a look at what New York's Opening Day roster could look like.

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Mets Opening Day Roster Projection 1.0: Who joins Juan Soto in Queens?

Mets Opening Day Lineup (9)

At this point, it'd be surprising if the Mets didn't re-sign Pete Alonso. Maybe David Stearns will give in a bit and give Alonso more years than he'd like. Maybe Alonso budges and opts to sign a short-term deal with a high AAV. Regardless, with the Mets needing a corner infielder and a lack of alternatives for Alonso to consider, it feels safe to assume he's going to remain a Met — until the team adds a corner infielder or Alonso ends up signing elsewhere.

Adding Alonso to this lineup would give the Mets five players who could realistically be All-Stars in 2025. Soto and Alonso were All-Stars in 2024, Nimmo and Lindor were snubbed, and Vientos might've made the team had he been on the MLB roster on Opening Day.

Assuming Alonso is brought back, the only other area New York would really need to upgrade is its DH spot. Re-signing a guy like Jesse Winker could make a lot of sense there, especially after the Mets swung and missed on Joc Pederson and Teoscar Hernandez.

Lindor and Soto are MVP-caliber players. Vientos and Alonso both have massive power. Nimmo is among the most underrated players in the game. Assuming the Mets add another big bat at DH, few lineups can compete with this one.

Mets Opening Day Rotation (6)

On one hand, this Mets rotation looks a bit underwhelming. Instead of pursuing big-name arms like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, the Mets wound up signing Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes while re-signing Sean Manaea. The Mets are hoping Montas turns things around after a lackluster 2024 and that Holmes, a reliever, can find his footing in the rotation. There are quite a few gambles here.

On the other hand, did anyone think that the 2024 Mets rotation was any good prior to the start of the season? Despite receiving just one start from the team's ace, Kodai Senga, the Mets rotation was good enough to make an NLCS appearance. Senga is back healthy, giving the Mets a legitimate frontline arm, and New York re-signed their best pitcher from last season in Manaea.

It cannot be overstated how big of a boost this rotation will receive, going from one Senga start to around 30 if he can stay healthy. He is one of, if not the, biggest X-Factor on the team.

There are tons of question marks, but this rotation looks better on paper than it did ahead of the 2024 season. Having serviceable options like Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and even top prospect Brandon Sproat as depth gives Mets fans reason to believe that the rotation will be fine.

Mets Opening Day Bench (4)

• Luis Torrens (C)
• Brett Baty (INF)
• Luisangel Acuña (INF/OF)
• Tyrone Taylor (OF)

The Mets bench is an under-discussed weakness of the team right now. Guys like Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty can be good, but Acuña has just 14 games of MLB experience, and Baty has been unable to find his footing at the MLB level in each of the last two seasons. Luis Torrens, while he controls the running game extremely well, offers little upside offensively.

Where the bench does shine, though, is with backup outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who should see plenty of time in all three outfield positions. Not only is Taylor one of the fastest players on the roster, but he's an excellent defender as well. As a fourth outfielder, you could do a whole lot worse.

Mets Opening Day Bullpen (7)

• Edwin Diaz
• Jose Butto
• Reed Garrett
• Dedniel Nunez
• Danny Young
• Sean Reid-Foley
• Griffin Canning

The bullpen is another area that Stearns must address before Opening Day rolls around. Edwin Diaz is locked in as the team's closer, and guys like Jose Butto, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez should all have secure spots, but the Mets lack two important things that any bullpen must have.

First and foremost, the team does not have a go-to left-handed reliever. Danny Young pitched well at times, but he didn't earn Carlos Mendoza's trust in October at all. Second, the bullpen lacks depth. The Mets should not begin the season with Young, Reid-Foley and Canning on their roster.

It's probably unlikely that the Mets spend an exorbitant amount of money on the bullpen, but adding at least one left-handed reliever and another reliable arm would go a long way toward making the unit a reliable one.