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The New York Mets came so close to being the team to stop the Los Angeles Dodgers in their tracks during the 2024 MLB playoffs, but in the end, they fell short in the NLCS in six games. But the Mets organization was only encouraged by this level of play from their team, incentivizing the front office to invest in the team in a big way. That's what they did when they made the biggest splash of the offseason, signing Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract that could be worth as much as $805 million.
Soto has proven in the past that he is a transformative presence in the heart of any team's order, and just as he combined with Aaron Judge during his lone year with the Yankees to terrorize opposing pitchers, he is also sure to combine with Francisco Lindor to make getting through the Mets lineup an unforgiving task.
It's all looking promising for the Mets, who are raring to get over the hump and win their first World Series title in nearly 40 years. They certainly have the talent on the roster to do so; the question is, can they put everything together and coalesce into a championship-winning group?
Here are a few bold predictions for how the Mets' 2025 season would turn out.
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Mets's pitching injuries pave the way for top prospect's breakout
It's not likely for top prospect Brandon Sproat to make it to the big-league roster on Opening Day. Teams are always cautious about promoting prospects as highly regarded as Sproat, and as things stand, the most likely outcome for the 24-year-old righty is to start the season in Triple-A.
There is still plenty of maturing for Sproat to do. Last year in Triple-A, he struggled to the tune of a 7.53 ERA across seven starts (28.2 innings of work). But it's clear that when given time to marinate, Sproat sees his incredible stuff, headlined by his high-90s fastball, shine and allow him to flourish.
Across three minor-league levels last season, Sproat had a strikeout rate of 10.13; he's still learning to sequence his pitches and keep his walk rate down, but it's clear that the talent is there. He is simply just waiting to be given an opportunity to show off what he's capable of, and considering the Mets' current pitching injury problems (Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas will be out to begin the 2025 season), it may not be long until New York calls upon Sproat to help out in the rotation — for good.
Clay Holmes succeeds in transition to being a full-time starter
The Mets' decision to sign Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million contract with the intention of utilizing him as a starting pitcher carries some legitimate risk. But Holmes has shown during Spring Training that he has all the tools to become an impact starter for the Mets.
Through three Spring Training starts, Holmes has not allowed a single run, striking out 13 batters in 9.2 innings while walking just four batters. It's not quite clear how Holmes would hold up over the course of a 162-game regular season grind, but the signs are there that he's in for a breakout season at age 31.
Juan Soto wins 2025 NL MVP award over Shohei Ohtani
This piece is about bold predictions for a reason, and there may be nothing bolder than betting against Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' hitting machine who popped off for a historic season wherein he tallied 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases — becoming the founding member of the 50-50 club.
There's no reason to believe that Ohtani will stop being productive for the Dodgers. But with Juan Soto being settled after signing his 15-year contract with the Mets and getting every perk he could ever desire from owner Steve Cohen, there is a chance that the best is yet to come for the 26-year-old outfielder who's done nothing but rake ever since breaking through in the big leagues in 2019.
Soto, last season, put up 41 home runs and 109 runs batted in on an MVP-caliber slash line of .288/.419/.569. If he could somehow improve upon those numbers, and Ohtani's numbers decline a bit after his historic season, all while the Mets secure the NL East division off the back of Soto's stellar play, then voters could very well look fondly at the 26-year-old and deem him as the most valuable player in the league.
Mets end up being the team to knock off the Dodgers in the playoffs
The old adage might say that lightning does not strike the same spot twice, but 10 years after being the team to knock off the Dodgers in the NLDS, the Mets redeem themselves by being the team to put a stop on the Dodgers' hopes of repeating as World Series champion.
If the Mets make good on their promise and dominate in the regular season, then the earliest that they could face the Dodgers in the playoffs would be the NLCS. And as they say, revenge is a dish best served cold, and everyone better believe that the Mets will be raring to snatch the Dodgers' chain if they meet in the playoffs especially after falling short last year.
