Five Bold Mets Predictions For 2026

If you showed Mets fans the Opening Day roster back in December, it would’ve made them do a double-take. Fans didn’t give David Stearns the chance to build a roster, instantly sharpening their pitchforks for a raid on Citi Field following the departure of Pete Alonso. However, Stearns spent the offseason building the team in a way that fits his agenda — a balanced one.

Spring training came and went, flashing the potential of this newly constructed team when fully on the field. After one of the worst collapses in baseball history last season, the Mets face immense pressure to produce a playoff squad in Year 2 of Juan Soto. Let’s have some fun — here are five bold predictions for the 2026 Mets.

The Mets will win the NL East

It’s crazy to think the Mets held the best record in baseball at one point last season. The Mets enter the season with a complete lineup, having production from 1–9 compared to what used to be a top-heavy group. Pete Alonso will serve as a big subtraction, but Stearns made up for it by adding Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette, both of whom excel at reaching base. By adding Freddy Peralta, the Mets finally get a true No. 1 option, accompanied by Nolan McLean, who’s already a favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year.

The Mets will be competing with the Phillies and Braves, both of whom must heavily rely on health. For Philadelphia, there’s already concern, with Zack Wheeler set to begin the season on the injured list after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery. In Atlanta, several pitchers have already hit the injured list, including Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach, depleting their rotation early.

For the Mets, it’s about finding consistency. The talent is there on the roster, but there are still many what-ifs to answer. Will Carson Benge be ready for major league pressure? Can Devin Williams return to his elite form? These are all questions that will be answered, but in New York, an NL East title could be in reach for the first time since 2015.

Francisco Alvarez’s breakout

Francisco Alvarez has already shown signs of what he can be. In his first full season, Alvarez flashed his power, hitting 25 home runs with a .209 batting average. However, injuries and inconsistency have plagued the 24-year-old. After showing legitimate power potential, former hitting coach Eric Chavez adjusted his approach at the plate, which threw off his game.

“Last year you hit 25 homers. Did you think it was a good year? Because I didn’t,” Chavez said to Alvarez during his player evaluation.

However, after rehabbing from a hand injury last season, Alvarez changed his approach — moving from an opposite-field-oriented swing that limited his power to a more neutral, on-time approach that allowed him to pull the ball with authority again. Over his final 41 games, Alvarez slashed .276/.360/.561 with a .921 OPS, becoming one of the most consistent hitters on the team to end the season.

Juan Soto wins NL MVP

Everyone believes the NL MVP award is a one-man race. It’s not.

In his first season in Queens, Juan Soto delivered an elite season, one that was considered disappointing by his standards. The campaign was historic, batting .263 while becoming one of three players to hit 40-plus home runs, tally 30-plus stolen bases and draw 120-plus walks. Along with this, Soto ranked third in baseball with a .396 OBP, proving how elite he is. This was enough to finish third in MVP voting, behind Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani is a hard man to stop, but with the protection around Soto in the Mets lineup, there’s a chance the 27-year-old has an even better campaign.

“I’m going to be there every year, too,” Soto said on the MVP race with Ohtani. “So he better keep doing what he’s doing, because I’m coming.”

The Mets have at least five All-Stars

Yes, one of the most unimportant things in baseball — the All-Star Game.

Last season, the Mets featured four All-Stars: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz and David Peterson. This year, however, there’s a chance for even more orange and blue representation.

Adding Bo Bichette and Freddy Peralta creates surefire candidates for the NL roster, along with Juan Soto, who could widely be considered one of the biggest snubs from last summer. Devin Williams, stepping into a high-leverage role, has a chance to deliver a much better campaign after struggling with the Yankees, posting a 4.79 ERA with 18 saves. Whether fans like it or not, the Mets have star power — arguably more than last season.

Mets starting rotation finishes top five in ERA

One of the biggest talking points this offseason: Will the Mets’ rotation be strong enough to help the team succeed?

Last season, the Mets started with a league-best 2.32 ERA, led by a surprisingly dominant rotation that carried them early, before everything turned. Kodai Senga getting hurt changed the trajectory of the season. Following the injury, the Mets’ rotation set a brutal mark — highlighting a 62-game stretch where only one starting pitcher (David Peterson) pitched six or more innings. Over the final 81 games, starters averaged 4.71 innings per outing.

However, 2026 is a completely different story. Freddy Peralta will start Opening Day, giving the Mets a true front-end arm. The entire rotation is deeper — where last season Griffin Canning opened as the final starter, this year David Peterson, arguably the team’s best pitcher in 2025, now slots in as the No. 5 option.

The biggest strength is depth. Tobias Myers and Sean Manaea shift into long relief roles, and if injuries arise, the Mets have options in the minors with Jonah Tong and Christian Scott set to begin the year in Syracuse.