One of the biggest ovations at the NY Mets home opener will be for a visiting player

It’ll be the first chance for many New York Mets fans to cheer for their favorite ball club on Friday, April 4, when the team hosts the Toronto Blue Jays. Juan Soto should get a huge ovation. The same goes for Francisco Lindor. Pete Alonso, despite the difficult offseason, will be welcomed back as well and largely because of how well he has hit to start the season. Brandon Nimmo. Jesse Winker. The whole crew will get an ovation.

Who’ll get the biggest cheers? Guys in Mets uniforms for sure. But expect one of the biggest to get handed out to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Mets fans won’t be wrong for cheering Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at the home opener

Imagine that. At the first home game of the season, a visiting player who has never played for your team is one of the most applauded. A war hero or curer of some disease might warrant such accolades. In this case, it’s about making a nice impression on the soon-to-be free agent star.

Showing some early love for the Guerrero, whose trips to Citi Field haven’t been plentiful, is a good way to show him what it could be like to represent the Mets. While not exactly the same thing, a nice round of applause for his introduction shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, you aren’t going to boo a guy you badly want to see with your team next season, are you?

What’ll become an overly exaggerated talking point is if Guerrero gets more cheers than Alonso. Frustrated with his regular season performance last season, many were ready to move on from the longtime first baseman for the much younger and well-rounded Blue Jays slugger. Toronto has attempted to sign Guerrero to a long-term extension. No deal yet in place, a warm reception from Mets fans might be the last thing the Blue Jays need in order to secure an in-season extension despite a previous deadline of Opening Day to get one signed.

The Mets and Blue Jays could just as easily swap first baseman for next season. Alonso’s opt out seems like a given. Rumors of the Blue Jays pursuing Alonso, even with Guerrero still on the roster, were the most plentiful of any team.

We should figure for Guerrero to get some of the biggest cheers from Mets fans in the only attempt we can make at convincing him Queens is the place to be.