When the New York Mets take the field in Queens on Opening Day, March 26, some familiar faces will be missing, with newcomers in their places.
Mets fans will grimace at the memory of a disappointing 2025 campaign. The Mets finished 83-79 and missed the playoffs, merely a year after reaching the National League Championship Series. Through June 12, the Mets went 45-24, the best record in the MLB, but the team collapsed down the stretch
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The President of Baseball Operations David Stearns orchestrated an overhaul of the Mets roster following the lackluster 2025 season. Gone are Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, who were four of the longest-tenured Mets. It was an active offseason in Queens, as it needed to be. While it was understandably difficult for fans to let go of many pieces of the Mets’ core, especially considering the magic experienced only a season ago, there was little justification for keeping things the same.
Here now? New arrivals to Flushing include big names such as Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta. Several of these players will be transitioning to new positions as members of the Mets. This season, Polanco will be placed at first base for the first time in his career, while Bichette has been learning third base throughout spring training, even receiving advice from beloved former Mets third baseman David Wright.
On the pitching side, things will look a little different. The rotation, one of the bigger weaknesses the Mets dealt with last season, will be critical. The arrival of new ace Peralta solidifies a Mets rotation that will also have young phenom Nolan McLean, who started the World Baseball Classic championship game for the United States. Williams will be the Mets’ closer, making the move across town after spending an up-and-down 2025 with the New York Yankees, replacing Díaz, who left for the powerhouse of a team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Speaking of the Dodgers, it’s important to remember that it will be extremely tough for any team to thwart them, as they have three former Most Valuable Players in their lineup and major offseason additions of Díaz and All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker. There are other potentially difficult opponents in the National League East division as well, particularly in the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.
That said, fans should be excited for the Mets’ new look. For much of 2025, they were one of the best teams in the league, and they’ve added some impactful players to hopefully start to fix what was broken last season. Plus, star outfielder Juan Soto enters his second season with the Mets after hitting 43 home runs and stealing 38 bases last season, the first player in Mets history to go 40/30. Should he keep this up, he will once again be a contender for the National League MVP award.
Whatever ends up happening, everyone starts at the very same place on Opening Day. My calendar is certainly marked for the excitment of March 26.
