The New York Mets are coming off a disappointing season in 2025, as they were one of the favorites to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for National League superiority and they did not even make the playoffs. While Mets fans were clearly disappointed with the result, team owner Steve Cohen had to be in a state of shock. His goal is to have a team that is World Series-worthy on an every-year basis.
The team had added slugging outfielder Juan Soto a year ago, and he clearly had an impact with his season that included 43 home runs, 105 runs batted in, 127 bases on balls and 38 stolen bases. He finished third in MVP voting, so there was no doubt that met several expectations. However, for all of his numbers, Soto was not able to get the Mets into the playoffs.
The offseason has not been especially kind to the Mets, as the team's all-time leading home run hitter has departed through free agency. Pete Alonso had another big season with 38 home runs and 126 runs batted in. He passed Darryl Strawberry to become the team's leading home run hitter for his career. His 264 home runs are likely to leave his name in the Mets record book for many seasons.
Alonso did not feel as appreciated with the Mets and he will now hit home runs for the Baltimore Orioles. That's a huge loss and the Mets have to find multiple avenues to make up for the loss.
First base appears to be biggest hole for Mets
The loss of the Polar Bear means that manager Carlos Mendoza has to figure out what the Mets are going to do at the position. As spring training gets underway for the Mets, Jorge Polanco and Mark Vientos are leading the way at first base. Polanco is the likely starter with Vientos as the backup, but that could change during the spring or the early part of the season.
Polanco signed with the Mets as a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He has largely been a 2nd baseman and a shortstop throughout the majority of his 12 years in the major leagues — 10 with the Minnesota Twins and 2 with the Mariners — and 1st base is a relatively new position for him. According to Baseball Reference, Polanco played one game at 1st base last year with the Mariners and that's the only time he played the position in his career.
However, he has been a solid athlete and there's little reason to think he won't be able to do a solid job at the position despite his lack of position time there.
Polanco had a solid offensive season with the Mariners last season, slashing .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI. He has hit as many as 33 home runs in his career, but that figure seems out of reach at this point. He accomplished that 5 years ago, and he averaged slightly more than 15 home runs in the 3 seasons that followed before last year's total.
Polanco can be a consistent player for the Mets based on his track record, but he is not going to fill Alonso's shoes.
Vientos needs to have a bounce-back season
Vientos gave the appearance that he was a player on the rise throughout the 2024 season. He played in 111 games for the Mets and slashed .266/.322/.516 with an eye-catching 27 home runs and 71 RBI. However, there was something of a regression in 2025 as his home run total fell to 17 and he drove in 61 runs while playing 10 more games than the season before.
There's no reason for Mendoza to panic when considering Vientos because players don't always make linear progress in their careers. However, a good start is necessary for the team to have confidence in what Vientos can do in the 2026 season.
While he has more experience at 1st base than Polanco, he does not have a massive amount. He has played 17 games throughout his tenure with the Mets. He is going into his fifth season with the team, although his initial season in 2022 was little more than a cup of coffee that included just 16 games and 41 plate appearances.
Left field is clearly a competition as well
The departure of Alonso makes 1st base the most obvious position for Mendoza, his coaching staff and Mets fans to keep their eyes on, but left field is another position battle that will be vital to the team's success.
The Mets are looking at Carson Benge and MJ Melendez for the position, with defensively sound Tyrone Taylor backing them up.
Benge has yet to play in the major leagues and spent the 2025 season at the High-A, Double-A and Triple-A levels. He hit a combined 15 home runs in the minor leagues last year after hitting 18 home runs at Oklahoma State in 2024.
MJ Melendez is coming off a season in which the Kansas City Royals demoted him to the minor leagues after 3-plus seasons in the majors. Melendez has power and an excellent throwing arm, but his former team did not offer him a contract. He needs to make a positive showing quickly.
