The Mets starting lineup when J.D. Martinez is recalled is easy to envision

The final New York Mets starting lineup of spring training looked like a preview for Opening Day.

We thought this before, back when Mark Vientos was a part of the plan. This lineup, for whatever reason, seems better. Maybe it has more to do with how temporary it will be. Once we insert J.D. Martinez into the mix, things are going to feel a lot better.

It’s easy to see how the Mets adjust to the arrival of Martinez after a short stint in the minors.

What the Mets starting lineup could look like when J.D. Martinez arrives

When he’s finally here, this is how the starting nine will likely look:

Brandon Nimmo, LF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Pete Alonso, 1B
J.D. Martinez, DH
Jeff McNeil, 2B
Starling Marte, RF
Francisco Alvarez, C
Brett Baty, 3B
Harrison Bader, CF

Martinez replaces DJ Stewart in the DH spot and moves up a couple of spots to be the cleanup hitter. The Mets are able to maintain a balance between the lefties and righties. It’s actually not as perfect as the lineup with Martinez, but we’ll take his right-handed bat over Stewart’s from the left side 10 times out of 10.

This lineup does feel a lot longer even with questions about Brett Baty and Harrison Bader in the bottom half. Even Starling Marte is a bit of a question mark.

Fortunately, there is room for movement. Marte and Francisco Alvarez could always swap places if the young slugging catcher shows significant improvement. It’s actually a stellar six through eight in the case of Marte running amuck on the bases and Alvarez and/or Baty showing off the power we know they have. In Bader’s case, at least he does have some speed and can be looked at as a B-side leadoff hitter.

This might not be the exact lineup the Mets utilize in Martinez’s first game. For sure, it should be the lineup the Mets put out on April 12 when they return to Citi Field with Martinez possibly about to make his Citi Field debut as a home player. He’ll be unavailable for the first two series against the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers. After a road trip, we’d all love to see him by the time the Mets open their second homestand of the year.