Most fans of the New York Mets would agree that the performance the team got out of its position players wasn't good enough in 2026. Although the emergence of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing ignited a new foundation for David Stearns to work with, the group as a whole had struggles with consistency due to injuries to key players and ill-timed slumps.
There are areas where the Mets can look to upgrade in the winter, such as first base, but David Stearns' post-season press conference didn't indicate they were exploring a ton of new offensive upgrades. A breakdown of the club's position players makes it clear why the Mets won't be making wholesale changes to their lineup again.
Mets' hands tied with limited roster flexibility
For the purposes of this exercise, we will assume that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement won't alter roster sizes beyond the current 26-player maximum for the majority of the season. The current CBA also mandates a maximum of 13 pitchers, meaning the Mets will proceed into 2027 with 13 spots to use for position players.
The catching duo of Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens appears locked in, so that takes two spots off the board. In terms of the infield, most of the starting group looks locked in if Bo Bichette opts into his contract, with Bichette and Francisco Lindor being set as everyday starters on the left side.
The right side of the infield adds four more names to the mix in Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Jared Young and Brett Baty. Polanco is under contract through next season and Semien is locked in through 2028, while Young's breakout and Stearns' glowing comments about Baty a few weeks ago make his roster spot appear secure.
The six infielders and two catchers put us at eight position players before we incorporate the starting outfield of Soto, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge. With Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio out of options, the Mets are already at 13 offensive players under club control without making any external additions, meaning the window to make meaningful tweaks is smaller than one would think.
Tough decisions await Mauricio and Vientos
It doesn't make sense to run back the entirety of a group that won 74 games, even if one banks on better health from Lindor, Soto and Polanco as well as a smoother year two in Flushing for Bichette. Semien's contract appears unmovable and Stearns has been hesitant to eat money on deals if he doesn't have to, so it appears the only flexibility to make meaningful changes to the position player group are by removing Mauricio and Vientos from it.
The two new pieces the Mets would likely look to add are right-handed-hitting options at both first base and in the outfield. A reunion with Tyrone Taylor could fill the outfield vacancy, especially since Nick Morabito did not look ready for a significant big league role in his late season audition, with the addition of a first baseman who can either platoon with Young or play every day being the big lineup booster of the winter.
After an offseason defined by turnover, having more continuity may not be a bad thing for the Mets, who looked more cohesive as the season went on. Even though the offensive group isn't perfect, expecting wholesale changes again this winter is rather unrealistic.
Get Mets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.
Add us as a preferred source on Google