Dream Mets starting lineup for the 2023 season

An early exit from the postseason has New York Mets fans already dreaming of what could have been and what will be. We’ve seen what happens when Steve Cohen is unhappy with the team’s performance. Our expectations should be an even more aggressive front office in the coming year.

When it comes to piecing together a dream Mets starting lineup, we do have to have some sense of reality with some fantasy thrown in, too.

This dream Mets starting lineup deserves an asterisk. It’s so completely unrealistic yet also entirely possible. How close will we get to live this dream?

1) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Brandon Nimmo batting first, CF

Nothing changes at the top of the order. The Mets re-sign Brandon Nimmo and move forward with him at the top of the batting order and playing center field. Frankly, there aren’t too many center fielders who come anywhere close to what he can do.

Re-signing Nimmo is an entirely non-fiction move for the Mets to make this offseason. He’s hard to replace internally and externally. Any trade they may make for a center fielder would be an immediate downgrade on offense or defense—most likely the former.

Nimmo has become one of the most reliable center fielders in the game. The Mets can count on him to play a steady defense, get on base, and produce runs in multiple ways.

There aren’t any realistic upgrades the Mets could possibly make at center field for next season. While they do have several candidates that could bat leadoff for them, Nimmo is a dream center fielder for the 2023 starting lineup.

2) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Francisco Lindor batting second, SS

Francisco Lindor could fit in with the Mets batting in a variety of different places. For this dream lineup, the starting shortstop ends up batting second. You’ll understand why shortly.

Lindor has routinely hit second or third for the Mets since joining the club in 2021. He has some nice power which could slot him in more in the middle of the order but also speed that could do well at the top.

A typical number two hitter in most lineups—at least from a traditional standpoint—doesn’t quite match with what Lindor can do. They tend to be lighter hitters. We also live in a world where power hitters now bat first for many clubs. It’s not too outrageous for someone like Lindor to hit second for about 162 times.

Because we wouldn’t expect the Mets to drop Lindor too low in the lineup, he ends up batting second in what will be our ultimate dream team for the 2023 squad. After Nimmo reaches—probably on a walk or hit by pitch—it will be Lindor’s job to clobber a home run or maybe remember how to hit doubles again.

This past season, Lindor re-established himself as one of the better shortstops in the game. A lot of the pressure came off of him. And in this dream lineup, with some added superstars, he won’t nearly have as much at stake as some others. This includes the number three hitter in our dream Mets starting lineup.

3) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Shohei Ohtani batting third, DH

Boom! Batting third for the 2023 dream Mets starting lineup, we have the DH. It’s not a Daniel Vogelbach/Darin Ruf platoon all over again. The Mets pull off a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Angels for Shohei Ohtani then immediately sign him to a lengthy contract extension.

Ohtani would be the everyday DH for the Mets with a couple of days off from hitting when he pitches. Even the greats need some rest. This includes Ohtani.

Ohtani to the Mets seems like a real possibility. Even if it doesn’t occur via trade with the Angels this offseason, we better all believe the Mets are an ideal match for him when he reaches free agency following the 2023 campaign.

Both a solution to the starting rotation and the DH spot, Ohtani’s presence batting third when he does hit would give the Mets some incredible offensive firepower. We can move a couple of guys up in the order when he isn’t in the lineup or simply swap someone from lower in the lineup with Lindor then move him back.

The dream addition of Ohtani to the Mets lineup is far from the end of their major splashes. Because we are unconscious and can dream big, let’s go large with the clean up spot.

4) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Aaron Judge batting fourth, RF

If Ohtani gets a boom then Aaron Judge gets a bang! Batting cleanup for our dream Mets lineup, we have the 62-home runs from the Bronx. The biggest free agent signing anyone can make this offseason, an angry Steve Cohen directs Billy Eppler to go as gigantic as it gets.

Judge becomes the new right fielder for the team. He’ll get the occasional start at DH and even see action in center field but only if needed. Keeping him healthy will be important. But because this is a dream, he plays almost all 162 games.

There won’t be a better power hitter out there for the Mets to increase their home run total and overall run production. Trading for Ohtani and also signing Judge would be the ultimate power move by the front office in Flushing.

As I’ve already reminded you plenty, we’re in a dream right now.

If Ohtani hasn’t already driven in some runs, you better believe Judge would. He’d have some nice protection behind him in the starting lineup, too. As great as Judge has been for the New York Yankees, the other Big Apple baseball club has gotten plenty of production out of the number five hitter in this perfect lineup scenario.

5) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Pete Alonso batting fifth, 1B

Pete Alonso is forced to drop in the starting lineup but I don’t think he’d mind. Ohtani to Judge to Alonso would be the most murderous of rows in modern times. They could challenge for 150 home runs combined.

Alonso is a part of the dream Mets lineup for a couple of reasons. Most obvious is that he is already on the roster. There’s no fear of losing him for at least two more seasons.

His role doesn’t change at all. He’ll get the occasional start at DH but see most of his time at first base. Alonso has become a decent enough defensive player where fans shouldn’t have any thoughts of moving him to the DH spot permanently.

With these three, Buck Showalter could also changes things around based on the opponent. Ohtani wouldn’t be so insulted to drop to number five if the team is facing a lefty. Alonso has become far more than a slugger who swats home runs. He’s a quality hitter who has worked hard to cut down on his strikeouts. He puts the ball in play plenty.

The fear of not being able to pitch around Judge because you have to deal with Alonso next would be immense. Pitchers would contemplate a career change on a nightly basis.

6) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Jeff McNeil batting sixth, 2B

Anytime you have the reigning National League batting title winner hitting this low in the lineup you know things are going great. It’s difficult to find anywhere else for Jeff McNeil to logically slot in. He could potentially bat leadoff but with Nimmo’s greater experience hitting first, McNeil goes to a familiar spot he found himself during the 2022 season.

It’s a big change to go from the three previous hitters to McNeil. He doesn’t have all that much power but he can load up on RBI opportunities the sluggers before him missed out on.

Like with many others in this dream Mets lineup, the team can get flexible with him. Although listed as our dream starting second baseman, we’d have to assume he could also play the other positions he routinely finds himself at. The corner outfield spots have gotten to know McNeil well.

After last winter’s constant thought that McNeil would be traded, it’s good to know the Mets are going into this offseason far more secure with what lies ahead for him. They’d have to throw us a huge curveball to deviate away from having him as the second baseman on Opening Day.

Fortunately, he’s exactly what the fans are hoping to see.

8) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Brett Baty batting eighth, 3B

No, the Mets aren’t swiping Jose Ramirez away from the Cleveland Guardians in this dream. Let’s be a little realistic. Brett Baty at third base is still pretty good. It fits into the dream scenario, too. Because during the spring, he outplays Eduardo Escobar in every way. Buck Showalter has no choice but to start the left-handed hitting rookie with a little experience under his belt over the veteran stopgap they had signed one offseason prior.

Baty fits into the dream Mets lineup further. Because the Mets did land Ohtani in a trade with the Angels, it means he wasn’t included. That’s pretty good, eh? This is a happy dream.

The Mets seem destined to move forward with Baty at third base in some capacity. He was the one they summoned from the minors when Escobar went down with an injury. Even with Mark Vientos who was far more ahead of schedule than Baty for a major league job crushing baseballs in Triple-A, it’s very clear what they think of him and his ability to play the hot corner.

Baty doesn’t play every day next year. Escobar gets in his licks at the position, too. Let’s pretend we’re able to control the dream in this scenario. In which case, Baty is the best imaginable number eight hitter we could ever imagine.

As for Escobar, he’s a solid part-time player and someone the Mets can use versus lefty pitchers.

9) Dream NY Mets starting lineup: Francisco Alvarez batting ninth, C

The lineup rounds out with Francisco Alvarez behind the plate. I wasn’t going to give you Tomas Nido batting ninth—as far more realistic as that would be even if both of those catchers are on the Opening Day roster and James McCann is somewhere else.

The Mets appear cautious when it comes to asking Alvarez suit up behind the plate. They won’t have the same luxury next season. If he’s going to be with them, he’s going to have to be more than a DH—especially in a dream where Ohtani and Judge are on the roster.

Alvarez projects to be far more than a number nine hitter. In this lineup, it’s really the only place to put him unless we want to double-up on leadoff hitters. We could always move Marte to the bottom. However, we’d expect him to perform better early on in the season compared to the greener Alvarez.

Somehow, seeing Alvarez as the Opening Day catcher might be the biggest stretch of the imagination on this entire Mets lineup. Nido would probably need to have an injury for them to start Alvarez over him at the catcher spot.

I don’t want Nido being hurt—even if it’s not for real. Instead, Alvarez wins the Opening Day catcher gig because of how impressive he was in spring. And the Opening Day starting pitcher vouches for him. Jacob deGrom, back on a nice fat contract, demands Alvarez starts. What a twist!