3 Mets players who will take a step forward next year, 2 who won't

Making the New York Mets a better team in 2024 will require more than an active front office willing to add from outside of the organization. The Mets will need help from the guys they already have. Bigtime help. The kind that drives you to the airport, moves a couch, and breaks up with your middle school significant other kind of assistance.

Improvement is an absolute must for several members of the roster. We've already seen how much free agency alone fails to get the job done. Some major changes could be afoot this winter. The Mets will be active in adding while hoping the players they retain can take a step forward.

Not everyone will have that ability. In 2024, expect these three Mets players to get better while these other two stay around here they were.

Francisco Alvarez will take a step forward

Francisco Alvarez had a successful rookie campaign. There were some areas to improve. However, his awareness behind the plate and power combined to put him on the best path. The man can seriously hit. He's no bum on defense either like we were told.

Many of those overall season numbers weren’t that great for Alvarez. He slashed only .209/.284/.437. The 25 home runs were greatly appreciated yet the lone headliner in his offensive campaign. He had only a dozen doubles which is a bit low.

Alvarez did post a 0.2 WAR on defense but it came paired with a league-high 8 passed balls. The rookie growing pains were present. No one should hold them against him nor does it seem like anyone has.

Throughout his professional career, the pattern for Alvarez has been to struggle for a season at one level before exploding the next. Ripping out a .300+ batting average season is unlikely in 2024, however, we should expect him to escape a flirtation with the Mendoza Line.