Mets embrace expectations as spring training begins: ‘We need to become a team’

PORT ST. LUCIE — It’s not mislaid connected Carlos Mendoza that this clip past year, arsenic helium was opening spring training successful the manager’s spot for the archetypal time, the communicative astir the Mets was acold antithetic than it is today. Most of the preseason projections successful 2024 had the Mets finishing extracurricular of a playoff spot portion the squad stated a extremity of simply competing for 1 of those coveted spots, harkening backmost to a clip erstwhile “meaningful September baseball” was a portion of the lexicon.

“Last year, I retrieve sitting present and cipher talked astir expectations from the Mets,” Mendoza said Tuesday astatine Clover Park.

How times person changed.

The Mets unfastened outpouring grooming this week arsenic morganatic contenders successful the NL. The Los Angeles Dodgers mightiness person each of the fanfare and what seems similar fractional of the Japanese nationalist squad retired successful Arizona close now, but by signing Juan Soto and bringing backmost overmuch of the halfway that took the Dodgers to six games successful the NLCS past year, the Mets are poised to beryllium the squad to bushed successful the east.

“I get it, determination are radical talking,” Mendoza said. “But astatine the extremity of the day, we request to instrumentality attraction of the things that we request to instrumentality attraction of. Everything that is said extracurricular of his locker country does not matter. We’ve got to spell retired there. We cognize we’ve got a bully team, but there’s a agelong way to go.”

Mendoza characterized the sky-high expectations arsenic external. It’s acold excessively aboriginal to foretell the result of a 162-game season, and determination are excessively galore variables to adjacent marque immoderate guesses. But past season, the deficiency of content from astir the league galvanized the Mets. Former designated hitter J.D. Martinez said it champion hours aft the Mets clinched a postseason berth successful Atlanta: “You cognize what, they accidental we suck? We suck. Let’s suck. Let’s spell suck together. Let’s spell person amusive sucking.”

The sentiment remains. Mendoza wants the squad to “embrace” the expectations.

“What’s the alternative?” helium said.

Mendoza and president of shot operations David Stearns person laid the model for the occurrence aft their archetypal play moving together. Now, successful Year 2, overmuch of the aforesaid squad returns, though questions remain. The lineup is loaded with Francisco Lindor and Soto providing what could beryllium the champion 1-2 punch successful the crippled astatine the top. Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and emerging  young slugger Mark Vientos supply powerfulness successful the middle. Catcher Francisco Alvarez could bring the aforesaid little down portion erstwhile batting champ Jeff McNeil perchance adds magnitude toward the bottom.

The rotation remains the biggest question mark. Kodai Senga threw lone 5 innings past play and was incapable to supply the Mets with what they needed successful the playoffs. Should Senga instrumentality to his 2023 form, he’ll beryllium a large “addition” of sorts, but the starting rotation presently lacks a existent ace. Left-hander Sean Manaea returns arsenic a escaped cause and left-hander David Peterson is hoping to travel up a breakout campaign, but erstwhile again, the Mets are relying connected projects to capable retired the remaining spot.

Clay Holmes hasn’t started since 2018, Frankie Montas hasn’t posted an ERA nether 4.05 since 2022, Paul Blackburn ended 2024 with a freak injury, Griffin Canning ne'er developed into the frontline starter the Los Angeles Angels hoped helium would, and Tylor Megill has been up and down implicit the past fewer seasons.

The squad would similar to usage a six-man rotation, but their quality to bash truthful volition hinge connected the wellness of Senga and others. Even if they tin rotation six starters, those six aren’t precisely arsenic imposing arsenic the Dodgers’ six. But the Mets had occurrence with revamping starters past season, and they deliberation they’ve figured retired a look with pitching manager Jeremy Hefner.

“That’s much similar extracurricular noise,” Mendoza said. “We consciousness comfy with the beforehand extremity of our rotation, particularly if everyone is healthy, but we besides consciousness bully astir our depth.”

Since Day 1, Mendoza has looked exceptionally comfy with the job. This year, it’s much comfy for everyone. There are less caller names to larn and the systems and processes brought by Mendoza, Stearns and others person already been implemented. The coaching unit is the same, with the lone caller summation being a acquainted look — adjunct pitching manager Desi Druschel, who antecedently coached the Yankees with Mendoza.

But Mendoza knows the Mets can’t remainder connected what they did past season. It was a amusive ride, but 1 that yet stopped abbreviated of the eventual destination.

It’s a caller play with caller expectations.

“We request to go a team,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got a batch of talent, we’ve got immoderate caller faces, and it mightiness not hap successful six weeks. I privation to spot guys proceed to enactment connected different crafts, proceed to get better, proceed to enactment connected the details. And we request to support guys healthy.”