We don’t really care if the ground is still frozen in Queens; the smell of optimism is already wafting off the bullpen mounds in Port St. Lucie. We’ve all seen this movie before, where the Mets win the winter and lose the fall, but something about this early arrival feels different.
Last year’s 83-79 finish was a masterclass in how to start a fire and then forget where you put the extinguisher. That 45-24 start through mid-June had us all checking playoff ticket prices, only for the wheels to come off in a 38-55 slide that felt like a slow-motion car crash.
The Clay Holmes Experiment Is Officially a Success
Clay Holmes is already throwing heat in Florida, and honestly, the guy deserves a monument for what he pulled off last season. Moving from the high-stress closing role to the rotation is usually a recipe for a blown-out elbow or a 5.00 ERA, but Holmes shoved. He gave the Mets 165.2 innings of 3.53 ERA ball, which is basically gold in today’s game.
Yeah, he gassed out toward the end. His sinker lost that wicked bite, and he looked like a guy who had just run a marathon in work boots, but that was his first time being stretched out like that.
The fact that he’s already wrapping up bullpens in early February tells you everything you need to know about his mindset. He isn’t just looking to survive the rotation this time; he’s looking to dominate it. Having a full year of starter lungs under his belt should theoretically keep him from hitting that wall in August. If he can maintain that 55.1% ground ball rate without the late-season fatigue, he’s a legitimate mid-rotation anchor.
Freddy Peralta Is the Ace We’ve Been Begging For
David Stearns finally went out and got a real one. Trading for Freddy Peralta wasn’t just a move to fill a jersey; it was a statement that the 2026 Mets aren’t interested in moral victories. Peralta is coming off a monstrous year in Milwaukee where he went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA. You don’t just luck into 204 strikeouts. The guy is a certified electric factory on the mound, and hearing Holmes rave about his energy only sweetens the deal.
“Freddy’s obviously a special pitcher, and you’ve heard his reputation, just who he is as a person, as a teammate, the energy he brings to the field,” Holmes said of his new teammate. That kind of endorsement matters in a clubhouse that has felt a bit clinical lately. The rotation behind him is actually starting to look like a professional unit rather than a collection of hope-and-pray flyers. You’ve got the rookie sensation Nolan McLean, who posted a 2.06 ERA in his late-season cameo, and a resilient David Peterson coming off a career-high 150 strikeouts. Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are still rostered, too.
No More Excuses in the NL East
The front office did their part by bringing in Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr. to fix a lineup that went 0-70 when trailing after the eighth inning last year. That’s a real stat, by the way, and it is absolutely pathetic. But the bats only matter if the pitching staff keeps the game within reach. Stearns spent the prospects—rest in peace to the Jett Williams era—to get a frontline horse in Peralta.
This isn’t just about making the playoffs anymore. The fans are tired of the sustainable winning talk if it doesn’t result in a parade. With Peralta leading the charge and Holmes looking to build on a career-defining transition, the floor for this team has been raised significantly. It’s early, sure, but the urgency in Port St. Lucie is palpable. The Mets have the arms to go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers or the Phillies, and for once, that doesn’t feel like a delusional homer take.
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