The dream Mets starting lineup for the 2024 season

Let’s dream a little dream. The New York Mets starting lineup could use some work. The offseason is the point when fans can smile and think of the absolute best-case scenarios; until those dream additions end up somewhere else.

The World Series is over and the offseason work can now begin. Focus can completely shift toward the future and improve the team as much as possible. It’s not realistic for the Mets to build this dream starting lineup. As ridiculous as it may be, we can enjoy the coziness of these nine all together wearing the same blue and orange colored laundry.

Batting first for the dream Mets is left fielder Brandon Nimmo

This is already a hint of some major changes. A dream Mets lineup, after all, needs to exist only in the state of unconsciousness. As unrealistic as it is for the Mets to move Brandon Nimmo out of center field as soon as next season, we have to allow this switch to complete the ultimate dream Mets starting lineup.

Nimmo does remain with the club and nothing has changed with his spot in the batting order. His ability to get on base continues to make him a top-of-the-order guy. However, the power we saw from him in 2023 could always have the team thinking differently in the future.

For this dream lineup, there isn’t anyone more appropriate to bat first. He’s familiar with the role already. Maybe an extra push to steal more bases can lead him to feeling a little more complete.

Nimmo isn’t going anywhere other than a different outfield position. Both a leader and a player the Mets will want to have around, he’s the guy we’ll see batting leadoff for the Mets in 2024 both in our waking and sleeping hours.

Batting second for the dream Mets is shortstop Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor wouldn’t actually be an awful choice to hit first for the Mets. He did it plenty in Cleveland. However, this dream Mets lineup does need Lindor in the number two spot as you’ll soon discover. Putting him anywhere one through five feels appropriate. Coming off of a 30/30 season where he displayed power and speed, he’s the kind of player that can do the trick anywhere.

Lindor has spent a good portion of his time with the Mets hitting third and that’s okay too; just not for this dream Mets lineup. When we close our eyes at night and think of the best possible situation, he scoots up to the number two slot.

We saw what Lindor’s speed can do much more in 2023 with his first 30+ stolen base campaign for the ball club. It’s an attribute that has been lacking from the Mets for years. MLB rule changes helped encourage stolen bases. Because Nimmo still hasn’t begun to run more, it’s a good look to have Lindor at the top of the order doing some of that running.

The bump up in the order for Lindor is more about what the Mets have acquired in the offseason. Remember, this isn’t reality. We’re dreaming big. There aren’t too many potential Mets additions other than the guy hitting behind Lindor.

Batting third for the dream Mets is right fielder Juan Soto

Oh, baby! If you weren’t feeling tingly yet, you are now. In a massive blockbuster trade, the Mets acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. Who cares what they send there? We’re dreaming now!

Soto is going to be one of those players Mets fans dream about until he gets his next contract to extend beyond the 2024 season. He’s the most massive free agent after. The team should already plan to make a run at him.

He is the first of the non-existent Mets players to enter this dream. How likely is it that the team acquires him in the offseason in our reality? It’s probably not as good as we’d like to hope.

The Padres would need to change the direction of their organization to give up on him so quickly. A midseason trade deadline deal seems more appropriate if they fall out of contention. They’ve done more than dip their toes into the water to try to win a championship. They’re drowning in it even with some big free agents of their own leaving this offseason.

Soto is the young superstar Mets fans have been waiting to add to the roster for years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No dream lineup is complete without him.

Batting fourth for the dream Mets is first baseman Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso isn’t going anywhere in this dream Mets lineup. Lock him in at first base and the cleanup spot. With Juan Soto hitting in front of him, clobbering 40 home runs is a lock.

Alonso hasn’t been an exceptional OBP guy in his career which is one of the reasons why he stays in the number four spot. Soto has proven he can draw walks at an elite rate. After Nimmo, Lindor, and Soto, the Mets are sure to have plenty of guys on base in front of the Polar Bear.

In addition to hitting fourth for the dream Mets, Alonso is doing it as a much richer man. Mets fans rejoice in the offseason when Alonso gets a big fat extension to ensure he stays put for the rest of his career—not too long though. We don’t need him limping around the field trying to get to 700 home runs when he’s 44.

By the time pitchers are through with Alonso they’ll want a break. They’re not going to get it. This is the dream Mets team after all. Following a grand slam or another hit by pitch with the bases loaded, opposing teams will be shaking in their boots when the next man steps up to the plate to do even more damage.

Batting fifth for the dream Mets is DH Shohei Ohtani

For the love of fairness! You can’t build a dream Mets starting lineup without including Shohei Ohtani. As much as it might outrage some fans to see him hitting as low as fifth, it’s tough to push him up when considering how the rest of the lineup looks. Alonso’s presence in the number four spot does help break up the powerful left-handed bats of Soto and Ohtani. We need some strategy here instead of just throwing the best possible hitters all in a row, right?

Order them differently if you’d like. There is no wrong place to put Ohtani in your dream Mets lineup. The only mistake is excluding him altogether.

Ohtani will hit the open market this offseason seeking what could end up as the biggest contract in MLB history. Unavailable to pitch for at least the 2024 season, questions about how much the contract value will actually turn out to be do linger.

We’re in Mets dreamland right now and in this scenario, Ohtani spends the 2024 season as the DH clobbering a whole lot of home runs. By year two with the Mets, he’s back on the mound every sixth day in a starting rotation he headlines alongside Kodai Senga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Batting sixth for the dream Mets center fielder Cody Bellinger

It was unavoidable to escape having back-to-back lefties in this lineup. If the Mets want to take a chance on upgrading their outfield, nobody is more available and capable of doing so than Cody Bellinger. While Soto is a more sure thing to help improve a corner outfield spot, it’s Bellinger who can improve the defense in center field.

Questions about how fluky his 2023 resurgence may indeed be will have some fans balking at the idea of signing him. Buried a little down in the dream Mets lineup, he’s just as good as he was for the Chicago Cubs—possibly even better.

Nobody should expect Bellinger to return to the MVP conversation on a regular basis. He has shown he is in a different class of hitter as a player such as his dream Mets teammate, Soto.

Bellinger improves the defense in center field and adds yet another left-handed power hitter. He’s a realistic fit for the Mets this offseason under a couple of conditions. David Stearns and Company needs to believe he really is trending back to his glory days. The Mets will also need to believe Nimmo’s defense is indeed on the decline.

Needless to say, the Mets aren’t going to have Soto, Ohtani, and Bellinger on the real roster next year. Batting seventh is a guy who will be here.

Batting eighth for the dream Mets is second baseman Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil is one of the toughest players to find a spot for in the real life Mets starting lineup. He’s somewhere between the top of the order and bottom but not a middle of the order bat. So where does he belong?

At least for this lineup, eighth is the only reasonable place to put him. Alvarez needs to bat ahead of him to avoid three consecutive lefties. There needs to be some sort of a break.

Imagine how effective this lineup could be with a player like McNeil, someone capable of hitting over .300, way down in the number eight spot. He’ll get a chance to help set the table at the bottom of the order. The pressure is completely off of him to be one of the leaders of the team.

It’s hard to make a case for him to hit much higher unless you’d be willing to have him bat behind Bellinger. Perhaps having Alonso bat fifth is one option although it would mean Soto and Ohtani stepping up to the plate back-to-back. Surely, they can handle it, right?

Either way, McNeil remains present on the dream Mets roster and knocked down a spot in the lineup. You may have already drawn some conclusions about where some of the other Mets land. Starling Marte is either with another team or an expensive bench piece. We only have one more position to fill. Who is the dream third baseman?

Batting ninth for the dreams Mets is third baseman Ronny Mauricio

If Brett Baty is your dream third baseman, all of the power to you. He just doesn’t feel ideal anymore. Ronny Mauricio is the newer toy and seeing him at third base for the Mets late in 2023 should have fans wanting more.

Maybe in this dream the Mets find a way to have Mauricio and Baty share third base duties. Hey, it’s your fantasy. In mine, it’s Mauricio who wins the third base job and becomes the more reliable player at the hot corner moving forward. He has better speed and the capability of hitting for just as much power.

The Mets don’t have too many great options at third base outside of trying out the kids a bit longer. Matt Chapman is a free agent, but not someone all that tempting any longer. Could the St. Louis Cardinals look to trade someone like Nolan Arenado or even the San Diego Padres deal Manny Machado? This dream needs to be a little more realistic. We’ve already signed Ohtani and Bellinger. We used our assets to acquire Soto.

No, it’s perfectly fine to have Mauricio as the dream third baseman. In dream land, we can enjoy watching him become a more competent big leaguer. He’ll erase any doubts.

How many games does this dream Mets lineup win for the team? It’s probably going to depend on the pitching staff and the bullpen. Maybe the next time our eyes shut we can dream of what those groups look like.