What the Mets’ Lineup Looks Like Right Now

With his first three big moves of the offseason, newly hired General Manager Billy Eppler completely changed the whole outlook of the 2022 New York Mets starting lineup.

Eppler first brought in some depth in the form of infielder Eduardo Escobar and outfielder Mark Canha. Very shortly after, he made a big splash, which ended up being just a ripple, reaching an agreement with outfielder Starling Marte.

All three players bring a dynamic this team desperately lacked last season. The trio all puts the ball in play a ton and doesn’t strike out much. They will improve this club not only on the field on both sides of the ball, but also off the field in the locker room.

Losing Javier Báez to the Tigers may hurt this offense a little bit, but this group is looking relatively solid from top to bottom.

Eppler said during Wednesday’s introductory press conference with the three players that he’s told all of them they’ll “move around a lot,” so this lineup may be subject to change. There also may be room for one more addition, but more on that later.

For now though, here’s a good look at what the Mets’ revamped lineup could potentially look like next season; with and without the addition of the designated hitter to the National League:

Without DH:

CF Starling Marte (R)
LF Brandon Nimmo (L)
SS Francisco Lindor (S)
1B Pete Alonso (R)
3B Eduardo Escobar (S)
RF Mark Canha (R)
2B Jeff McNeil (L)
C James McCann (R)
PITCHER

With DH:

CF Starling Marte (R)
LF Brandon Nimmo (L)
SS Francisco Lindor (S)
1B Pete Alonso (R)
3B Eduardo Escobar (S)
RF Mark Canha (R)
DH Dominic Smith (L)
C James McCann (R)
2B Jeff McNeil (L)

Marte and Nimmo could be flipped at the top of the order, and in the outfield, depending on how the incoming manager sees fit. Either way, that dynamic duo is going to give opposing pitchers and managers headaches both at the plate and on the bases.

Nimmo has been an on-base machine for this team since breaking into the league. For his career, he has a .393 on-base percentage. He again missed time due to injury last season, but recorded a .838 OPS and 132 OPS+ over 92 games.

Marte posted a .383 OBP with the Marlins and Athletics last season and stole 47 bases. His ability to hit for average, get on-base, and cause chaos on the bases is going to be a huge addition over the next few years.

I like him in the leadoff spot because of that speed, and Nimmo’s ability to work the count. Either way, this duo will certainly create a ton of RBI opportunities for both Lindor and Alonso.

Despite his struggles, Lindor was a .283 hitter with runners in scoring position last season. Over the final month, Lindor hit .257 with a .346 OBP, .895 OPS, four doubles, nine home runs, and a season-high 25 RBI. Now that he’s had a full season in New York under his belt, the Mets should hopefully see Lindor’s superstar form all year long.

Big Pete was one of the lone members of the 2021 Mets offense who held up his end of the bargain. Alonso did everything he could to carry this group, posting a .863 OPS, .344 OBP, 27 doubles, 37 home runs, and 94 RBI. He also only struck out 127 times over 152 games.

The two-time Home Run Derby champion has quickly established himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game. As we saw last season, he’s tremendously improved his all-around game at the plate. Alonso will carry the load out of the cleanup spot for the Mets yet again this season.

The other two new guys, Escobar and Canha, figure to follow the big man in the order. Escobar is a versatile switch-hitting infielder who has a ton of gap-to-gap pop and should be a nice middle-of-the-order piece for this group.

He was named to his first career All-Star team last year, hitting 28 home runs and 26 doubles with 90 RBI and a .786 OPS over 146 games with the Diamondbacks and Brewers. Escobar plays with a ton of energy and is going to be a fun addition to this lineup. 

Canha, on the other hand, offers slightly less pop but like Nimmo and Marte, is an on-base machine. For his career, he’s produced a .358 OBP and he averages about 15-20 home runs and doubles a year. 

Last season, he dealt with injuries which resulted in a bit of a decline, but a league-leading 27 hit-by-pitches helped him post a .358 OBP. He also added a dozen stolen bases, drew 77 walks, and posted a 111 OPS+ and .746 OPS over 141 games.

The Mets will then be hoping for bounce-back seasons from the bottom three in the order.

After two strong seasons in 2019 and 2020, Smith struggled mightily at the plate during the 2021 season. He had just 31 extra-base hits over 145 games, which is one fewer than what he produced during the 2020 pandemic shortened season.

McCann hit just .232 with a .294 OBP in his first season in New York. And lastly, McNeil didn’t hit for a very high average for the first time in his career. The career .299 hitter hit just .251 and had 26 extra-base hits with a .679 OPS and an 88 OPS+ over 102 games on the season.

If Smith and McCann can get their power strokes back, and McNeil gets back to being the slap-hitter fans of the orange and blue know and love, it would be a huge boost for what should be an already strong offense.

Potential Additions?

As currently constructed, this Mets lineup looks like it could use one more impact bat in the middle of the order. Eppler certainly made it seem like the Mets may potentially be looking for just that when the lockout is finally over.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network mentioned prior to the lockout that the Mets were among many teams showing interest in third baseman Kris Bryant. A player like KB would be the perfect final piece.

Signing Bryant brings an already flexible lineup even more versatility. On top of playing the hot corner, KB has seen time at all three outfield positions, first base, and even two games at shortstop during his seven-year big league career. He’s also an established middle-of-the-order All-Star. With his elite gap-to-gap power and ability to drive in runs and get on-base, Bryant is a perfect fit to slot right in the middle of Alonso and Escobar in the order.

This would then push McNeil into more of a Chris Taylor-esque super-utility role. Canha would then jump to the ninth spot in McNeil’s place, which would allow him to serve as a sort of second leadoff hitter ahead of Marte and Nimmo.

On top of that, KB is a leader on and off the field, which seems to be a trait Eppler and company are putting an emphasis on this offseason. Acquiring Kris Bryant would truly be a perfect cap to this Mets offseason, and would put an already strong offense over the top.