For $15 million more, newest NY Mets trio projects to be better than the old one

The offseason has been one of transformation for the New York Mets. Just a couple of weeks ago, fans were ready to scream as the team looked like it had taken a serious step back. Things look very different today.

Gone are fan favorites and long-time franchise stalwarts Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo. In are fresh new faces, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco. It's a sad time, but also a necessary one. As beloved as the trio of homegrown Mets were, the club's success with them was limited and sporadic.

Change was needed, but the question is, are they any better? At least projection is a resounding yes.

The new Mets' trio of Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco projects to be significantly better than the combination of former fan favorites Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo

The three new Mets project for 9.1 WAR versus 7.7 WAR for the outgoing contingent, all for only about $15 million more.

Yes, it's more money, but it's also more production. In this market, $15 million doesn't buy much, but if you take the 1.4 additional WAR the Mets are getting from these additions and contextualize it, it becomes clear that the club is much better positioned in 2026 with the new faces than they would've been if they simply ran it back.

First, what is a 1.4 WAR player? Players who produce that sort of value have their faults, but can be usable starters. Examples from 2025 include Los Angeles Angels starting first baseman Nolan Schanuel (109 wRC+), Cincinnati Reds starting third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (19 defensive runs saved), and former Met Javier Baez (logging time at shortstop, third base, second base, and center field).

Schanuel and Hayes are both solid starters despite their limitations (Schanuel's a poor defender, Hayes is a poor hitter but a world-class fielder), and while Baez has been much-maligned in recent years, his versatility and production in spurts were valuable for the Detroit Tigers last season in his superutility capacity.

In fact, the Mets just rolled the dice on a player who basically fits this bill in the Luis Robert Jr. trade. Robert Jr. produced 1.3 fWAR last season and makes $20 million, so getting virtually the same production in the difference between the old guard and the new guard for $15 million seems like a bargain.

FanGraphs' WAR$ metric essentially assigns a value of $8 million per 1 WAR on the open market; however, that calculation hasn't been updated in a while.

The point being, Bichette, Semien, and Polanco are going to produce a whole other player's worth of value for a marginal increase in cost. That puts the Mets in a better position to succeed, and they're likely not done adding yet.

The real cost here is nostalgia, but if the new additions take the Mets to heights not previously achieved by the old favorites, it will be a price fans will be willing to pay 100 out of 100 times.