Uncustomed Heroes of 2025: Mets

 

So typically what happens is throughout the year I get a nice amount of chances to showcase the best players from a team, and then I have more time during the playoffs to celebrate individual game-by-game achievement, and then by the time December rolls around there isn't a ton left for me to do. Well...the Mets were the victim of a year I was busy more than usual on weekdays, then missed the playoffs despite an army of great performers, leaving me with THIRTEEN Uncustomed Heroes subject. And like, that's not even counting some borderline ones I could have done, like Tyrod Taylor or Luisangel Acuna. There were a lot of standout performers for this team, important presences. Good AND bad. 

Because ultimately, the story of the Mets is a story of a team that went for it and failed. They got Juan Soto, they got Clay Holmes, they firmed up their pitching, they went all in at the deadline, they still fell apart in the final two months. With a better team than the one that made an NLCS in 2024, they couldn't get it done. And now they traded Brandon Nimmo, they've lost Edwin Diaz, and now they've lost Pete Alonso. This is not what they wanted, and though this team will still compete, the wind's been taken out of their sails once more.

Clay Holmes, notoriously, was one of two signings deliberately trying to get back at the Yankees. The end of Holmes' Yankee tenure didn't go well, and his agent was selling him as a starter to teams. The Mets bit, signed him to a nice deal, and Holmes got to start. He thankfully stayed healthy all season and made 31 starts, going 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA and 129 Ks. As a statement, this worked well enough without being a full Seth Lugo or Michael King statement. He was very helpful for this team, and he's sticking around.

2026 Prediction: Less starts, but lower ERA.

Jeff McNeil confounds me. Because he got a later start than most players, his breakout was, in actuality, him hitting his peak. So everything else, in the period other players should hit their peak, has consisted of McNeil just sort of paddling away. McNeil's age-27 and age-30 seasons were excellent, and now he's 33, his defense isn't as good, and he's just an above-average hitter with some scrapes. This year he hit .243 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 122 games. Not to 2022 levels of dominance.

2026 Prediction: This will be the last year of his contract. So a slight improvement. But he might take more reps at DH, especially considering that there's a much more reliable guy at 2nd now.

Especially considering the usual primary DH, Starling Marte, will be gone next year. Marte has been at this for 14 years, and though in the first year of his Mets contract he showed no signs of slowing down, the other three years weren't to his usual standard. This year, Marte, in 98 games, hit .270 with 9 homers and 36 RBIs. He's beat up, he's 36, and he's not what he used to be.

2026 Prediction: Now...he SHOULD retire...but I think he's gonna try one more year, without his speed and most of his power, as a DH/bench guy with a competitor. 

Once again, Francisco Alvarez continues to be one of the most curiously inconsistent presences on the Mets. Cause when he's on, and healthy, the Mets are great, but the moments around that are painful. In April he was godawful, even while the Mets soared. Then in May when he got better, the Mets tanked. In August, Alvy hit .341 with 11 RBIs and 3 homers. It wasn't enough. Alvarez finished the season with a .256 average, 12 homers and 32 RBIs spread over 76 games. It was a small sample size, but at the very least the offense was worth it.

2026 Prediction: Full season, the wisdom teeth are out, the real fun begins. 30+ homers.

Among the many pitching moves the Mets made in the offseason was snagging Griffin Canning, the oft-injured young fireballer, from the Angels. True to form, Canning was very solid in 16 starts, going 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA and 70 Ks. Then, as he's prone to, he got hurt and missed the rest of the season.

2026 Prediction: Not sure when he'll be back, but I think he'll be a surprise stretch favorite for a playoff hopeful.

Mark Vientos had a huge breakout 2024, and in 2025 he did not even remotely live up to it. Despite 17 homers and 61 RBIs, Vientos hit .233 this year in 122 games, and just could not stay consistent. Plus, his defense was godawful this year. Eventually he lost the everyday 3B job to Brent Baty, meaning for 2026 the position is very much up in the air.

2026 Prediction: Well, uh, a funny thing happened to the non-negotiable at 1st. Though it'd be really funny to sign Dominic Smith to play there, it's looking like Vientos will be moved over so they can get his bat in the lineup. I think they may still bring on a cheap 1B option as a backup, but Vientos will return to 2024 style production and keep the job.

Also failing to live up to a wonderful 2024 was Sean Manaea, signed on the basis that there would be more where that came from. He got hurt in camp, was still recovering upon his return, and was moved to the bullpen to make room for the rookies. He finished the season with a 5.64 ERA, a 2-4 record and 75 Ks in 15 games.

2026 Prediction: Nobody rush him and he will be fine. With the pressure off he'll have another great year, behind Peterson and McLean. Making him the center of the rotation was a mistake.

With all of Alvy's inconsistencies and injuries, the primary catcher in Queens this year was actually none other than former Yankee farmhand and former Mariners bench wiz Luis Torrens. Torrens' main takeaway is his defense, and it was enough to get him nominated for a gold glove this year [which he'd lose to Patrick Bailey]. His bat isn't terrible, he still had some decent contact moments, but the Mets valued his work behind the plate this year, and even still it's an improvement over Alvarez. 

2026 Prediction: Back to being a backup, but not without some cool moments. The Mets are gonna try to start him at catcher so they can DH Alvy as often as possible.

At the deadline, the Mets pulled the then-huge move of landing Cedric Mullins from Baltimore. Mullins was having a shakier than usual season, mired with inconsistency, but his heights were always worth it. Upon arriving in Queens, Mullins had some excellent moments in centerfield, but struggled at the plate, hitting .182 with 10 RBIs and 2 homers in 42 games.

2026 Prediction: You can tell by the fact that the Rays only gave him a one-year deal that they're not exactly hoping for big things. OR, more likely, they know he's gonna bounce back and they can deal him for prospects at the deadline. 

Speaking of the O's, they recently landed Ryan Helsley, who'll be returning to small-market, southern-ish teams. I think he needs it, honestly. The Mets needed relief help, and grabbed him from the Cardinals to set up Edwin Diaz, and even close. Helsley completely fell apart in New York, posting a 7.20 ERA and a -0.9 WAR in 22 games, giving up 16 earned runs and, crucially, notching zero saves. He had a self-deprecating sense of humor about himself, but clearly this was not his best material, and it was one of many factors that led to the Mets missing the playoffs.

2026 Prediction: Hilariously, the Mets were the problem. Helsley chases 40 saves and gets the O's to the playoffs. 

Tyler Rogers, a sidearmer who'd been a highlight in San Francisco, was also brought on to aid the Mets' bullpen woes. He fared better than Helsley, posting a 2.30 ERA in 27 innings. Not quite as dominant as his 2025 Giants numbers, but his cumulative ERA is still under 2, so that's good.

2026 Prediction: I was thinking he'd go for a marginal competitor, but the Jays came calling. Will lead the pen in IP and deliver his usual strong material.

And then, with all else failing, the Mets brought in the rookie starters. Nolan McLean was immediately ready for the show, and Jonah Tong seemed to show promise in his first couple starts. Tong is also a prized Mets prospect, and was dubbed 'the Canadian Cannon' in college. Mets fans quickly saw why, as he was capable of ferocious outings, like shutting down the Padres in September. However, he also accumulated a lot of earned runs, and left the season with a 7.71 ERA and a -0.8 WAR in 5 starts.

2026 Prediction: Will not make the team out of camp, but will come back midyear and finally have things straightened out.

There was also organizational giant Brandon Sproat, a 25-year-old workhorse who made 4 starts for the Mets, and made a decent impression, with a 4.79 ERA and 17 Ks, despite a 1.210 WHIP. Sproat was a victim of coming in to try and save this team while the wheels were already coming off, and was just filling innings sadly. I don't think this season was indicative of his talent, a lot like Tong. He just needs better circumstances.

2026 Prediction: Because Tong is ahead of him in the depth chart, and because I know Peterson, McLean, Senga, Holmes, Manaea and Megill all factor into the Mets' 2026 plans, and because you also have to remember that Christian Scott might be back soon...unless Sproat has a great spring and locks up a rotation spot off that, he's either gonna be a Syracuse Met or trade bait next year.

Coming Tomorrow- The Nats' season was far more underwhelming than anyone thought, but at least they're a little better off next year, right?