Tracking the Noffense

[Cowtipper]

The Mets, with one game left, have 202 home runs. That's seventh-most in team history. They have 11 guys with double digit home runs, and it could be 12 if Torrens hits one in game 162. That's rather impressive considering how unimpressive the team has been elsewhere. Astoundingly, not a single guy has 30+ dingers and just one, Soto, has more than 25. 

[Centerfield]

They ended up 24th in OPS. 20th in runs scored. 
 

They need significant offensive upgrades to compete in 2027. 
 

Pitching not great either. 

[Gwreck]

On 9/20/2026 at 8:56 AM, Centerfield said:

My proposal. 

Starters:
1B. Sato
2B. Semien 
3B. Bichette 
SS. Lindor
RF. Benge
CF. Ewing 
LF. Soto
C. Alvarez 
DH. Arozorena

Bench:
Torrens
Polanco
Baty
TBD 

I include Polanco and Semien only because the Mets are unlikely to cut them going into 2027. But a successful year has one of the kids taking over for Semien early and the Mets eating the rest of that contract. Polanco is much easier to cut if he gives you nothing in 2027, but is more likelier to bounce back. 
 

Sign Skubal, Clay, LHRP and an 8th inning guy. 

I agree with much of this but I genuinely laughed at you suggesting a second straight year of signing a free agent to play first who has never played first ever before.  (Sato’s never played a single pitch there as a professional).

Now, I of course was suggesting Soto there (and he’s also never played there as a professional either)…but we at least know what we’re getting offensively from Soto.

[Centerfield]

Yeah. Totally fair. I think my proposal works for a few reasons. Sato has played some OF as well as 3B. So the hope is that he can learn 1B. The scouts seem to think he would be passable at 1B too. And not that one player translates to another, but Murakami made the transition and he was a bigger question mark than Sato. 
 

In any case, if he’s a disaster, you can still move Soto to 1B and move Arozarena back to OF. Let Sato rotate in with Bichette, if he’s still here with the other being DH. So effectively my backup plan is your plan A. 

[Gwreck]

My Plan A is Brandon Lowe over Sato, though.  Lowe can play second (hopefully  Semien is cut) and he has played first before so he could shift there (and Soto back to DH) if the prospects force the issue.

I’m interested in Sato mostly if Bichette leaves.  If Bichette stays, we need Lowe.

[Centerfield]

Honestly I’m fine with Lowe, or any other assortment of hitters that will improve this offense. What I want the Mets to understand is that a 26th ranked OPS is not going to cut it, and is not anywhere close to where they need to be. 
 

So I don’t want to hear things like “well Bichette is now adjusted, and if Soto and Lindor stay healthy, plus even more improvement from Benge and Ewing….”  
 

nope. We need better players (multiple), better coaching, better health, better player development, etc. We need all these things in order to be good next year. 

[Benjamin Grimm]

I agree. Good stuff from Bichette, Lindor, Soto, Benge, Ewing will all help, but that can't be enough. Get a real first baseman. Figure out who's going to replace Semien at second base, because that really needs to happen. Add some depth to the position players on the bench. And bring in at least two solid starting pitchers. And, same as every year, rebuild the bullpen.

[Gwreck]

28 minutes ago, Centerfield said:

So I don’t want to hear things like “well Bichette is now adjusted, and if Soto and Lindor stay healthy, plus even more improvement from Benge and Ewing….”  
 

nope. We need better players (multiple)

We can start and stop with needing better players.  Especially because Soto, Lindor, Bichette,* Benge, Ewing, and Alvarez/Torrens already comprise two-thirds of the lineup.  We already know what a team with them looks like.

The other 3 positions, 1B, 2B, and OF/DH all require significant upgrades, full stop.  

[Gwreck]

OPS by position, where the Mets ranked in 2026

C: .676, 20th of 30 teams.

1B: .667, 28th

2B: .628, 27th

3B: .684, 19th

SS: .697, 13th

LF: .793, 4th

CF: .735, 10th

RF: .756, 14th

DH: .688, 20th 

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was curious about how the Mets compared to other teams at first base. 28th was higher than I expected! Which two teams got less production out of first base?

 

 

[Gwreck]

Mariners, .663.  Josh Naylor played 152 games there and was just bad, .667 OPS and -0.2 WAR

Diamondbacks, .636.  Ildemargo Vargas (.675 OPS on the season) played half the games there and the rest by a bunch of guys who hit even less.

[Frayed Knot]

The final report card, Minor movement as you'd tend to expect towards the end of the year and with only 12 days since the last check.

My purpose in starting this way back when was the idea that they HAD to get better, even if only by accident, as the year went on. And, yeah, they did, but certainly not as dramatically or as completely as we hoped. The lengthy absences of Soto and Lindor were a factor but every team has injuries.

 

[Gwreck]

Two big takeaways I have are:

1. I did not expect catcher to be so low.  Since a change there seems unlikely, it just increases the need to upgrade at first/second/DH.

2. Soto only played 67 games in left so that ranking seems even better.  But he also led the Mets in DH appearances which makes that ranking seem even worse.