ESPN writer reveals if Mets are better in 2026 than in 2025 after flurry of roster moves

Matt Sullivan

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ESPN writer reveals if Mets are better in 2026 than in 2025 after flurry of roster moves image

The New York Mets might have undergone the biggest roster overhaul this offseason of any team in Major League Baseball.

Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil are all gone, while Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, and Luis Robert Jr. Have joined the team.

After all of those offseason moves, ESPN's David Schoenfield asked the question: Are the Mets better in 2026 than they were in 2025? After the flurry of roster moves, Schoenfield's answer is good news for Steve Cohen and David Stearns.

Why the Mets are better now than a year ago

"Add it all up and the Mets appear better and more balanced heading into the 2026 season," Schoenfield writes. "Fans will miss Alonso's energy and Timmy Trumpet blaring when Diaz came in from the bullpen, but winning solves all complaints."

With all of the roster moves the Mets have made this offseason, this team has a completely new look for the 2026 season. There are plenty of sad departures, but the overall team is in a much better place.

The pitching staff, led by Peralta, will have Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Jonah Tong, and Kodai Senga rounding out a much-better group than a year ago.

While Diaz is gone from the bullpen, the additions of Williams and Weaver should help replace the beloved closer this upcoming season. There might be some work to be done during the season at the trade deadline, but for now, this bullpen looks strong.

The lineup is also in a better spot. Alonso, Nimmo, and McNeil are gone, but they've been replaced by Bichette, Semien, Polanco, and Robert Jr.

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It's a deep group for the Mets, with the new-look lineup being ready to contend with the top teams in the NL East, and even the Los Angeles Dodgers atop MLB.

While there's been a lot of change, and the departures of Alonso and Diaz sting, the Mets have more than made up for their absences.

Cohen and Stearns might not have gotten off to the start they were hoping for, with Kyle Tucker going to the Dodgers and Diaz and Alonso leaving in free agency.

But, with where the team is at now, it's hard not to view the 2026 Mets as better, more well-balanced, and deeper than the 2025 Mets. Fans should be excited, as this new roster has a ton of potential this upcoming season.

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Contributing Writer