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The New York Mets finished last season with a record of 77-85 and a disappointing third place in the NL East. It was not a great season for the Mets, who were supposed to be better than their record, but could not get their act together in the second half of the season.
To make sure this doesn’t happen again, the Mets went out and upgraded both their offense and starting rotation this offseason. With the new additions, New York should have a better chance to win the division. The only thing that could hold them back is injuries, which have showed up in spring training.
New York Mets projected starting lineup
1. Brandon Nimmo (CF)
2. Starling Marte (RF)
3. Francisco Lindor (SS)
4. Pete Alonso (1B)
5. Robinson Cano (DH)
6. Eduardo Escobar (3B)
7. Jeff McNeil (2B)
8. Mark Canha (LF)
9. James McCann (C)
The Mets have a few new faces in their lineup, which should help elevate their offense. New York signed Marte, Canha, and Escobar all in free agency. Marte is coming off an impressive 2021 season with both the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics. The 33-year-old outfielder hit .310 with 12 home runs, 55 RBI and had 47 stolen bases (22 with Miami, 25 with Oakland). It remains to be seen if he can keep up this pace this season in what should be a quality starting lineup.
Projected rotation
1. Jacob deGrom
2. Max Scherzer
3. Chris Bassitt
4. Carlos Carrasco
5. Taijuan Walker
When healthy the Mets have one of the best starting rotations in the majors, headlined by deGrom and Scherzer. The Mets will not have reigning NL Cy Young award winner for the start of the season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula. And then there’s Scherzer, who is dealing with a hamstring that could jeopardize his start on Opening Day. But there is still a lot to like about this rotation with Bassitt, who was the bonafide ace of Oakland’s staff last season and will be a quality No. 3 starter.