New York Mets Season Preview: Talented Core Should Lead a Run to October

Editor's note: Welcome to SI's MLB preview. Click here to view every team's outlook in 2020, including predictions, projections and, yes, a preview of the 2030 preview. Click here to read the Mets fantasy preview.

The Mets have had two managers since they last played a game. Carlos Beltrán, the team’s choice to replace Mickey Callaway, became unviable after the revelation of his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme. New York then turned to Luis Rojas, 38, the son of legendary outfielder and manager Felipe Alou, who has been coaching and managing in its system since 2007. While Rojas lacks name recognition, he’s far more prepared to run a club than a novice like Beltrán, so it’s possible this whole dark story may have a happy ending.

This is a very difficult job. The Mets are operating with a middle-market budget—a whopping $20 million below the player-tax threshold—in MLB’s biggest city, and Rojas’s roster looks a lot like the one Callaway was fired for leading to 86 wins. The pickups of righties Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha, reliever Dellin Betances and centerfielder Jake Marisnick couldn’t knock even the Knicks off the tabloids’ back pages, and all four can’t make up for the loss of starter Zack Wheeler, who signed with Philadelphia. New York’s best players are homegrown, while the ones GM Brodie Van Wagenen has brought in at great cost (second baseman Robinson Canó, closer Edwin Díaz, infielder Jed Lowrie and reliever Jeurys Familia) have been disappointments.

Rojas will need even more from his young core, headlined by first baseman Pete Alonso, who won NL Rookie of the Year, righty Jacob deGrom, who won his second straight Cy Young, and utilityman

Jeff McNeil, an All-Star in his first full season. New York almost has enough talent to beat out the Braves and Nationals. A bit more spending—and some wiser choices by Van Wagenen—could yield the two or three wins that put them over the top. — Joe Sheehan

Projected Record: 87-75, 3rd in NL East

Led by ace righty Jacob deGrom and power-hitting Pete Alonso, the Mets will be solid in 2020. It'll be a surprise, but not a complete shock, when they sneak into the wild card.

Key Question: Will the Mets Win More Games Than Yoenis Cespedes Plays?

Ideally the answer to this would be no, with a healthy Cespedes playing at least 120 games, bolstering an already strong lineup and the Mets winning 90-plus games. But be careful what you wish for, Mets fans. This could also happen with the oft-injured Cespedes playing in 84 games (his average since 2016) and New York missing the playoffs again. — Matt Martell

Player Spotlight

Moving Up: Amed Rosario, SS

Just 24, he batted.287 with 15 homers and 19 stolen bases in 2019and improved his play at shortstop as the year went on.

Moving Down: Rick Porcello, SP

Since he won the AL Cy Young Award in ’16, the righty has a 4.79 ERA. The Mets are a poor fit for his groundball-heavy style of pitching.

Watchability Ranking: Worth It

It’s easy to picture a strong season for the Mets, anchored by the reigning Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. It’s equally easy to picture injury-laden chaos. But it’s almost impossible to picture something boring. — Emma Baccellieri

Preview of the 2030 Preview

Pete Alonso, 1B: How do polar bears handle the heat? When it comes to Alonso, quite well. Global temperatures have continued to rise over the last decade—causing periodic flooding in the Citi Field parking lot—and so has Alonso’s star. No player has embraced his city as much as Alonso, 35, who has thrived since the DH came to the NL in 2022, passing Darryl Strawberry as the franchise home run leader and zeroing in on 450 bombs. — Craig Goldstein