Sorry Yankees' Fans, New York Mets Have Best Lineup in Big Apple

The additions the New York Mets have made to their lineup this offseason have given them the clear advantage over the New York Yankees for best lineup in the city.

Dec 12, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (center) poses for photos with team owner Steve Cohen (second from right) and the Cohen family during a press conference at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets made not only the biggest splash of the offseason but also the biggest splash of all time when they signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, the largest in the history of professional sports.

Soto spent his last year under team control with the cross-town rival New York Yankees, helping lead the team to the World Series for the first time in over a decade. Many fans of the Bronx Bombers were hopeful that the club would re-sign the superstar, but that hope quickly turned to envy when the "little brother" finally got to play with the new shiny toy.

The arguments have since ensued across the social media landscape about which team's lineup is better. Fans in the Bronx clamor for their own lineup fronted by Aaron Judge, while those in Queens are of course in favor of the lineup with Soto. The good news for both sides is that stats do not play favorites or show bias in either direction, and there is a clear favorite.

Sorry Yankees' fans, but the Mets have the better lineup of the two teams residing in the Big Apple.

While Judge as the leader of an offense is nothing to shake a stick at and alone makes their lineup better than some other teams (looking at you Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates), their lineup sees a drastic decline after the heralded slugger.

Per FanGraphs projections for the coming year, Judge is projected to produce 7.7 fWAR; second on the team is Jazz Chisholm Jr. at 3.6. On the other hand, Soto is projected to produce 6.5 fWAR, while second on the team is Francisco Lindor with 6.0. The difference between Lindor and Chisholm is 2.4 fWAR, which is a rather sizeable gap.

With Pete Alonso re-signing, the Mets now claim five players in their lineup who FanGraphs projects to total 3.0 fWAR or more, while the Yankees only have four; this ultimately grants the Mets far more offensive depth.

New York Mets	New York Yankees
1. Juan Soto (6.5 Projected fWAR)	1. Aaron Judge (7.7 Projected fWAR)
2. Francisco Lindor (6.0)	2. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3.6)
3. Brandon Nimmo (3.8)	3. Anthony Volpe (3.5)
4. Pete Alonso (3.1)	4. Cody Bellinger (3.0)
5. Mark Vientos (3.1)	5. Austin Wells (2.4)
6. Francisco Alvarez (2.7)	6. Paul Goldschmidt (2.2)
7. Jose Siri (2.1)	7. Jasson Dominguez (2.0)
8. Jeff McNeil (2.1)	8. Oswaldo Cabrera (1.6)
9. Jesse Winker (1.2)	9. Giancarlo Stanton (1.0)
Total: 30.6	Total: 27.0

While the Yankees did post a better offensive fWAR as a unit in 2024 than the Mets, it was only by 5.7 points, and 8.1 of that (Soto) now dons blue pinstripes instead of black ones.

It is a tale as old as time, cross-town rivals both vying for the attention of the entire city, though only one can claim the title as the best. For years that title has been handed to the Yankees with what they have accomplished throughout their long and storied history. Now, it is the Mets' turn at the top of the mountain, and objectively having the better offense is only step one of getting there.