Who Can Protect Juan Soto in the Mets' Lineup?

With Pete Alonso's future as a Met in the air, who will protect Juan Soto and maximize his plate appearances?

Dec 12, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto poses for photos during his introductory press conference at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets made the biggest splash of the offseason by signing Juan Soto for a record-setting $765 million deal over 15 years.

Soto, one of the most dominant hitters in baseball, is coming off an incredible year with the Yankees, where he batted .288 with 41 home runs and a .989 OPS; the latter figure ranked as the third highest in the majors, behind only Shohei Ohtani and now-former teammate Aaron Judge. The 26-year-old's production will undoubtedly add an immediate boost to the Mets' lineup.

However, with Pete Alonso’s uncertain future, the question looms of who will protect New York's superstar slugger in the lineup.

Soto’s ability to get on base is elite, as he is known for having the best eye in baseball, which showed in his 129 walks in 157 games last season with, at worst, the second-best hitter in the league batting behind him. Opposing pitchers were forced to face Soto due to Judge's looming threat of a two-run home run if Soto walked. Without Judge behind him, if Soto plays 150 games this season, he might flirt with 150 walks.

Now, the Mets will have Soto slotted in the two-hole, but the concern is who will bat behind him? Without the proper bats that follow, opposing pitchers will have no reason to challenge him at the plate, leading to an endless stream of walks. Soto will always take the walk, even in big situations, which some may consider a fault.

The natural answer to this question would be Alonso, as the Polar Bear has been the Mets’ primary slugger since 2019, averaging 43 home runs per season. But his future with the team remains murky; contract talks have stalled, and the Mets have spent more on recent signings, most recently bringing back Jesse Winker and Ryne Stanek while adding A.J. Minter. Based on those moves, New York seems to be preparing for a future where Alonso isn’t wearing orange and blue.

If Alonso leaves, Mark Vientos is the likely candidate to bat behind Soto in the No. 3 hole. But while Vientos is coming off a breakout season, he is far from the mighty Judge. The other candidates are few and far between.

So what do the Mets do now? If Alonso decides to stay with the team, the problem solves itself. If not, the Mets must sign or trade for a right-handed slugger who forces pitchers to challenge Soto or hope Vientos’ ascent to superstardom is just beginning.

One solution might be to slide Soto to third in the lineup, with Francisco Lindor leading off and Brandon Nimmo batting second, hoping the traffic on the base paths will force pitchers to go after Soto. However, the Mets would still need an effective cleanup hitter for this strategy to work, which likely means to bank on Vientos continuing his success.

Without making a move, the Mets risk having a top-three hitter in baseball walk to first base over 150 times next season. In other words, they risk turning Soto into a glorified baserunner (which isn't one of his strong suits), making $51 million per year. That is not how you build a championship lineup.

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