Replacing 2,000 PA, SP updates and what a good offense with RISP looks like

Assuming that the Mets don’t re-sign Pete Alonso and Jose Iglesias, they will have to replace five of their 12 hitters with the most PA from 2024. That quintet combined for 2,112 PA. By comparison, the Mets replaced just three of their top 12 hitters in PA last year. And while Alonso led the Mets in PA in ’24, the three guys they replaced last year ranked 8-10 in PA and combined for just 886 trips to the plate.

Few will miss the other three hitters – Harrison Bader, J.D. Martinez and DJ Stewart – but they still need to be replaced. And just how will the Mets accomplish that? Most hope that Alonso will return and that makes things easier, at least from a raw PA perspective. But if they make no major moves on the offensive side of things between now and Opening Day, here’s how it might happen:

Alonso – some combination of Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio
Martinez – Jesse Winker and others
Bader – some combination of Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor
Iglesias – Luisangel Acuna and others
Stewart – Juan Soto

Obviously, this isn’t a direct replacement. Stewart had the fewest PA of our group from last year, while Soto should be in the top three in PA this upcoming season. Looking at it from a PA-replacement lens, we’d get something like this:

Alonso – Soto
Martinez – Extra from what Winker and Starling Marte gave, plus others
Bader – Extra from Taylor plus Siri
Iglesias – Since Iglesias didn’t start the year in the majors maybe Mauricio gets the lion’s share
Stewart – His 194 PA get divvied up in a multitude of ways

DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN DUE DILIGENCE AND ACTUAL PURSUIT – With the 24/7 news cycle, every major site has to produce a ton of content. And even reputable sites have to engage in some hyperbole. It’s our job as consumers of this news to recognize what’s real and what’s filler. Because SNY is my main source for Mets news, let’s look at some of their recent headlines:

Mets have shown interest in reunion with Mark Canha
New York discussing Dylan Cease with Padres
Mets had interest in Jurickson Profar
Mets among teams at Max Scherzer’s recent throwing session

It’s not that these things aren’t true. It’s just that they fall so much more into David Stearns doing his due diligence to make sure that these players and teams aren’t desperate, rather than a serious interest in paying the freight necessary to get the player. If Canha’s willing to sign a standard NRI – why not? If the Padres are going to trade Cease for a song – why not? If Profar or Scherzer would have signed a cheap one-year deal – why not?

At least this year, we’re not getting follow-up headlines like – Mets target Scherzer signs with Blue Jays. So, at least there’s some progress.

METS HOPE MADRIGAL MAKES SWEET MUSIC AND BECOMES A RENAISSANCE MAN – As much as the headline writers like puns, it surprised me how none were used when the Mets signed Nick Madrigal. As you probably know, a madrigal is a type of secular vocal music that was popular during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

Will Madrigal play any meaningful role on the 2025 Mets? Probably not. But we would have said the same thing last year when the club signed Iglesias. Perhaps Madrigal ends up filling that role this season. Still, it seems unlikely that he can match Iglesias’ 291 PA, much less his production.

A SURPRISINGLY GOOD MIKE PUMA COLUMN – So many times here, columnists get mocked for their ridiculous takes on things. So, if the other side ends up happening, we should celebrate it. New York Post columnist Mike Puma recently wrote the offseason column that we need, one that provided updates on the Mets’ rotation. Among other nuggets, Puma informed us of these:

Kodai Senga is experimenting with his slider
Sean Manaea is at Driveline, seeking a “usable” changeup
Mets are prioritizing health with Frankie Montas, specifically his shoulder
Clay Holmes was an early arrival to Spring Training
David Peterson has been working on his slider, as well as his 4-seam fastball up in the zone
Tylor Megill is moving away from his sweeper and will use a traditional curve as his primary breaking ball
Paul Blackburn has been throwing at home in Idaho but his Opening Day readiness is unknown

METS HOPE TO REPEAT RISP SUCCESS IN 2025 – One of the factors that got somewhat overlooked in last year’s surprising run to the NLCS was how well the team performed with runners in scoring position, an item that has been troublesome for the club in the past. In 2024, the Mets had the ninth-most PA with RISP and scored the sixth-most runs. They finished in a three-way tie for the second-best OPS, with an .809 mark. MLB had a .741 OPS with RISP. May the Mets beat the league average by 68 points again in 2025.