6 Storylines For The Mets’ 2025 Season

Happy Opening Day!

We’ve made it! The 2025 Major League Baseball season is finally here, and we’ve now got New York Mets baseball to look forward to for the next several months.

The hopes and expectations are high around this team. And rightly so. Following a remarkable run to the 2024 NLCS, the front office went all out and signed superstar hitter Juan Soto to a record-breaking contract.

Of course, 2025 shouldn’t be viewed as win-or-bust for the Mets. After all, there are some warts to the roster – hello, starting rotation. Plus, with Soto in Queens for the long-term, the aim is to morph into perennial winners and compete for multiple championships.

Obviously, the Mets will want to win this year and their 2025 World Series bid starts in Houston against the Astros on Opening Day.

To that end, let’s run through the six most compelling storylines as the Mets prepare to raise the curtain on one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history…

6 KEY STORYLINES

IT’S SOTO TIME!

Let’s get this underway with the obvious starting point. The Mets made a gargantuan statement by signing Juan Soto in the offseason. The four-time All-Star is one of the best hitters to have ever lived. He’s coming off an MVP-type season in which he helped lead the Yankees to the World Series. Now in Queens, Soto will look to help his new team become the new baseball powerhouse.

It was both fun and surreal watching Soto rake in a Mets uniform throughout spring training. It will be even more thrilling to see him put on a hitting masterclass for this team in games that count. Watching Soto step to the plate in Houston for his first competitive Mets at-bat will be must-watch TV.

Furthermore, this lineup has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. Soto and Francisco Lindor have the potential to form a lethal two-headed monster as the one-two hitters. That will then pave the way for Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo to pile on the misery for opposing pitchers. The Mets could put up some historic offensive numbers in 2025, and Soto will be a huge part of that. This team is now ready to take that next giant leap with Soto in the orange and blue.

FATAL FLAW?

Without doubt the biggest question mark hovering over this team is the starting rotation. The pitching in general has been a hot topic throughout the offseason and for all of spring training. Now is when we will find out just how much of a weakness the rotation will be in 2025. Sean Manaea will miss the start of the season. Frankie Montas is on the IL. Kodai Senga is arguably the biggest pitching X factor, but he’s got a lot to prove after a trainwreck of a 2024 season. We will see if Griffin Canning can build on his strong spring. I’m still not sold on Tylor Megill due to his lack of consistency. There is a lot to like about David Peterson.

And then there is Clay Holmes. The former Yankee closer dominated camp as he made the transition to a full-time starter. He will be on the mound for the Mets on Opening Day. However, expecting Holmes to double, and maybe triple, his workload and not break down at some point is like playing a dangerous game of chicken. It is a very risky strategy. Therefore, it is only natural to be on edge about this rotation.

However, on the positive side, this potent lineup should help take some of the pressure off. Plus, it seems likely that top prospect Brandon Sproat will be called up to The Show at some point in 2025. Furthermore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the front office makes an aggressive move for a true front-end arm at the Trade Deadline. So, if this rotation can patch things up and stay above water until the All-Star break, maybe some of our fears will be allayed.

DON’T REPEAT HISTORY

I’ve written about this elsewhere, and it is worth repeating here – Francisco Lindor can’t afford another slow start. The star shortstop is known for not being able to hit anything in April and May. It is kind of his thing at this point. However, the start to the 2024 season was horrifically slow and bad, even by Lindor’s standards. He started out 1-for-31, hitting just .197/.273/.355.

It goes without saying that Lindor needs to avoid a similar nightmare start in 2025. Starting the season in the leadoff spot should help, as should having Soto coming to the plate after him. Despite a not-so-great spring, hopefully, Lindor has worked out any timing issues so that he’s ready to rake from the get-go on Opening Day.

Having Lindor get off to a hot start will be key to the Mets enjoying a hot start of their own to the season. They can’t afford to be in any kind of hole in what is a hugely competitive NL East division. And they also need to keep pace with the Dodgers if they want to be considered a force in the NL. Furthermore, Lindor starting the year cold will only heap more pressure on the rest of the lineup, and that’s not a good thing.

The Mets need the MVP version of Lindor immediately in 2025.

CHASING HISTORY

Following an exhaustive and uncertain offseason, Pete Alonso is back in Queens. And he will enter 2025 just 26 home runs away from tying Darryl Strawberry‘s all-time franchise home run record of 252. If that milestone is reached this year, that will certainly be worth celebrating on its own. It will also be worth celebrating because it will mean – most likely – that Alonso is having a good year, and the Mets need their first baseman to be at his slugging best in 2025.

We’ve talked ad nauseam about Alonso’s struggles in 2024. That’s partly why his free agency adventure didn’t go as planned, but if the homegrown Met can mash at a high level, hit over 40 home runs, and improve dramatically in clutch situations, then that will help the Mets become a true force in the National League. It should also ensure that Alonso has a few more offers on the table should he decide to hit the open market again next winter.

It also probably shouldn’t be understated how hitting behind Soto should help Alonso. He will likely have plenty of opportunities to come up with monster hits and take over games. Returning to the heights we know he’s capable of will help Alonso fulfill his dream of chasing history and championships in 2025.

ELITE RELIEF

This bullpen has the potential to be one of the best in baseball. A.J. Minter was a huge addition. The Mets lacked a premier set-up man behind Edwin Díaz, and Minter will fill that void and then some. Plus, the lefty has pitched in big games before, and that’s an invaluable intangible. Bringing back Ryne Stanek was also important. As for Díaz, there has been much talk about his fastball losing velocity this spring. That’s a concern, of course. However, despite the odd heart attack, the closer was still elite at times in 2024. He was money down the stretch, and with more help around him, I expect Díaz to still be dominant in 2025 and shut down games as we know he can.

Dedniel Núñez will also be a big piece of this bullpen. The righty pitched to a 2.31 ERA in his rookie year, and a similar output in 2025 will help this unit reach its full potential. José Buttó will be another key relief weapon, while Max Kranick could emerge as the X factor. Kranick was lights out in spring training, pitching to a 1.46 ERA with 15 strikeouts. His ability to pitch multiple innings could be a boon for a bullpen that has an incredibly high ceiling in 2025.

BEGINNINGS & ENDINGS

Brett Baty is approaching a do-or-die start to the 2025 season. After tearing it up throughout camp, Baty must now prove he can put it all together on the biggest stage. If he can avoid his previous struggles in the bigs, then Baty will have a chance to make the second base job his own. Having Luisangel Acuña as an option against lefties could add another potent wrinkle to the lineup, too.

If Baty struggles, then Jeff McNeil will seemingly take over at second once he’s recovered from a mild oblique injury. But, if Baty can parlay his red-hot spring into a strong start to the regular season, then maybe McNeil will become expendable. And, if the young bats impress, then don’t be surprised if Starling Marte finds himself on the outside looking in. The front office is putting a lot of stock into their young position players. This could be the year where youth takes over, and veterans like McNeil and Marte find themselves on new teams.

Enjoy the first series of the 2025 season, and we’ll be back on Monday with the first proper 3 Up, 3 Down of the year!