Why the Mets Have Improved Massively Over the Offseason

Recently on MLB Network, Harold Reynolds claimed that he believed that the 2025 New York Mets were better than the 2026 New York Mets, even after New York absolutely improved in every way they needed to. Simply put, that is just wrong, the Mets are a much better team than last season. The 2025 Mets were already a playoff team, but the injuries were one big factor to their fall and then a bad rotation, that team wasn’t reliable, and it’s lineup was way too top heavy. For those that know the sport well, that just isn’t something you want from a team. They have improved much, and here’s why:

The Mets Offseason Has Been a Success

The Rotation is Set Up to Be Way Better

Visiting last season, the Mets got a rotation that was the best in baseball for the first half of the season. They were 45-24 before injuries destroyed them badly. First, Griffin Canning went down, then later Tylor Megill and Kodai Senga. When Sean Manea and Frankie Montas joined the rotation after injuries, both were terrible, while later in the season the Mets never got the same version of Senga back. By the end of the season, the rotation was in shambles, with 3 unexperienced rookies in it. The rotation in all likeliness will look like this in 2026:

Freddy Peralta

Nolan McLean

Kodai Senga

Sean Manaea

David Peterson

This definitely might look different simply because Tylor Megill, Clay Holmes, and the new Tobias Myers are all capable of starting. This is a way better rotation with the reliable Freddy Peralta, who had a 2.70 ERA with 204 K’s last season. With depth as well, the rotation and the bullpen are among the best in baseball. Nolan McLean is quite possibly the top pitching prospect in America and is a favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. This with Kodai Senga, who when healthy is unbelievable, makes the rotation way, way better.

The Lineup Is Much Improved With More Balance and A Higher Ceiling

The lineup last season had four staples, Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and obviously Juan Soto. However, after that, there was nothing but a bunch of inconsistent, young, too hot and too cold, hitters who made the lineup an top heavy one.

The Mets have lost Nimmo, Alonso, and others. But they will gain Bo Bichette, a contact hitter with power (.311 average last with 18 home runs, 30 home run seasons in the past). The Mets also gained two veterans Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien, both of which can make significant contributions. Finally, New York has added the bat of Luis Robert Jr. who hit 38 home runs with a .264 average in 2023, the last full season for Robert.

When healthy, Robert can easily be a massive win for New York. This is mainly because Robert will replace Tyrone Taylor, who was nothing more than a great glove in the outfield. Robert Jr. is a fantastic defender, steal’s bases, and hits for power. Combine this with the young talent of Bret Baty (coming off a career year), Mark Vientos (in 2024, had 32 home runs in just 130 games including postseason), and Francisco Alvarez (who looked like a completely different hitter after being sent to Triple-A), and you have one heck of a lineup.

Those three youngsters could all easily be superstars, especially Alvarez and Vientos who both have shown what they can do in the past. And oh yeah, the Mets still have Soto, who hit 43 home runs with 105 RBI’s, 38 steals, and led the league in walks. You know, just the best offensive player in baseball.

Finally, the Bullpen Is Pretty Much Stacked

The Mets lost Edwin Diaz. However, this reliever will only pitch the 9th (sometimes the 8th). He doesn’t pitch the 6th, 7th, or 8th. Something the Mets couldn’t do last season. Now, the bullpen has added Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Luis Garcia, and probably Tobias Myers. Not to mention, New York will genuinely have at least two starters in the bullpen, and they will also get A.J Minter back.

The Mets literally have over 5 other pitchers who can make significant contributions to the bullpen next year. Devin Williams didn’t pitch very good last season with a 4.79 ERA and 18 saves. However, before that, Williams had 3 in a row below 2 ERA seasons (!). His career ERA is 2.45, which is better than Edwin Diaz’s 2.82 ERA. Weaver’s addition is also pretty massive and getting Minter back healthy will also be big.

Overall, only time we tell if the Mets are any different. But you can smell something good coming. Last season, when the Mets missed the playoffs, to be honest, there was something in me that didn’t care at all. The team was young, and there is something waiting to happen. When you mix young talent with veteran and superstar talent, it creates a winning team. A team with three superstars may beat a weaker team, but a balanced team will crush them both. That is the core of a winning team, balance, toughness, and the ability to learn from mistakes.