2024 New York Mets season predictions

Relief Pitching

The Mets bullpen will be better than it was last year, thanks to the return of Edwin Diaz after missing all of last season due to injury. The bullpen has a lot more talent and depth compared to last season, but the question will be can the relievers deliver results and throw strikes at a consistent basis.

The bullpen to start the season will be Diaz, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, Jake Diekman and Jorge Lopez for sure. They will also carry two of the following: Michael Tonkin, Sean Reid-Foley, and Yohan Ramirez. Tonkin and Ramirez both turned in good springs, while Reid-Foley was excellent in his brief return from Tommy John surgery late last year. A decision was not made at the time of publication.

Manager

Carlos Mendoza comes in as a rookie manager, but he is a widely respected coach across the league, and he has 15 years of coaching experience in the Yankees organization.

David Stearns probably really wanted to lure Craig Counsell from the Brewers (who went to the Cubs instead), but Stearns quickly pivoted to Mendoza.

We will know right away how well he can manage a bullpen and late-inning situations, and whether he can get his guys to overperform, but remember he is a first-timer and deserves a grace period.

Official Prediction

The Mets are going to have their hands full in one of the most competitive seasons of National League baseball we have seen in years. There are about 11 teams that look like playoff contenders, and some teams got significantly better this offseason, like the Diamondbacks, Giants, and Cardinals.

The team is still behind the Phillies and the Braves in terms of pitching talent, while they are ahead of the Nationals, who are still a work in progress, and the Marlins, who are banged up with injuries.

The Mets are the ultimate boom and bust team, and the variation of results is wider with the Mets as much as any team in the majors.

But in reality, the Mets are just an average team this year.

The Mets will score 740 runs and give up 730 runs, and will finish with a record of 82-80, good for third place in the National League East, and will miss the playoffs by a couple of games.