What Pete Alonso adds to Mets lineup with lofty expectations entering 2025

Not to beryllium hyperbolic, but the Mets could beryllium connected the verge of history. According to MLB Network’s Sarah Langs, the Mets person ne'er had 3 players deed 30 oregon much location runs successful a season, but 3 hitters are projected to deed 30 dingers successful 2025: Juan Soto (35), Mark Vientos (33) and Pete Alonso (36).

This illustrates the interaction of Alonso’s return. Realistically, the Mets could beryllium looking astatine 4 30-homer hitters with the imaginable for five. Francisco Lindor is coming disconnected back-to-back seasons of 30 oregon more, and if Brandon Nimmo taps into the powerfulness helium did 2 years ago, helium could scope the aforesaid peak, oregon astatine slightest travel adjacent to it.

Currently, Lindor is projected to deed 28 and Nimmo lone 18, but the Mets weren’t adjacent projected to marque the playoffs past twelvemonth and they came wrong 2 games of reaching the World Series. The 2024 squad prided itself connected defying the likelihood and shocking the shot world. The Mets are getting the set backmost unneurotic with the escaped cause signings of Alonso, Sean Manaea, Ryne Stanek and Jesse Winker (though sadly, they’re missing the vocalist of the set with infielder Jose Iglesias, aka “Candelita,” inactive connected the market), truthful determination whitethorn beryllium much daze and awe successful store for 2025.

Alonso is acceptable to instrumentality connected a two-year $54 cardinal pact with an opt-out aft 2025, pending a physical. His instrumentality brings much thump to a lineup, amended positioning the Mets to vie with the heavy-hitting NL East teams successful Philadelphia and Atlanta, and perchance formidable capable to vie with the Los Angeles Dodgers successful the postseason.

The 2 teams that deed the astir regular-season location runs successful their respective leagues went connected to scope the World Series. This isn’t uncommon successful today’s game, contempt the expanded playoffs offering much opportunities for teams to scope the playoffs. The Mets slugged the sixth-most past play and the fourth-most successful the NL with 207. The agelong shot aided them importantly successful the playoffs, with Alonso’s historical homer successful Milwaukee sending the Mets to the NLDS, and Lindor’s expansive slam against the Phillies sending them to the NLCS. Vientos came done with 3 successful the NLCS against the Dodgers, showing helium tin grip the unit of the playoffs.

So if that’s the case, who would supply the champion extortion for Soto successful the lineup? There is surely an statement to beryllium made for Vientos, who should beryllium much comfy than ever heading into the season. Finally, Vientos knows his spot connected the squad is coagulated and helium won’t person to enactment retired each implicit the diamond. The Mets and Vientos some tin remainder casual knowing he’ll antheral 3rd basal and proceed to turn astatine the blistery corner.

Alonso has much sheet appearances successful the cleanup spot than anyplace other and their on-base numbers are comparable. And past there’s Nimmo, who deed leadoff until the Mets switched him and Lindor past play and the lineup started to surge. The Mets mightiness person to determination him down successful the bid and see hitting him fifth. Even if that’s the case, it’s inactive a beauteous formidable apical five.

From there, the Mets could slot successful power-hitting catcher Francisco Alvarez astatine No. 6, platoon DHs Jesse Winker and Starling Marte successful the seventh spot, and outfielders Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri successful the eighth spot. Jeff McNeil, who tin deed up and down the lineup, slots successful astatine No. 9.

The Mets are importantly much almighty with Alonso. He deepens the lineup and should spot much strikes hitting down Soto. With truthful overmuch chartless erstwhile it comes to Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, the Mets severely needed a dense hitter to complement Soto and to stack up amended against the NL’s apical teams, especially

The squad that drafted and developed Alonso inactive needs him. It mightiness not person been an casual dialog for either party, but some parties seemingly got what they needed.