Andres Chavez
The New York Mets will kick off their season at home against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday at 1:15 pm. The organization as a whole has a lot to prove after last year’s second-half collapse, but they made a few potentially impactful additions and did their best to improve their weak points and shortcomings.
The Mets announced their Opening Day roster on Wednesday, with reliever Richard Lovelady and first baseman Jared Young getting the last couple of spots. There were no outside additions, as it usually happens this time of the year. “This year, we felt pretty good about what we had in-house,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said, per insider Max Goodman.
Utilityman Vidal Brujan, relief pitcher Bryan Hudson, and catcher Ben Rortvedt have all been designated for assignment.
The Final Roster
Pitchers: Huascar Brazobán, Luis García, Clay Holmes, Richard Lovelady, Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean, Tobias Myers, Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Brooks Raley, Kodai Senga, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams.
Position players: Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens, Brett Baty, Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Mark Vientos, Jared Young, Carson Benge, Luis Robert Jr., Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor.
Young had a 95 wRC+ in 47 plate appearances with the Mets last year, hitting four home runs in the process. He offers a league-average bat and some pop.
Lovelady, a left-hander, had a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings with the Mets last year. He was much better in Triple-A Syracuse, though, with a 2.08 in 17.1 frames. He could be a long man or multi-inning guy if needed.
New Faces
There are a lot of new faces on the Mets’ roster in comparison to last year. García, Myers, Peralta, Weaver, Williams, Bichette, Polanco, and Robert Jr. weren’t in the organization, while Benge was in the minor leagues. He is now the right fielder of this team and will try to show he belongs.
Manager Carlos Mendoza discussed, per Locked On Mets, the team’s expectations this season: “It’s been 40 years. We have a really good opportunity to do something special over here. Our goal is not only playing in October, but playing deep into October, and winning the World Series.”
The 2026 Mets are not perfect, but they have more pitching depth and are better prepared to deal with an injury crisis. The same can’t be said about last year, but the organization has worked hard to leave it all behind.
They got themselves a new center fielder, more quality starters, two former closers, and a few top prospects for this season, and they are all ready for prominent roles.
Losing fan favorites such as Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, and Edwin Diaz certainly hurt, but the Mets tried to get younger, hungrier, and more athletic. It’s safe to say they achieved those things.
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