The 2024 New York Mets have a ton of questions surrounding them: Are they going to extend star first baseman Pete Alonso? What’s going to happen when star closer Edwin Diaz makes his much anticipated return to action? Is hopeful prospect Brett Baty going to redeem himself at third base? In this article I will go over everything you’re itching to know more about, and also provide you with some in depth examples of things that could get out of control if not resolved soon.
Entering the 2024 early offseason, the team indefinitely had a ton of needs. Signing a big name bat to bolster the starting lineup’s production was very high on the priority list- so it felt awful when star SP-DH Shohei Ohtani went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, although this was a given that Ohtani preferred to stay on the west coast.
Then, when Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined Ohtani, fans of the orange and blue grew irate. The team has expressed its need for a high quality reliever, and the team went low budget on everyone, making questionable signings such as Luis Severino, 4.41 ERA, multiple injuries in 2023 alone, missing significant time with the New York Yankees, and signing INF Joey Wendle from the Miami Marlins, who hit 2 home runs, 20 RBIs, along with a .212 batting average and a -0.3 WAR in 2023.
The team did not make money moves, and with an injury to SS Ronny Mauricio in the offseason, in the winter league, and star first baseman Pete Alonso likely headed out of town, as the team and Alonso have not reached a deal yet, there’s going to be a lot of uncomfortable discussions. The team didn’t make much noise this offseason, compared to the previous big haul of 2023. They are working with what they have and may end up losing.
Here’s a look at the projected lineup of 2024.
OF- Brandon Nimmo
2B- Jeff McNeil
SS- Fransisco Lindor
1B- Pete Alonso
OF- Starling Marte
C- Fransisco Alvarez
3B- Brett Baty
OF- Harrison Bader
It’s impossible to win a lot of games when your main worry is if your cleanup hitter is going bye bye. I’d say the team should see a defensive upgrade with Bader in the outfield.
Bader was a defensive standout with the St Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees both, his glove is well above average and that’s something that the team should rely on when balls are drilled deep where the average outfielder won’t be able to pull off the play.
Fransisco Lindor, last season’s silver slugger recipient, is on pace and projected for a career best year here in Queens. Last season, Lindor wowed with a 6.0 WAR, hitting 31 home runs and 98 RBIs, batting .254. In 2022 he was just as good, hitting 26 home runs, driving in 107 with a .270 batting average.
The team expects to see better out of Second Baseman Jeff McNeil, who faltered after winning the batting title in 2022. McNeil disappointed in 2023 with a 2.4 WAR, a mere 10 home runs hit, 55 RBIs, and a .270 batting average.
The team really needed his bat in the lineup and to say he fell off slightly would be an understatement. Compared to 2022, where he hit 9 home runs, 62 RBIs, batting a whopping .326 with a .382 OBP, it’s a given that the significant difference in offensive production was a huge let down.
He looks to redeem himself in 2024.
The lineup has its good and bad, although many players such as Baty and Marte have things to prove, the hopeful remains the proven players, such as Alonso, Lindor, and Nimmo/Bader.
Now, to the starting pitching rotation.
As for the rotation, here is who is going to take the hill for the 2024 Mets.
SP Kodai Senga
SP Jose Quintana
SP Luis Severino
SP Sean Manaea
SP Carlos Carrasco
The awesome news is that Senga dazzled in just his first season in the bigs- so much that he became the ace of the rotation that has changed so drastically over the years so quickly.
Senga, 30, put up a strong case with a 12-7 record and 2.98 ERA in 2023, notching 202 strikeouts.
That’s a fantastic feat, and speaks volumes unheard of about his abilities to pitch well amid an obviously difficult transition coming over from Japan.
On the other hand, his fellow teammates have somewhat of a chip on their shoulders.
Luis Severino could very well pitch effectively when healthy. It’s a given that the Mets see something worth taking a gamble on by inking him this offseason. However the risk may not give a reward, and only time will tell.
Sean Manaea and Carrasco look to have a solid 2024.
Edwin Diaz impressed with a 3-1 record, 32 saves and a 1.31 record in 2022. He tore his ACL and missed all of 2023 rehabbing.
His return is very much anticipated and fans may wonder what they will get out of him. I expect solid numbers but not quite the Diaz we saw before everything has happened.
I expect a 77-85, fourth place finish for the 2024 New York Mets. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to test people. Uncomfortable conversations must be spoken aloud. Players’ integrity and grit will be put to the test. Only the strong will go into 2025 with a smile and high expectations. It’s not going to be easy. Having said that, I do not predict a hot April, more like a very rough year all around. In the grand scheme of things, the rotation I project to average a 4.32 ERA between everyone. The lineup should fare slightly better, if Alonso is extended. If not, things will only get worse.
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