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The New York Mets had a very eventful offseason. They won the Juan Soto sweepstakes, signing him to a $765 million deal to start the offseason. After that, they made secondary moves to improve their rotation and bullpen and brought back Pete Alonso. They made the NLCS last year and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who ended up winning the World Series. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez told New York Post insider Jon Heyman that the Mets lineup is better than the Dodgers.
“Better than the Dodgers (lineup),” Alvarez said, Third baseman Mark Vientos backed him up when speaking with SNY, “I can agree with that, honestly. I think Steve [Cohen] and David [Stearns] put together a pretty good lineup.”
Alvarez and Vientos were both rookies last year and a big part of their run to the NLCS. Breaking into the league as solid players at important positions pushed the Mets forward in a year with no expectations. Now they add Soto to the lineup full of stars. But is their lineup better than the Dodgers?
Each team starts with a star-studded top-three, has great depth, and playoff success that should lead to a great 2025. Do the Mets or the Dodgers have a better lineup?
The Mets need great play from their youth to be better than the Dodgers
Each team starts with a star-studded top-three in their lineups. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman are all former MVPs and had great seasons on the run to the World Series. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso can challenge them this season but don't have the MVP pedigree.
So at the top, the edge goes to the Dodgers but don't be surprised if the Mets outslug them this season. Using FanGraphs' Roster Resource tool, the next three Mets hitters are Brandon Nimmon, Vientos, and Jesse Winker. The Dodgers have Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Will Smith in the middle of their lineup. This group goes to Los Angeles as well considering the unmatched power of Hernandez in New York's lineup.
Rounding out the lineup, the Dodgers have Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman, and Hyesong Kim. This group has a high upside with low expectations because of their great top-six. Meanwhile, the Mets have Alvarez, Jeff McNeil, and Jose Siri as defensive stars rounding out their lineup. The young players on the Mets have a chance to make this a close race with great second seasons. But heading into spring training, the Dodgers have the edge.
