The Publish’s Jon Heyman previews the NL East:
1. New York Mets
O/U Wins: 90.5
Key Participant: Juan Soto. Who else? In fact, it’s the $765 million man who moved throughout city and declared he did it partially as a result of he sees a greater future for the Mets than the Yankees, which raised just a few eyebrows and upset quite a lot of Yankee followers. Definitely, a comparable season to what he did in The Bronx (at the very least) is predicted, and as an ultra-young free agent (26) who appears impervious to strain, it’s laborious to think about he gained’t be nice for at the very least the primary eight to 10 years of that historic 15-year deal.
Participant who’ll must step up: Francisco Alvarez. The gifted catcher declared that the Mets possess one of the best lineup in baseball virtually as quickly as he bought to spring coaching. Realistically, it’s most likely laborious to beat the Dodgers, who begin their lineup with three Corridor of Fame locks. However for the Mets to be in an actual dialog about this concern, they want Alvarez to hit like they hope and count on. He didn’t have the offensive yr anticipated of him after an early-season damage in 2024, and this time he was felled in spring coaching by a damaged hamate bone in his left hand. There’s nonetheless loads of season for him to stay as much as the hype, nonetheless.
