Dream NY Mets starting lineup for the 2025 season

The New York Mets came close to having the dream season in 2024. When expectations don’t include the team going very far and they manage to slip their way into the NLCS and pick up a pair of wins, it’s hard to be too critical of the end results.

A big part of the team’s success were the midseason lineup alterations. Manager Carlos Mendoza saw a problem. He corrected it by moving the pieces of the puzzle around. He eventually found the best formula. If there’s one element this team can build off of best from the 2024 season, it’s how well those changes worked.

The offseason will give the Mets more flexibility to improve the lineup with better players. Realistically, we should expect a couple of tweaks and at least one important bat signed. Let’s put reality aside. Close your eyes. Slow your breath. What do you see in your dream Mets lineup for 2025?

Batting first in the dream Mets lineup, shortstop Francisco Lindor

If your dream Mets lineup includes anyone else at the top of the order, you might have been in a coma. The move to place Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot for the Mets changed the direction of the ball club completely. Many other factors were at plate yet none impacted them nearly as much as pushing him up from the middle of the order to the tippy top.

Lindor had plenty of experience hitting leadoff in Cleveland and yet he was inserted regularly as the number three hitter for the Mets. A change in part because of the construction of the players around him and his own growth into a well-rounded hitter with power, Lindor didn’t match exactly as a prototypical leadoff hitter. Plus, the Mets already had a guy who had dug his heels in as one of the best on-base guys in baseball.

Lindor’s season couldn’t have gone much better. He was a unicorn signing with a National League team away from winning the MVP. His year will be remembered as one of the best by a Mets player in franchise history. The fact that he played so badly at the start of the year then became the superstar we know he is as soon as he was moved to the top of the lineup makes him the obvious candidate to bat first in dream land.

Batting second in the dream Mets lineup, left fielder Juan Soto

Let’s waste no time in getting to the juiciest part of this dream. Batting second in the dream Mets lineup is left fielder Juan Soto. His position in left field isn’t anything permanent. He should see some action in right field and even as the DH on a regular basis. In constructing this Mets lineup, consideration was given to piecing together multiple defensive alignments.

Whether you want Soto in left field, right field, or at DH, your dream Mets lineup needs to contain him. A generational free agent that’ll test the Mets’ ability to use their financial might this offseason, landing him would prove a couple of things.

For starters, the power of Steve Cohen’s wallet. Soto’s contract will come second to only what Shohei Ohtani will eventually be paid. Maybe he takes even more. Soto amazingly turned only 26 in late October. He’s going to get a contract to take him through the rest of his 20s and most, if not all, of his 30s. It’ll be a complicated deal possibly with some player options along the way. Soto has to fight inflation somehow. A $600 million contract won’t be worth nearly as much in 2035 as it will be in 2025.

Batting second makes the most sense for Soto because of his on-base prowess. Get him as many at-bats as possible. Knowing you have to deal with him after Lindor should strike even more fear into the spines of opposing teams.

Batting third in the dream Mets lineup, third baseman Mark Vientos

It’s in the heart of the order where some debate can take place. Who should hit third? We’re going to put some trust into a guy who hit for a good average, a ton of power, and earned a chance to get an at-bat in the first inning each and every game. It’s Mark Vientos taking his place at third base and in the third spot of the Mets order.

Outside of our dream world, the Mets have a couple of directions they can go with Vientos. An unsatisfying defender, moving him over to first base is one option. So, too, is making him into more of a DH. Vientos has enough athleticism at this point where they shouldn’t back themselves into using only his bat. The defense can get better. There is a ceiling, though. He should never finish Mets wins in the field as long as they can help it.

There were a couple of guys who won over the hearts of Mets fans this past year. Vientos, as a homegrown prospect who became an underdog, is an easy one to root for. He did all the right things when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster. Most importantly, he improved as a player.

Having Soto in front of him in the lineup should mean a couple more opportunities to be disrespected. We saw the Los Angeles Dodgers intentionally walk Lindor to load the bases in front of him in the NLCS. Vientos made them pay.

Batting fourth in the dream Mets lineup, center fielder Brandon Nimmo

Is Brandon Nimmo actually the dream cleanup hitter for the Mets? We have to think of starting lineups differently than the way we grew up. It’s not as easy as putting your best OBP guy at the top or best power hitter in the number four spot. The design of a lineup goes beyond those simplicities of the past.

Nimmo’s presence as the number four hitter isn’t as preposterous as it used to be. Capable of hitting for power these days, his ability to hit well with runners in scoring position throughout the 2024 season should keep him in consideration for a middle of the order spot moving forward. Even if the year’s totals weren’t outrageously impressive, his clutch numbers were.

Nimmo finished the regular season hitting just .224/.327/.399. The OBP was the worst of his career. However, the home run total was one shy of his previous high of 24 from the year prior. He drove in 90 runs which came in 22 more than in 2023 when he set a new personal best at 68.

A different animal with runners in scoring position, Nimmo slashed .319/.424/.607 in those situations. Versus the .168/.269/.275 with the bases empty, the Mets should probably stick with him hitting in the middle of the order.

He moves to center field in this dream lineup simply because there aren’t too many other realistic options. Tyrone Taylor will get his starts at the position. It’s Nimmo who’ll get the most frequent call.

Batting fifth in the dream Mets lineup, first baseman Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso gets invited into this dream. Sure, the Mets have other directions they could go at first base. And they probably should open up the DH spot for an every-so-often appearance by Alonso there.

Alonso’s 2024 regular season was full of critique. Most notably, his inability to come up with the big clutch hit. A first inning home run would be pointed at as being invaluable because of the lack of pressure. Insurance runs he’d knock in were called garbage time.

Once a guy who seemed above the boos of Mets fans, his impending free agency weighed heavily on our hearts this year. Thoughts of Alonso caring more about money than remaining with the organization hit some fans harder. He’d hear it from them the moment he made any mistake.

The big guy did manage to change the perspective in the playoffs. His Game 3 home run to bring the Mets back from the dead was the number one moment of the season. The undertaker was already carrying the embalming fluid to the visiting team’s dugout in Milwaukee.

There aren’t too many superior options at first base for the Mets. One could argue Christian Walker makes more sense on a shorter deal. But this is a dream. In dreams we like to romanticize players. Alonso returns to the Mets, becomes the team’s all-time home run king, and turns in the kind of performance in 2025 we expect him to.

Batting seventh in the dream Mets lineup, right fielder Starling Marte

Starling Marte might not be in everyone’s dream Mets starting lineup for next year. We need to be a little realistic. Even Mulholland Drive had grounded moments. And given how well he did hit at times this year, the Mets could do much worse in right field. Yeah, his defense stinks. He isn’t nearly as quick as he used to be. Some might dream of a scenario where the Mets are able to dump him and the final year of his contract. Not in this dream. He’s back with the 2025 Mets in right field on Opening Day with available flexibility of the roster to replace him with Drew Gilbert as needed.

Marte finished the regular season batting .269/.327/.388 with 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts. His power was mostly absent for the second straight season. He’ll never get close to what he did in his first year with the Mets. As a role player to at least begin the year, he’s a nice fit and someone who can give them a threat to steal a bag near the bottom of the order.

Technically, Marte won’t be in right field for every second of this dream. The presence of Santander will give them an alternative candidate as well. Neither is a particularly good defender. Give Marte the nod to start the year and go from there.

Batting eighth in the dream Mets lineup, catcher Francisco Alvarez

It wasn’t a hugely successful year for Francisco Alvarez at the plate or even behind it. If you’re frustrated with the young Mets catching phenom, you’re not alone. At times he looks like a veteran with more confidence than Johnny Bravo. In other moments, he appears like an emergency catcher not sure if he should be swinging right-handed or left-handed. No one else will be the starting catcher for the Mets in 2025. We’re going to take him along for the ride as well in this dream.

More on the negative side, Alvarez has led the league in passed balls in each of the last two seasons. He had 11 in 2024 despite playing in about 150 fewer innings. The wild pitch total increased from 39 to 40 as well.

On the positive side, he did show he can improve. He actually finished the year by throwing out 18% of runners trying to steal. Early in the year, this was an issue for him. On offense, he dipped and rose to the occasion. It’ll be forgotten because of the outcome but he hit .412/.476/.471 in the NLCS when many were ready to see him benched.

Batting him eighth in this dream Mets lineup is strategic. It’s about getting a second leadoff hitter.

Batting ninth in the dream Mets lineup, second baseman Luisangel Acuna

Sorry, Jeff McNeil. You’ve either been traded or relegated to the bench. This dream doesn’t last too long to dissect what happened to you. Thanks for the memories. You were one of my favorites. I’ve moved on with a desire to see someone who can offer the Mets a little something new, Luisangel Acuna.

In 40 regular season plate appearances, Acuna slashed .308/.325/.641 with 3 home runs and only a single stolen base attempt. It wasn’t a good indication of what he’ll actually do. The power was way more than expected. The lack of showcasing his speed on the bases was disappointing.

The Mets have an abundance of choices at second base for next year without having to make an actual move. Along with Acuna, they could have a healthy Ronny Mauricio in the mix as well.

I’m going to dream about the quick feet of Acuna batting ninth. The good thing is, it doesn’t have to be permanent. You know how dreams can shift from one tall tale to the next? That’s what we get at the end of this one. 

Only one rookie debuted with the Mets in 2024 and it happened to be the young man they acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Max Scherzer deal. The Mets did everything to stop it from happening. Circumstances forced him to the majors and in a highly pressurized situation, Acuna earned his opportunity.