Opening Day is upon us, and the Mets are ready to boast one of their most impressive-looking squads on paper in real life.
Can they live up to the hype? Here is how the roster is expected to look to start the 2025 campaign. All projections are courtesy of ZiPS via FanGraphs.
Starting Lineup
1. Francisco Lindor- SS
He has the lead-off spot all to himself, which could help eliminate the slow starts he has been known for. It also doesn’t hurt that Juan Soto is batting behind him.
2. Juan Soto- RF
Soto is projected to continue what he started last season in the Bronx when he finished third in the AL MVP voting. Losing Aaron Judge takes away some protection, but being sandwiched between Lindor and Pete Alonso does not hurt, at all. This will be just the first of many big years for Soto in blue and orange.
3. Pete Alonso- 1B
Alonso has a lot to prove in 2025, and he will have plenty of chances to post some seriously gaudy numbers. There are going to be plenty of ducks on the pond for him this year, with the two men ahead of him in the order. His strong postseason, coupled with the motivation that came with failing to land a big-time contract this winter, will light a fire for the slugger, who is just 26 home runs away from tying the Mets’ all-time home-run record.
4. Brandon Nimmo- LF
The last two seasons have seen a transformation from the veteran left fielder. He is no longer the on-base machine to put on either end of the lineup. He hit 23 home runs with a career-best 90 RBI last season, but he also batted a career-worst .224 with a .327 on-base percentage. He’ll get the chance as a middle-of-the-lineup anchor, but a bump in his on-base percentage ensures the next wave of the lineup has a consistent table setter.
5. Mark Vientos- 3B
What does Vientos have for an encore? He broke out with 27 home runs last season in just 111 games, which fuels the belief that he could hit 30 in a full season — a luxury he has never had before. If he does that, this will easily be the most prolific lineup the Mets have ever had.
6. Jesse Winker- DH
2025 ZiPS projections: .239 AVG, .735 OPS, 12 HR, 51 RBI
The Mets are going to find at-bats for Winker after he returned on a one-year deal. He will serve as the left-handed portion of the designated hitter platoon alongside Starling Marte and could also get starts in the corner outfield when Brandon Nimmo or Juan Soto need defensive breathers.
7. Jose Siri- CF
There is no questioning Siri’s superb ability as a defender in center field and the power his bat carries. The problem is that his offensive game is so inconsistent, that he cannot hold down a starting job. This is a player who projects to strikeout in more than 36% of his at-bats this season. He will split time with Tyrone Taylor in center field, but still will get 120 games this season.
8. Brett Baty- 2B
A brilliant spring training makes him the favorite to start the season at second base while Jeff McNeil recovers. If he can put it together in the pros, he could very well run away with the job just like Vientos did at third base when the Mets sent Baty down to the minors early last year.
9. Luis Torrens- C
Torrens will hold down the starting-catching job while Francisco Alvarez makes his way back from hand surgery. He is a strong defensive catcher with an arm that threw out 46.4% of would-be base stealers last year.
Starting Rotation
Clay Holmes (R)
Holmes has hit every benchmark asked of him while making the transition from closer to starter. He was so good this spring that the Mets are giving him the ball for Opening Day. There will be growing pains against consistent MLB-caliber hitting, but the organization hopes they have found something promising in the 31-year-old.
Tylor Megill (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 115.1 IP, 6-6, 4.37 ERA, 116 K, 46 BB
Megill has been here before, and he’s shown that he can perform well in the early portions of the season. It’s the summer that’s the problem, as consistency continues to elude him. Injuries opened the door for him to get another chance, though.
Griffin Canning (R)
The projections clearly did not see what Canning did this spring, as a tweak in his sequencing saw him become a shutdown pitcher. He had a 1.88 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched — a remarkable showing considering he had a 5-plus ERA in over 30 starts for the Los Angeles Angels last year. He can eat innings, and if even a sliver of his spring form holds, he will become as reliable a starter as the Mets have.
David Peterson (L)
Peterson is not a shutdown pitcher. There will be traffic on the bases when he is on the mound. But he found a way to limit the damage last year to the tune of a 10-3 record and a 2.90 ERA. ZiPS suggests a regression, but the Mets defense will play a big part in recreating those stats from 2024.
Kodai Senga (R)
The Mets are going to take it slow with Senga after he pitched just 5.1 regular-season innings last year due to injuries. Still, this is their ace, who should be kept fresh once the team deploys a six-man rotation beginning later in April. His ghost forkball is still one of the most unhittable pitches in the game, but how many times will we see the “Miracle Ball”?
Injured List
Sean Manaea (L)
2025 ZiPS projections: 144 IP, 8-7, 4.31 ERA, 145 K, 47 BB
He was the Mets’ ace down the stretch last season, going from a demoted starter in San Francisco to 180-plus innings in Queens last year. The veteran southpaw got his wish by returning to the Mets; now he needs to prove that he can be a consistent No. 2 starter behind Senga once he returns from an oblique injury.
Frankie Montas (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 131.2 IP, 7-9, 4.65 ERA, 125 K, 54 BB
Montas is the latest big project of the Mets’ pitching lab in 2025 after signing a two-year, $34 million deal this offseason. Once a star with the Athletics in 2021 (13-9, 3.37 ERA, 207 K), he hasn’t been able to re-capture the magic, going 13-23 with a 4.43 ERA over his last three seasons.
Paul Blackburn (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 91 IP, 5-5, 4.65 ERA, 71 K, 32 BB
Projected to start the year in the bullpen, Blackburn was a late addition to the IL on Wednesday due to knee inflammation. He should be back within the month, and when he does, he becomes a candidate to make his way back to the rotation when it is expanded to a six-man unit in late April.
Bullpen
Edwin Diaz (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 55 IP, 36 saves, 2.95 ERA, 81 K, 19 BB
The knee injury is firmly in the rear-view mirror, and a fully healthy closer should go back to his dominating ways in 2025.
AJ Minter (L)
2025 ZiPS projections: 53 IP, 12 holds, 3.40 ERA, 58 K, 17 BB
Making his way back from a hip injury, the World Series winner and veteran southpaw will be the Mets’ main set-up man in front of Diaz.
Huascar Brazoban (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 54 IP, 4.17 ERA, 56 K, 27 BB
A late addition to the bullpen, Brazoban got the Opening Day invitation after Blackburn hit the IL. He struggled after being acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline.
Jose Butto (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 69.1 IP, 16 holds, 3.51 ERA, 77 K, 30 BB
Butto developed into manager Carlos Mendoza’s favorite multi-inning option down the stretch an will serve as just that once again.
Reed Garrett (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 51 IP, 15 holds, 3.71 ERA, 62 K, 25 BB
Garrett will look to build off a career year last year and further carve his niche as a go-to middle reliever in Queens.
Max Kranick (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 68 IP, 4.37 ERA, 56 K, 23 BB
Kranick’s spring training was too good to pass up, especially with Dedniel Nunez not quite ready for the start of the season. Another multi-inning option, Kranick could also serve as a swingman if things in the rotation go south.
Ryne Stanek (R)
2025 ZiPS projections: 50.2 IP, 3.91 ERA, 12 holds, 57 K, 25 BB
After struggling upon his arrival at the trade deadline from the Seattle Mariners, Stanek was an integral late-innings option out of the bullpen during the postseason. He will get plenty of chances to fill that role again this year.
Danny Young (L)
2025 ZiPS projections: 43.2 IP, 10 holds, 4.32 ERA, 50 K, 22 BB
Young will serve as the Mets’ middle-innings lefty specialist — the only southpaw option other than Minter.
Bench
Hayden Senger- C
2025 ZiPS projections: .201 AVG, .566 OPS, 3 HR, 27 RBI
Senger’s time in the majors is not expected to last too long, but it is a dream realized for the long-time prospect. He will likely be optioned to Triple-A once Alvarez is ready to go.
Luisangel Acuna- INF
2025 ZiPS projections: .244 AVG, .629 OPS, 8 HR, 55 RBI
How long will Acuna’s time in the majors last? He’ll start as the club’s utility infielder while McNeil is shelved. Can he take advantage and make it impossible to send him back down? A lot of it will have to do with how Baty is performing, as well, but the organization obviously likes him a lot after his successful stint in the majors filling in for Lindor in September.
Starling Marte- OF/DH
2025 ZiPS projections: .265 AVG, .694 OPS, 7 HR, 41 RBI
The veteran is taking on a new role as a DH and backup outfielder. The Mets tried to trade him all winter, but his experience as a professional hitter could provide invaluable depth this season as long as he stays healthy.
Tyrone Taylor- OF
2025 ZiPS projections: .231 AVG, .684 OPS, 10 HR, 41 RBI
Another defensive standout, Taylor proved last season that he can cut it as a reliable depth piece. He will get plenty of time in center alongside Siri but is an obvious late-inning, defensive-replacement option in the corners when he doesn’t start.
Injured List
Jeff McNeil- 2B/INF/OF
2025 ZiPS projections: .261 AVG, .702 OPS, 9 HR, 50 RBI
McNeil looked like a shell of his former batting-champion self last year and now starts the season on the injured list. Despite the struggles, Mendoza gave him the starting job at second this year until he was injured. A bounceback is necessary because there are too many others on the roster who are ready to take their shot.
Francisco Alvarez- C
2025 ZiPS projections: .232 AVG, .744 OPS, 20 HR, 64 RBI
Alvarez sported a completely different approach at the plate this spring after a disappointing and inconsistent 2024. The power is there, which could set him apart from the rest of the catching pack in the majors. He just needs to find some sort of consistency.
