No NY Mets player will have fans more divided in 2025 than Jose Siri

Arguments over what Jeff McNeil has to offer are likely. A debate whether the team should push to keep Pete Alonso beyond this season will be a regular talking point. New York Mets fans will be divided on a lot of things. No player will have us more split than Jose Siri.

A player who does some things incredibly well and seems to miss terribly in other areas of his game, this fast-flying, big swinging, flyball shagging, Golden Sombrero-wearing center fielder is going to cause a lot of debate in 2025.

You’re either going to love or hate having Jose Siri on this team in 2025

There’s going to be those who grow frustrated with Siri quickly. A lifetime .210 hitter with just a .266 OBP, we can’t count on him to clog up the base paths. He’s going to leave a lot of runners on base and end rallies with strikeouts. He’ll also pop some home runs. He has been an above-average slugger over the last two seasons while playing regularly for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Unfortunately, Siri is practically guaranteed to strike out in a third or more of his trips to the plate. He doesn’t have a single season on the back of his baseball card with a strikeout percentage below 33.2%. Last year it climbed to a whopping 37.9%.

His defense gets a lot of credit and yet those who dismiss him will find a way to wag their finger. He had the best range in the league last year but also led the way with 7 errors. Siri gets to balls others can't, which sets up for more opportunities to fail. Only 2 of his errors were on throws he made so expect instances where a ground ball might bounce away from him or an E gets cruelly charged to him after running a long distance.

He’ll rank well in Outs Above Average and should have a decent WAR because of the favorable defensive metrics and yet what we see will be a long time in between momentous plate appearances. Fans will call for his head early. Others will cite how many runs he has saved for the team.

Based on the way they handled center field last year with Harrison Bader, there will come a time when Siri’s role reduces as long as they have a better hitter to take his place. Another productive year at the plate for Tyrone Taylor can eliminate opportunities for Siri to be more than a defensive replacement. Siri is a test of patience you’ll probably know quickly exactly how you feel about having him on your team.

To his credit, Siri seems to completely understand how fans have and will feel about him.