Top Five Mets Spring Training Storylines To Watch

Now that the New York Mets’ offseason is presumably over from a player-acquisition standpoint, it is time to turn our attention to how the roster will shake out during spring training.

Few clubs had as drastic a transformation over the past four months as the Mets. President of baseball operations David Stearns has made it clear that sentimentality means nothing to him. He parted ways with four franchise faces in the span of six weeks.

To replace them, Stearns got creative. He signed Jorge Polanco, a career middle infielder who has historically been a poor defensive player, to move to first base.

Then came Bo Bichette, who has played almost exclusively shortstop over his seven big league seasons. He will move to the hot corner. Stearns took a gamble on Devin Williams and Luis Robert Jr., a pair of former stars at their respective positions who are coming off down years. It should not be lost that manager Carlos Mendoza is overseeing a mostly overhauled coaching staff.

Finally, Stearns made a big trade, acquiring arguably the best arm who changed jerseys this offseason in Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee.

Stearns and owner Steven Cohen carried out business this winter under immense pressure from the fan base. In 2025, New York was the best team in the sport for nearly three months. However, by season’s end, the Mets were on the outside looking in at an NL Wild Card spot.

Things needed to change, and New York’s front office made sure they did. All the moving pieces have set the stage for what should be an extremely intriguing season. 

But first, there are some storylines that should be followed before first pitch at Citi Field on March 26.

How Will Bichette and Polanco Take to Their New Spots on the Corners?

Bichette and Polanco will have large shoes to fill. With franchise first baseman Pete Alonso now in Baltimore, Bichette will be tasked with replacing the protection that the “Polar Bear” gave outfielder Juan Soto. Meanwhile, Polanco figures to occupy Alonso’s defensive spot at first base.

At least in Bichette’s case, the offensive production is a near guarantee; he is a career .294 hitter and has never hit below .290 over a full season.

However, the defense at both third base for Bichette and at first for Polanco will be under the microscope as spring games commence. Last season, Bichette placed in the first percentile in Outs Above Average (OAA) and just the 36th percentile in arm strength, according to Baseball Savant.

His range should be less of a problem moving from short to third, but the arm is something to keep an eye on. Bichette has never been considered a strong defensive option, so it remains to be seen how he will take to a new spot on the diamond.

Polanco is a similar story; he’s a poor defender who is now learning a new position.

The 32-year-old infielder has played first base in just one of the 1,088 games that he has played in the bigs. He placed in the 17th percentile in baseball in OAA in 2025, despite playing just over 300 innings in the field. He spent the bulk of his time at second base, when he wasn’t playing DH. 

If things go sideways, both Bichette and Polanco are options to get at-bats as the designated hitter. Polanco posted an .821 OPS with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs for the Mariners last year.

While it is not ideal to have 50% of your infield new to their respective positions, if there was a better time to test things out, it’s before the club breaks camp and heads north.

Will Carson Benge Be the Opening Day Right Fielder?

The last time that the Mets gave a top prospect a look on Opening Day was Alonso’s MLB debut in 2019. 

In 2026, they may be in a similar position depending on how outfielder Carson Benge’s spring goes. Stearns has been adamant throughout the offseason that Benge will get a legitimate shot to prove himself.

Soto will be moved to left field for the 2026 season, meaning Benge has an opening in right. Just Baseball placed Benge at No. 11 on our most recent Top 100 Prospects list. Benge slashed .281/.385/.472 last season with an .857 OPS across three levels of minor league ball, as he hit 15 home runs and stole 22 bases. 

Benge is seen as a solid defender, as he was considered an option to start in center before the acquisition of Robert.  

If not Benge, New York could start Tyrone Taylor in right field, but he profiles as more of a fourth outfielder. MJ Melendez and Vidal Bruján are two other MLB outfielders on the 40-man roster.

There is no doubt that Benge will have an impact at some point in 2025, it is just a matter of when. With a good showing in camp, that impact could come as soon as the first game of the year.

Who Will Grab the Final Few Spots in the Mets’ Bullpen?

As is the case with the rest of the roster, New York’s bullpen looks drastically different. Edwin Díaz, who saved the third-most games in franchise history over six years in Queens, is now wearing Dodger blue.

Even before Díaz switched coasts, Stearns was proactive in finding his potential replacement with the signing of Devin Williams. The Mets later picked up another former Yankee, as Luke Weaver swapped boroughs in December.

Behind those two, Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter should provide stability from the left side. The bigger questions lie beyond those four. 

The Mets lacked depth in their relief corps last year, and Reed Garrett’s Tommy John surgery does not help.  

Aside from the surefire locks, veterans Luis Garcia and Bryan Hudson likely have the best odds to make the opening day roster. With a few more spots to fill, Mets brass will need to decide from a slew of unproven options.

As far as 40-man roster members, Dylan Ross and Huascar Brazoban both fit the bill. Brazoban pitched to a 3.57 ERA in 63 innings last season, but was wildly inconsistent. Ross, who has not debuted yet despite a late-season call-up, held a 2.17 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 54 innings across three levels of the minor leagues in ‘25.

Adbert Alzolay was an excellent reliever for the Cubs in 2023 (2.67 ERA in 64 innings), but struggled the next year and then had Tommy John surgery. The Mets signed him in 2025 during his recovery process and hope that he can give them quality innings now that he is healthy.

Tobias Myers was picked up alongside Peralta from Milwaukee after excelling in a relief role last year. However, the Mets expect to keep him stretched out as a potential starter.

For the next tier of depth options, watch out for Craig Kimbrel, Brandon Waddell, Austin Warren, Alex Carrillo or Jonathan Pintaro to get some innings with a strong camp.

Which Francisco Alvarez Will Show Up to Camp?

When I wrote last year’s version of this article, I posed the question, “Will Francisco Alvarez become the star we’ve been waiting for?”

Well, he didn’t, but a strong second half once again showed that we can run this question back for 2026.

Alvarez’s 2025 season got off to a miserable start. He injured his hamate bone last spring and did not return until late April. Once he returned, he hit .236 with a .652 OPS and just three home runs through June 21. Poor offense combined with constant defensive lapses had Alvarez optioned to Triple-A for roughly a month.

However, upon his return, Alvarez was a different player. In 41 games to finish the season, he slashed .276/.360/.561 with a .921 OPS and eight home runs.

His complete 180 on offense has rejuvenated the excitement around the 24-year-old catcher. 2026 will be a crucial year for Alvarez and the Mets, as it remains to be seen whether they will get the future-star backstop or a complete bust of a former top prospect.

It was reported that Alvarez came into camp having lost significant weight and in great physical shape. He also plans to return to the same offensive approach and batting stance that he featured during his hot stretch late in the year.

If Alvarez can keep things moving in the right direction this spring, all things point to him blossoming into a top catcher this season.

What Will Brett Baty’s Role Look Like?

With Bichette’s move to third base, Brett Baty seems to have lost the position that he won just last season.

Baty posted a 111 OPS+ in 130 games last season, slugging a career-high 18 home runs while posting a 3.1 bWAR. He improved his defense at third and showed the ability to play a serviceable second base. 

Yet, his role for 2026 is completely up in the air. For a while, Baty was seen as a potential trade chip, but with the Mets having moved Jeff McNeil to the Athletics, they seem to plan to use Bath as a utility player. In addition to second and third, Baty has been taking grounders at first base this spring, and New York has long experimented with the idea of his dabbling with an outfield glove.

In the minor leagues, Baty played 29 games in left field across two seasons. If he can show the capability to occasionally plug holes in the outfield, in addition to his already-solid infield defense, he will almost perfectly take over McNeil’s role. The upside of Baty’s offense is worth keeping around until proven otherwise.