Portrait 2026: New York Food

The 2026 Major League Baseball season will begin shortly. At Passion MLB, as has been the case for years, we are setting the stage for the season by introducing the 30 teams of Major League Baseball.

Today, the Mets are on the menu.

2025 season

In 2025, Steve Cohen had high expectations for his Mets. After all, his club had made the playoffs in 2024 and Juan Soto had just agreed to sign with the team.

But things didn't go well.

In the end, Carlos Mendoza's men narrowly missed the playoffs. And with the money invested (in the wrong place, considering the fact that the club had no pitchers worthy of the name) in large quantities, it wasn't exactly an acceptable scenario.

David Stearns therefore decided that it was time to shake things up.

Additions and departures

It all happened in two stages. First, the club let some players go and waited to replace them. Let's be honest, this caused quite a panic among many people in the city.

It started off strong with the departures of Brandon Nimmo (traded for Marcus Semien), Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, and Edwin Diaz early in the offseason. This set the tone, as they were crowd favorites.

Edwin Díaz couldn't be more pleased joining LA Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/f0iERnHQNc

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) February 23, 2026

Then, Steve Cohen thought Kyle Tucker would say yes… but the Dodgers signed him.

Other players who left include Jesse Winker, Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, Starling Marte, Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto, Cedric Mullins, Luisangel Acuna, Griffin Canning, and Frankie Montas.

Marcus Semien, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Tobias Myers, Jorge Polanco, Craig Kimbrel, and Luis Robert Jr. are among the biggest players who came to town.

That said, the two biggest moves were made late in the offseason: Freddy Peralta and Bo Bichette, who is coming to play third base in Queens.

Bo Bichette taking BP with his new team pic.twitter.com/id9OqUwvCU

— MLB (@MLB) February 13, 2026

Strengths and weaknesses

I'm not sold on the Mets' pitching staff at all. Freddy Peralta is very solid, and I expect big things from Nolan McLean, who will be playing his first full season at the top.

But behind them? There are young guys who lack mileage. Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Kodai Senga… Does that inspire you?

In relief, without Edwin Diaz, this already mediocre bullpen isn't going to set the world on fire. Luke Weaver and Devin Williams are good pitchers, but they're no Diaz. And Williams hasn't necessarily been dominant since leaving Milwaukee.

Several questions arise at this point (Luis Robert Jr. and his health, Marcus Semien and his offense, Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette on defense, Francisco Lindor and his health, etc.), which means that this good group on paper comes with questions.

Expectations for the 2026 season

In my opinion, the Mets are not the powerhouse that some people think they are.

I'm not saying they're a bad team, mind you. But we're talking about a club that didn't make the playoffs and lost a lot of pieces—and has a questionable rotation. That shouldn't be overlooked.

But if the team chemistry has truly changed for the better, the guys are performing well, and the cake rises quickly (which is not certain with such a different group), the club has the means to have a good season.

We just recommend that you don't bet your house on it.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.