The New York Mets haven’t gotten the best performance from their star-studded offense across their first three games. Besides Juan Soto, not a single batter recorded a hit in Saturday night's loss against the Houston Astros. As bad as the offense has been, it’s just three games. At some point, Carlos Mendoza’s lineup should live up to the hype. They’re too good not to.
One of the biggest takeaways from the Mets’ first series in 2025 was their pitching. Across their first three games, the starters have only allowed four earned runs, while the bullpen hasn’t allowed a single run. Clay Holmes limited damage on Opening Day and kept New York in a position to win against a great Astros lineup. Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning looked stellar in their first two starts. If we had known ahead of time the Mets' pitching staff would only allow six runs in their first three games, everyone would’ve had them starting 2025 3-0. However, their offense has prevented them from rewarding phenomenal pitching performances.
5.2 solid innings for Griffin Canning in his Mets debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/BQlEqcbYEK
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 30, 2025
Outside of Soto, the Mets lineup hasn’t produced. Soto has two extra-base hits, one being a home run. Francisco Lindor has started the season 0-11, and the other stars haven’t come through in clutch situations. Eventually, we have to expect that will change. This lineup is too talented to have subpar performances consistently.
The Mets pitching has shown great early signs
Headed into 2025, the talk of the Mets was their pitching. However, we know what David Stearns’ pitching lab can do. Just last season they saw turnarounds from the likes of Luis Severino and Sean Manaea.
Unfortunately, Manaea suffered an oblique injury in spring training, but he should be back in late April. As long as Canning, Megill, and Holmes do what they did in their first starts, the Mets could have a sneaky good rotation. Kodai Senga pitched to a 2.98 ERA and recorded over 200 strikeouts in 2023, and he’ll be looking to bounce back after missing the majority of 2024. Senga is set to pitch Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, and the team expects him to pitch like a front-end starter. David Peterson will pitch on Monday against Miami, and he’s looking to build off his terrific 2024 season when he pitched to a 2.90 ERA.
Mendoza’s bullpen has been untouchable. It’s only been three games, but Stearns emphasized his desire to build a reliable pen. Their bullpen hasn’t allowed a single run across 9.2 innings. Edwin Diaz, their star closer, looked like his 2022 self on Friday night. If their rotation and bullpen perform at a high level in 2025, it’s hard to imagine the Mets not having another playoff appearance. As bad as the offense has looked in the first three games, it’s only three games. The lineup should eventually produce at a high level. That said, the biggest takeaway shouldn’t be the limited runs scored, it should be the limited runs prevented.