By Noel Xavier Vadi III
As the concrete jungle begins to thaw, its two Major League Baseball teams, with renewed hopes, pack up and head to Florida to prepare for the 2025 season. The New York Mets and Yankees made deep playoff runs this past Oct., but both fell victim to the seemingly inevitable Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets pushed the series to six in the National League Championship Series. Their crosstown rivals met their fate in only five games. Though Mets star slugger Juan Soto has traded the four trains for the seven, the Bronx Bombers still believe they can win. Let’s take an early look at what the lineups and rotations could look like on Opening Day, which is only a month away.
Yankees Lineup:
- Jasson Dominguez, LF
- Aaron Judge, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Jazz Chisolm Jr, 2B
- Austin Wells, C
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Oswaldo Cabrera, DH
- DJ LeMahieu, 3B
Yankees Rotation;
- Gerrit Cole, RHP
- Max Fried, LHP
- Carlos Rodón, LHP
- Luis Gil, RHP
- Clarke Schmidt, RHP
Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, who has been dealing with elbow pain in both of his elbows, is an unlikely candidate to start on Opening Day. Cabrera, who averages .233 and is an average to slightly above average defender in the field boasting a career Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) of 12 per baseball-reference, will likely take his place. He is projected to bat 240 this season, certainly in a plug and play role.
The one-to-two punch of Cole and Fried at the top of the rotation will surely strike fear into the hearts of their opponents, but if Rodón can find the form he had before he put on the pinstripes, then the rotation is a significant threat.
Gil, who had an Earned Run Average (ERA) of 3.50 last year, could jump ahead in the rotation if Rodón struggles. Schmidt rounds out a five man rotation with huge upside, as in the 16 games he pitched in last year, he had an ERA of 2.85. Waiting in the wings is Marcus Stroman, who as a ground ball pitcher doesn’t mesh well with the Yankees, a team not known for their defense, which arguably lost them the World Series. He has also come out and states that he is a starter and rejects a move to the bullpen, which is where relievers watch the game and warm up in case they are called in. However, he may find himself in the rotation if things go awry elsewhere, or he may be traded out.
Mets Lineup:
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Juan Soto, RF
- Brandon Nimmo, LF
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Mark Vientos, 3B
- Jesse Winker/Starling Marte DH
- Francisco Alvarez, C
- Jeff McNeil, 2B
- Jose Siri, CF
Mets Rotation:
- Kodai Senga, RHP
- Sean Manaea, LHP
- David Peterson, LHP
- Tylor Megill, RHP
- Clay Holmes, RHP
- Griffin Canning, RHP
The New York Mets have the most questions surrounding their rotation. With Frankie Montas out on injury and likely not playing until mid-May, the Mets have a few rotation spots to fill, especially if they go with a six-man rotation as they have been rumored to be going with this year, in an effort to prevent injuries.
Last year, the team cobbled together a serviceable rotation, and they will try to do that once again, taking project pitchers on cheap deals and trying to fix them. It worked last year with Manaea and Luis Severino. The Mets are hoping they can recreate this, namely with Canning, and Paul Blackburn who was plagued with injury last season.
Holmes, who also made the jump across the river from the Bronx, is converting back to a starter and is rumored to have a new pitch. All of this is part of the Mets pitching lab, which is likely a data-driven program designed to help improve pitchers. Some iteration of the eight pitchers listed above will likely make a turn through the rotation.
Moving on to the lineup, Winker and Marte will platoon as designated hitters depending on the handedness of the pitcher. In 2022, McNeil won the batting title with an average of .326 in the two years since he hit .270 and .238, respectively. The 2026 season is the last year of his contract. If he doesn’t show enough at the plate, he may get traded to make way for younger players such as Luisangel Acuña (younger brother of Braves star Ronald Acuña), Brett Baty, Ronnie Mauricio, or Jett Williams. With the re-signing of Alonso, the Mets remain a threat offensively with three players likely to hit the 30 home run mark.
Both teams look to improve upon last season while keeping lineups that are quite similar to the 2024 campaign, hoping to have better strategy against the Dodgers in Oct.