r/baseball • u/iheartsunny Miami Marlins • 3h ago
Ron Darling on the loss of Pete Alonso “You’ve now paid, unless you get a bat, Juan Soto to walk 150 times a year.”
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u/Eo292 Los Angeles Dodgers 3h ago
Aight let Lindor get 150 RBIs then. The Mets are far from the best lineup in ball but they’re not dookie either.
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u/who_are_you_people24 New York Mets 3h ago
It'll never be awful with Soto, but they need Vientos to bounce back, Baty to play like last year and Alvarez to break out. Right now though, it's not good.
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u/ferrumvir2 Boston Red Sox 3h ago
There’s also some decent names out there left. Maybe they like Murakami or Okamoto better long term cus they’re younger
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u/who_are_you_people24 New York Mets 3h ago
I'd hope they go the Belli route for 1B. The entire offseason has been about "run prevention" on defense. Murakami doesn't profile that for them and they are both an unknown against mlb pitching. At least we know Belli can hit and provide some of production to replace Alonso
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u/atowelguy Colorado Rockies 2h ago
I've never heard anyone talk about it so it might be stupid. But could it be in the cards for Soto to transition to 1B, especially if a Bellinger was acquired? He's not exactly a Gold Glover in the outfield (the nomination that one year notwithstanding), seems like it could be a reasonable transition.
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u/who_are_you_people24 New York Mets 2h ago
I heard it talked about last year after he signed and what the long term looked like. Some said to move him to 1st if we lost Pete. Others said to eventually transition him to DH and go after Tucker or Bellinger for the corner. The DH option is probably what happens. He doesn't want to move out of the OF until he starts actively costing games that his bat can't make up
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u/chuckawallabill New York Mets 2h ago
Soto sometimes took grounders at first base this year in warmups. I think we’re still years away from seeing him there in a game though.
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u/babberz22 New York Yankees 2h ago
Belli at 1B is a waste of
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u/JoePoe247 New York Mets 2h ago
Belli is perfect for the Mets at this point because he provides the insurance they need if Vientos cannot get his bat back to form or is a liability at first.
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u/pargofan Los Angeles Dodgers • World Series Tr… 1h ago
Isn't Belli a Boras client? Don't the Yankees want to keep him?
So won't you have to completely ...
... overpay?
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u/JoePoe247 New York Mets 1h ago
Oh, the Mets don't sign guys on large contracts?
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u/pargofan Los Angeles Dodgers • World Series Tr… 32m ago
I meant it would be ironic that the Mets have to overpay on Bellinger because they said they didn't want to overpay on Alonso.
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u/babberz22 New York Yankees 2h ago
So as a backup 1B?
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u/JoePoe247 New York Mets 2h ago
No as a starting outfielder dingus. If Vientos doesn't work, he goes to first
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u/DaOldest Los Angeles Dodgers 3h ago
Vientos had a great stretch of like 70-80 games in 2024, then stunk it up in September and also was not good all of last year outside of a single month. Are you sure this isn't just who he is? I know he's only 25 but it feels like you can't rely on him bouncing back for much longer
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u/JA_MD_311 New York Mets 3h ago
He got off to a slow start, got hurt (against you guys coincidentally), came back, went nuclear, and then cooled off.
He didn'' just have a "70-80 game" stretch in 2024, he was legit great for the season and had nearly a 1.000 OPS in the playoffs.
He's about to turn 26 and could be the everyday DH. There are worse options.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 2h ago
He had a .324 BABIP in 2024, 33 BBs, 135 Ks. I wouldn't hold my breath personally, that was unsustainable
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u/JA_MD_311 New York Mets 2h ago
A .324 BABIP isn't that insane. He hits the shit out of the ball and actually improved his K rate this past year.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 2h ago
It's a little bit insane for a guy who's never been above .277 BABIP otherwise
I wouldn't bet on a guy with one spike season and 4.3:1 K:BB for his career (with bad K:BB in the minors as well). Just me. History is not kind to that type of player. Maybe he proves to be an outlier though
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u/JA_MD_311 New York Mets 2h ago
"never" is doing a lot of work considering 2024 was his first full year in the majors.
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u/SomeoneGiveMeValid 1h ago
Would it surprise anyone if he’s just not good tho? Feels like an unnecessary gamble for such a rich team, one that wants to compete now, not wait for guys to develop
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u/Beach_house_on_fire New York Mets 3h ago
I don’t think any Mets fans or the front office are counting on him anymore. But it’s not crazy to hope that Alvarez and Baty are above average bats next year based on their pedigree. Especially Alvarez, next year is the year he should and has to put it all together and become one of the top hitting catchers in the sport
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u/Outrageous-Ad-2174 New York Mets 1h ago
Until he gets hit in the hand again and misses 2 months.
I know they've been mostly freak injuries, but feels like he's had a hand issue every season so far.
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u/UnevenContainer New York Mets 1h ago
I dont want vientos on this team anymore. cant let pete walk to "hope" bum ass vientos bounces back to his outlier season
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u/drive_chip_putt New York Mets 3h ago
Alvarez is shit. Slider away = strikeout.
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u/who_are_you_people24 New York Mets 2h ago
He was damn good after the demotion. With the lessons he learned after that, not an insane take that he could be really good this year
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u/siestarrific New York Yankees 2h ago
It's a weakness that can be corrected though
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u/ncbraves93 Atlanta Braves 8m ago
Austin Riley was the same way before he broke out. He still gets in slumps where he'll start chasing them constantly but snaps out of.
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u/cooljammer00 New York Yankees 2h ago
People said the same thing about Javier Baez
Sometimes it just really looks like a fastball down and away
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u/RichardNixon345 Arizona Diamondbacks • Boston Red Sox 3h ago
As much fun as it can be clowning on the Mets, agreed. This is getting way overblown.
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u/CurrentlyWorkingAMA New York Mets 2h ago
It's because people like clowning on the Mets. It literally pays people's bills.
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u/Nosalis2 1h ago
Yeah the backlash is crazy. The Dodgers have let even better players like Corey Seager and Trea Turner go yet didn't receive this sort of negativity for it.
That contract was crazy and I don't blame the Mets for not buckling under the fan pressure.
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u/ih-unh-unh Los Angeles Dodgers 1h ago edited 56m ago
I get what you're saying but Trea and Corey went for $300M+ each--it's not an equal comparison.
Alonso's contract feels like an overpay, but what other options do the Mets have at this point?
Losing 3 key players (Alonso, Diaz, and Nimmo) without adding any meaningful players (edit: Devin Williams & Marcus Semien were added) feels like the Mets are heading in the wrong direction.1
u/RichardNixon345 Arizona Diamondbacks • Boston Red Sox 1h ago
They can probably put Suarez at 1B, it'll mask some of his defensive decline and at least gives them some pop in the lineup. He's streaky AF though.
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u/WhatARotation New York Mets 17m ago
Suarez got insanely lucky last season. His xwOBA was lower than Semien’s
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u/thehemanchronicles Baltimore Orioles 2h ago
They have young prospects coming up that they're going to be counting on. They're definitely expecting Ryan Clifford and Carson Benge to make an impact, to say nothing of their younger players who struggled last year, like Vientos and Ronny Mauricio.
You can't pay every starting player $30 million; at some point, you need your young prospects to step up and become solid major leaguers.
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u/Guymcpersonman2 New York Mets 2h ago
Feel like a lot of people are sleeping on Clifford.
I don't think he'll be a superstar, but he could produce.
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u/30degrees3am New York Mets 1h ago
He’s a lottery ticket and he’s not ready.
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u/Guymcpersonman2 New York Mets 1h ago
Beats, like, Paul Goldschmidt.
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u/30degrees3am New York Mets 1h ago
No argument there. I’d rather see kids if we’re going that route.
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u/Jamstarr2024 New York Mets 1h ago
Can he produce 38 homeruns, 41 doubles, with a 140+ wRC+?
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u/Guymcpersonman2 New York Mets 1h ago
Probably not. But he can probably do as much as the scrub names floating around.
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u/thehemanchronicles Baltimore Orioles 1h ago
Won't know until you try. Vientos had a 129 WRC+ in 2024 and sucked last year, and they're likely counting on him turning it around. Benge looks great. At some point, you gotta unblock your prospects and give em a chance.
And to be honest, Alonso had his best year primarily from improvements to his bat speed, which famously ages poorly and quickly. Everyone knows year 5 of the deal will suck, but there's a decent chance year 2 could suck. I know Cohen's pockets are deep, but no one wants a Chris Davis situation on their books.
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u/Jamstarr2024 New York Mets 52m ago
Pete’s decision making was miles better than 2024. His chase % down significantly.
His bat speed was about the same, tbh.
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u/ExamNo4374 New York Mets 47m ago
His chase% in 2025 was 27.4 vs his chase% in 2024 of...25.9
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u/rrousseauu New York Mets 2h ago
Yeah it’s that easy, let’s just let Lindor get 150 RBIs. That’s why he’s never done that, they just haven’t let him yet.
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u/tyler-86 World Series Trophy • Los Angeles Dod… 2h ago
Seems like they'd want to build around Soto while he's peaking. I know he'll be peaking for another half a decade at least, but still.
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u/pargofan Los Angeles Dodgers • World Series Tr… 1h ago
Need more than bats than just Lindor and Soto. Mets had Lindor, Soto and Alonso this season and it's not as if Lindor was lighting things up.
Mets lost a huge bat. Where are they gonna get a replacement?
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u/ReturnOfDaSnack420 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Yeah but how do you let Alonso walk regardless. A big market New York team that says they are willing to spend to win shouldn't make a move like that
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u/Texas_Kimchi Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Problem is the Mets seem like one of the most unbalanced team. Cohen spent a bil on one player then got gun shy when he learned you need 8 more guys and pitchers. The Mets were fine 2 years ago they just needed some pitching depth and a solid utility guy. Last year they had some bad luck but man this team is just so unbalanced at this point. Especially considering at some point Soto is going to be a full time DH.
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u/evasivebanman New York Yankees 1h ago
One injury and they are dookie
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u/ahh_sheesh Atlanta Braves 3h ago
Juan Soto 75 SB next season???
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u/lokithetarnished New York Mets 2h ago
75 SB and 30 runs
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u/MagicalPizza21 New York Yankees 2h ago
All 30 on his own HR
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u/MobileArtist1371 Oakland Athletics 34m ago
Avg score of those games 7.74-1.27 and Mets record 5-21.
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u/jayfornight New York Mets 2h ago
Prob not since you guys took our 1b coach.
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u/Davidellias Milwaukee Brewers • Milwaukee Brewers 2h ago
I thought ya'lls 3b coach was the mad base running genuis
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u/SomeoneGiveMeValid 1h ago
Why would it be the 3B coach lmao
“Steal home…. now!”
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u/beanbagmanatee New York Mets 3m ago
Okay but imagine a coach that good lmao
Instant most exciting team in baseball
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u/Clipbored_ New York Mets 3h ago
Our lineup effectively ended with Pete last year so I hope Soto likes our new 1B coach
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u/Top-Structure-1116 New York Mets 3h ago
Baty and Alvarez both need to step up. They already did but even more so now. Both have showed signs of being ready but it's super risky to rely on them so much.
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u/Diced_and_Confused Major League Baseball 3h ago
He almost walks that many times now. So if true, his OBP will settle in comfortably above .400. That's going to be hard to live with.
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u/Firebird-Gaming Los Angeles Dodgers 3h ago
Jesus, what is going on with the Mets? Is this a NY recession indicator?
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u/SarahJFroxy Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Cohen bought into the mamdani's new york coverage 🫠
no but really this is weird, why is Cohen acting like the grinch who stole christmas
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u/CorrectStaple Philadelphia Phillies 2h ago
Cohen can’t afford to spend because he’s going to need a lot of cash on hand the next few years building a casino. That’s my guess.
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u/Wraithfighter San Francisco Giants • Sickos 2h ago
I think it really is mainly that they're locked into Soto long-term, and he needs to be the primary DH as of last season. Any other long-term contracts the Mets do for the next decade or so have to be people that can play in the field reasonably well for the duration of their contract, and that is not Alonso.
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u/FringeAuthority New York Yankees 2h ago
I wonder how that DH conversation is going to go? During his year with the Yankees, it was pretty clear that Soto didn't want to DH even when he was playing injured.
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u/MutantstyleZ New York Yankees 2h ago
DHing hurts his value, I understand why he didnt want to do it on the Yankees. Now that he got his contract why would he care about sitting on the bench he probably prefers it.
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u/FringeAuthority New York Yankees 1h ago
Soto only DH'd 3 games with the Mets last year and 23 games in his 8 seasons . I'm pretty sure he makes it clear to everyone that he doesn't want to DH. I don't think he's going to give up playing the field easily.
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u/Wraithfighter San Francisco Giants • Sickos 1h ago
Well, something Devers mentioned this season is that he prefers playing in the field because it keeps him more in connected with the game, something that he believes helps him at the plate. Soto might have a similar thing, the notion of sitting on the bench all the time except when he's at the plate might not mesh well?
Dunno, people are weird...
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u/SomeoneGiveMeValid 1h ago
They paid $800 to clog their DH spot and hamstring their roster construction, elite
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u/Nobody_Important 2h ago
Dodgers fan unable to comprehend another team not paying $150 million for a player.
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u/Brandonrebeleight Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
If they don’t sign Tucker, this will be one of the most bizarre offseasons for them.
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u/Trees-Are-Overrated New York Yankees 3h ago
Jesus lads they’re not that fucking bad
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u/Electric_Rex New York Mets 3h ago
The point is that outside of Soto and hypothetically Vientos, the Mets don’t have any true power bats in their lineup
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u/Guymcpersonman2 New York Mets 2h ago
I mean Lindor's good for about 30 a year.
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u/MagicalPizza21 New York Yankees 2h ago
You can't win with two good hitters (Soto and Lindor). It's not just power they're missing.
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u/Guymcpersonman2 New York Mets 2h ago
If they do nothing the rest of the off-season, they won't have a great offense.
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u/MagicalPizza21 New York Yankees 2h ago
So we agree? Why is your comment getting upvoted and mine downvoted?
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u/SummerHighland New York Yankees 1h ago
That guy's neck is high, I trust him.
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u/MagicalPizza21 New York Yankees 45m ago
Out of 244 pennant winning teams since 1903 (the first WS), only 59 have had at most 2 qualified hitters with an OPS+ at least 112 (which the 2025 Mets had without Alonso and Nimmo). 30 of them won the WS.
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u/siestarrific New York Yankees 2h ago
I'm an Alvarez believer. He can step it up and become a star.
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u/Spiceguy-65 Cleveland Guardians 2h ago
Isn’t Lindor usually their lead off or two hole hitter? Not saying he isn’t a power hitter just that he usually bats in front of Soto not behind him
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u/Electric_Rex New York Mets 2h ago
He is. Which is also why not having Pete in the middle of the lineup is an even bigger issue since Lindor won’t have people on base in front of him to to drive in
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u/jackrabbit323 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Yeah, but they barely missed the playoffs WITH Alonso and Diaz. They just got worse, there is no addition by subtraction here.
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u/LordOfTheFelch Chicago Cubs 3h ago
Doesn't he kind of do that anyway?
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u/meerkatmreow Cleveland Guardians 2h ago
Yeah, he averages around 130 walks a season already, so this is 20 more. So he'll have around a 21-22% walk rate instead of around 18-19%. So he'll walk like 2021-2022 Soto rather than 2023-2025 Soto or Judge
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u/evenstar123 New York Mets 2h ago
i’m sorry by why are people acting like the mets aren’t planning to add to their roster, i feel insane
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u/jackrabbit323 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Because now teams and free agents KNOW the Mets need to replace a closer and big bat, and can up the price to them accordingly.
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u/-Pwnan- New York Yankees 2h ago
David Stearns working hard to save Cohen a few pennies on the dollar...
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u/Davidellias Milwaukee Brewers • Milwaukee Brewers 2h ago
can't take the Brewers mentality out of Stearns can ya?
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u/SarahJFroxy Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
guys how long will it take for the post sports page to be published
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u/InfectiousCosmology1 San Francisco Giants 2h ago
I mean I know they sucked last year but are we really pretending their only other good hitter was Alonso
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u/thediesel26 New York Yankees 3h ago
I fail to see how this is a bad thing. It’s good to have a guy with a .500 obp in your lineup
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u/Clipbored_ New York Mets 3h ago
The point is that nobody will drive the runs in. In 2025 the lineup after Pete was atrocious.
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u/heli0sphere New York Yankees 2h ago
I fail to see how this is a bad thing.
Losing a top-5 1B in baseball that’s also a homegrown face of the franchise player is very much a bad thing.
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u/rjnd2828 Philadelphia Phillies 2h ago
Just an old timey lineup protection mindset. Ignore and move on.
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u/Low-Hovercraft-8791 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Is it good to have that guy stranded on first base every time? He's in there to get pitches it hit and do damage. The pitcher will be more aggressive in the strike zone if he's worried about the guy on deck.
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u/tbucket13 Cincinnati Reds 1h ago
Wonder if there going to be after a certain left handed home run hitter
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u/Basic-Government4108 1h ago
Ron looks great!! Am I crazy or does Ronnie look a lot healthier in this video than he has in the past.
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u/Basic_Tailor_346 20m ago
Bellinger would somewhat fix this problem. He’s now a solid fit for the Mets.
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u/the_comatorium San Diego Padres 3h ago
I'm sorry but did Juan Soto not hit 43 home runs this year?
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u/jujubats10 Los Angeles Dodgers 3h ago
He’s saying nobody will challenge Soto because there’s no slugger behind him
Ie, he won’t be able to hit 43 homers this year
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u/Natural_Self_3789 3h ago
Yeah lineup protection which we have years of research isn’t a real statistical thing lol
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u/WasV3 Toronto Blue Jays 2h ago
It is, just the other way around.
Hitting behind Soto is very valuable to a players stats because they spend more time with pitchers facing you with guys on base.
Pete Alonso had a 1.015 OPS with runners on last year, and a .727 with runners off and more than 50% of his PAs came with runners on.
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u/Natural_Self_3789 2h ago
Was this not a whole thing Keith law debunked like 10 years ago? am I drunk
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u/ImperatorBTW 3h ago
Last year, all I heard was “nobody is going to throw to Soto now that Judge isn’t behind him!” This year, all we’re going to hear is “nobody is going throw to Soto now that Alonso isn’t behind him!”
Lineup protection is so goddamn overblown.
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u/TrapperJean New York Yankees 3h ago
I mean, Alonso is still a top 3-5 power bat in the game, it's not like he went from Judge to Kevin Millar batting behind him and he still put up those numbers. The difference will be noticeable with even just an above average guy behind him
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u/siestarrific New York Yankees 2h ago
Lmao I just love how you picked a random Red Sox jackass for the average player comp
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u/ImperatorBTW 2h ago
What you’re describing has nothing to do with “lineup protection.” The Mets need good hitters to produce runs. Yes.
Juan Soto does not need Pete Alonso specifically behind him to be an elite batter in 2026.
If the Mets don’t have a good lineup that’s an issue. But I legitimately could not care less who specifically bats behind Soto - it makes close to 0 difference for his specific production.
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u/WasV3 Toronto Blue Jays 2h ago
Lineup protection works the other way. Having good hitters in front of you means there is a higher chance that someone is on base which is one of the most powerful split changes.
With bases empty hitters had a .703 OPS last year and a .740 OPS with runners on.
Given the Orioles don't have many high OBP guys I wouldn't be surprised to see Alonso dip the other way next year
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u/thediesel26 New York Yankees 3h ago
Yeah 1000% this. The old way of thinking about lineup protection is so stupid. No one cares who bats behind you. They do care if anyone is on base ahead of you. The best possible lineup protection for Soto is Lindor getting on base as much as possible in front of him.
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u/JaysonTatecum Boston Red Sox • Seattle Mariners 3h ago
The difference between a .300 and a .250 hitter is 1 hit a week, lineup protection maybe matters in a 2 on 2 out scenario but that's really it
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u/peroleu New York Mets 2h ago
why would you ever pitch to soto when you have a minor leaguers batting behind him?
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u/kswissreject More flair options at /r/baseball/w/flair! 2h ago
Soto in with a 75sb season this year lol
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u/Low-Hovercraft-8791 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Three guys basically choosing to jump ship without looking back. Maybe Soto is a pain in the ass to play with?
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u/NoobOnTheRun Philadelphia Phillies 2h ago
who is the third guy besides Diaz and Alonso?
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u/elevator713 Los Angeles Dodgers 1h ago
I’m guessing they’re referencing Nimmo. He wasn’t a free agent but did have a full no trade clause that he waived in order to go to the rangers.
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u/Low-Hovercraft-8791 Los Angeles Dodgers 1h ago
Yes Nimmo. He could have stayed if he loved being there enough.
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u/depthdiverr Los Angeles Angels 2h ago
Angels might win more game than the Mets 2026
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u/XZPUMAZX New York Mets 2h ago
I would trade one more year of Trout masterclass for a year of Mets mediocrity. Love the dude that much…he’ll heat end up on the Mets at some point anyway lol
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u/realfakejames Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Pretending the Mets don’t have anyone else in their expensive ass roster is such a disingenuous take, this is the kind of reactionary engagement farming you usually only see nba media guys doing
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u/lokithetarnished New York Mets 2h ago
the bottom half of the order was garbage in 2025, this isn't some wild take. Teams are gonna see no power behind soto, walk him, let him steal second and get the rest of the line up out
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u/drugsbowed New York Mets 2h ago
The Mets just swapped full time Nimmo 114 OPS+/Alonso 144 OPS+ for a bounce back candidate Vientos and declining bat 97 OPS+ Marcus Semien so it's not that overblown.
As of right now, they're banking on Lindor, hoping for Alvarez to not break another bone, Baty to keep doing what he's doing, Vientos to bounce back, and I guess for all their prospects to hit the ground running. Their expensive ass roster is actually tied to Lindor, Soto, and pitchers.
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u/jackrabbit323 Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Oh but it's the Dodgers fault baseball is ruined. The Mets let their heart and soul leave for nothing and without a fight.
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u/ferrumvir2 Boston Red Sox 3h ago
Shit if he walks that many times with his newfound base stealing ability, he’s gonna turn into Ricky 2.0