Mets spring training preview: Five storylines heading into 2025

After an eventful, productive, successful and wildly expensive offseason for the Mets, it’s just about time to see what it all looks like on the field.

The new year begins Monday, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Port St. Lucie, Florida, then Wednesday, when they have their first workout, and then Feb. 17, when the Mets hold their first full-squad workout — Juan Soto and Pete Alonso and all, together as a group for the first time.

Here are five storylines that will help shape the Mets’ coming weeks and months.

Are there any more moves on the way?

Alonso’s return Wednesday on a two-year, $54 million contract — with an opt-out clause after the first season — was the missing piece for the lineup, which now looks like a force. The pitching staff faces more uncertainty, however, raising the question of whether president of baseball operations David Stearns has more additions on deck.

The Mets have been open to major in-camp acquisitions in recent years, most notably with the trade for Chris Bassitt in 2022 and the signing of J.D. Martinez in 2024. If such a move happens this time around, it should be for the kind of frontline starter the Mets lack. Bringing in a starter of that caliber would make them the bona fide NL East favorites.

Their payroll, by the way, has shot all the way up to $325 million, according to estimates from FanGraphs. That is the second-highest total in the majors, behind the Dodgers ($380 million), and well beyond the fourth and highest luxury-tax threshold ($301 million). So if the Mets take on extra salary, there won’t be any additional penalties other than tax. And, well, that’s just money.

How does Alonso feel about his, ahem, interesting offseason?

We probably won’t hear from Alonso until his deal is made official and he reports to spring training. But when he does speak publicly, there should be plenty to digest.

Alonso hired Scott Boras as his agent one year before reaching free agency, and his first experience on the open market did not go the way he had imagined, to say the least. The offseason dragged on for three months before he finally agreed to terms with a team. He seemingly never came close to that nine-figure dream, never mind matching or exceeding what Matt Olson ($168 million) or Freddie Freeman ($162 million) received.

How does he feel about that? And about the modest offers the Mets made? And about potentially trying again next offseason? Alonso is an adult who surely won’t let offseason awkwardness interfere with his work on the field and in the clubhouse, but it still must have stung to learn what the industry thought he was worth.

What is Kodai Senga’s status?

He was an All-Star in 2023 and an injured enigma in 2024, sometimes leaving Mets decision-makers confused about how he felt or when he would pitch. Even though Senga finished the season as an ostensibly healthy player, able to pitch on multiple occasions in the postseason, his agent, Joel Wolfe, in December alluded to him continuing to rehab. (Stearns said then that Senga was healthy.)

In a rotation without a true ace, Senga is perhaps the most important wild card. The Mets need him to not only  be healthy but to repeat or even improve upon his standout rookie year. The first step toward doing so is no February surprises.

How will the Mets handle a glut of infielders?

Aside from some bottom-of-the-roster finagling — a couple of reliever roles, one or two spots in the rotation — there really won’t be much in the form of job competition at Mets camp, barring injuries.

Most notably, with Alonso back at first base and Mark Vientos thus remaining at third, the Mets have a gaggle of players without an obvious major-league spot. Among them: Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio (whose recovery from a torn ACL more than a year ago will be a source of intrigue entering camp).

Maybe a starter or backup gets hurt and a spot in the lineup or on the bench opens. Maybe those guys become trade bait. Maybe they head to Triple-A Syracuse to open the year (which would allow them to work on the vaunted defensive versatility).

Is it really all this easy and good?

The Mets won the offseason, handing out the biggest contract in sports history to Soto and keeping their fan favorite slugger in Alonso, in addition to the supplementary moves. Stearns and owner Steve Cohen appear to be an aligned, strong team. Manager Carlos Mendoza and his entire coaching staff are back.

After so much organizational upheaval over the better part of a decade, the Mets may well be entering an era of stability. At the outset of spring training, the goings-on in Port St. Lucie appear downright tranquil.

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.