2026 NY Mets Opening Day roster prediction 1.0

A first guess as to what the team will look like when the season begins.
Toronto Blue Jays v New York Mets
Toronto Blue Jays v New York Mets | Al Bello/GettyImages

The New York Mets roster may not even be complete so any best guess as to what they open the season with will require some shaking of the magic 8 ball. Do they have another move left in them or will they stick with what they already have?

Opening Day is less than two months away and outside of a few roster spots, we kind of know what the Mets will look like. Or maybe not.

The Mets are either close to completion or there are a few more moves left up David Stearns’ sleeves. Additions as well as subtractions make sense. This is the first guess and rather than just go down the line with everyone who is present with the team, I’ve decided to get a little bolder.

Predicting the Mets starting lineup 1.0

Starting Lineup

Francisco Lindor, SS
Juan Soto, RF
Bo Bichette, 3B
Jorge Polanco, 1B
Brett Baty, LF
Mark Vientos, DH
Marcus Semien, 2B
Francisco Alvarez, C
Luis Robert Jr., CF

Other than the order, there isn’t anything wholly unique about these choices. Brett Baty ends up in left field to complete the twist no one saw coming. Jorge Polanco is the first baseman with no late-offseason swing at someone else. The Mets decide to go with Luis Robert Jr. in the number nine spot to help turnover the lineup. A hot spring from Mark Vientos gives him at-bats in the sixth spot to begin the year over Marcus Semien who slumps through his first year in St. Lucie.

Bench

Luis Torrens, C - righty
Ronny Mauricio, INF - switch hitter (sort of)
Jared Young, INF/OF - lefty
Tyrone Taylor, OF - righty

The bench predictions is where it can get a little fun. Carson Benge doesn’t make the team and the Mets end up keeping Ronny Mauricio around to be a regular contributor and pinch hitting option for Vientos on days when he and Baty start. Jared Young ends up making the team to help them buy time until Benge is ready. It won’t take long and if he struggles in the regular season, they can go with a different kind of flavor. At least Young has some defensive versatility at third base and the corner outfield.

Starting Rotation

Nolan McLean
Freddy Peralta
Clay Holmes
Sean Manaea
Kodai Senga
Tobias Myers - replaces one of the above due to injury

There’s a glaring omission here. David Peterson ends up traded to the San Diego Padres. More on that in a bit. 

In all honesty, I do think someone ends up hurt before we get to Opening Day. I don’t want to randomly pick a name because of how unforeseen that can be. If someone does miss time, I’d expect Tobias Myers to get a rotation spot temporarily with Jonah Tong itching to get back to the majors as soon as possible. For the sake of not predicting an injury into the universe, this is what the rotation will look like and in this exact order.

Remove one of these starters and replace him with Myers.

Bullpen

Devin Williams - closer
Luke Weaver - setup
Brooks Raley - lefty setup
Adrian Morejon - lefty
Luis Garcia - middle reliever
Huascar Brazoban -multi-inning middle reliever (maybe optiona)
Austin Warren - optional
Carl Edwards Jr. - longman

Along with starting pitcher injuries, someone in the bullpen is bound to get hurt. We already expect A.J. Minter to start the year on the IL. To help make up for it, the Mets were able to acquire Adrian Morejon from the Padres for Peterson. A fellow player on an expiring contract, the Padres were able to part with him for the innings Peterson can give them. Maybe additional prospects are needed from one side, nothing of significance, to push it through.

Assuming there are no injuries, Myers goes here. But I do think someone gets hurt and his longman spot in the bullpen is given to Carl Edwards Jr. He is apparently getting stretched out to be a starter. A longman is the next closest thing. His experience should win him a job.

Austin Warren is another guy who’ll crack the roster based on last year’s success. He’ll hold a coveted optional spot on the roster. Right now, fans are wondering if Huascar Brazoban has an option or not. Anthony DiComo said he didn’t, while FanGraphs says he has one left. This could change a lot about how the Mets approach their bullpen. Craig Kimbrel will be one of the more fascinating additions in camp this year. I just don't see him fitting in immediately until someone gets hurt.

The Mets still have time to make another significant roster move before the start of the season to bolster the roster further. A veteran bat, a subtracted starting pitcher, and an additional reliever all seem the most feasible. How close will this first prediction come to reality?

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations