New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (back) was on pace to play 162 games last season before going down with an injury in September. Head coach Carlos Mendoza was asked if Lindor would have rest days throughout the season because of the back issue. It doesn't sound like that is the plan right now as Lindor himself said the MLB does a good job of scheduling off days, so he doesn't sound like he'll need additional time. Fantasy managers should expect Lindor to be ready to go for the beginning of the season. He has played over 150 games in each of the last three seasons, so fantasy managers should expect more of the same in 2025.

According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, New York Mets outfielders Starling Marte and Jesse Winker are set to platoon at the designated hitter spot to open the season. Castillo noted that Marte could see occasional starts in right field. As a result, Marte will be on the short side of the platoon, given that he is the right-handed bat. Last season, the 36-year-old posted a .269/.327/.388 line with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases. However, when facing left-handed pitchers, Marte was quite effective as he posted a strong .310/.384/.460 line. Winker resigned with the Mets on a one-year contract earlier this offseason. Facing right-handers, Winker held a .258/.366/.422 slash line. As a result, both players will have limited values in fantasy, given that they will share playing time. However, both could be valuable in deeper NL-only formats, especially in daily lineup leagues.

New York Mets right-hander Tylor Megill added a two-seam sinker last year to keep hitters from consistently looking away for his four-seam fastball and slider. It was a big reason why he was nails down the stretch last year for the Mets, when he posted a 2.32 ERA in six late-season starts (all wins). This offseason, Megill worked to improve his curveball to make it tighter and more of a weapon in two-strike counts. Eventually, it could replace his sweeper, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon and Tim Britton. The 29-year-old used his cutter 14.3% of the time last year, but he doesn't plan to throw it as much in 2025. "Use my strengths. My fastball is my strength," Megill said. "The fastball statistically, I should have used it a lot more." Because he has minor-league options left, Megill might be fighting an uphill battle for a rotation spot out of spring training.

New York Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn (back), who required surgery in October of last year to fix a leak around his spinal cord, is a little bit behind the rest of the team's pitching at the start of spring training, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon and Tim Britton. Blackburn will be competing primarily with Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill for the sixth and final spot in New York's starting rotation to begin the year. Canning and Blackburn have the advantage over Megill because they don't have any minor-league options remaining, but Blackburn's back injury could hurt his chances. The 31-year-old make only five starts for the Mets in the second half after they acquired him from the A's at the trade deadline, and he stumbled to a 5.18 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 24 1/3 innings. Blackburn has never thrown more than 111 1/3 innings in the big leagues and could be a piggyback option even if he wins a rotation spot.

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz told club officials that this is the best he's ever felt, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon and Tim Britton. "I made sure my arm was ready to go," Daz said. "And I feel great." Diaz wasn't able to have a normal offseason last year after missing the entire 2023 campaign due to a knee injury, and his arm wasn't exactly ready in 2024. Heading into his age-31 season, he can opt out of his contract with the Mets after this year. Beyond 2025, Diaz is guaranteed two years and $38 million. Diaz didn't exactly look like his pre-injury self last year and also missed time with a shoulder injury, but he did have a 38.9 percent strikeout rate, which was slightly down from his 40.1 percent career mark. Another year removed from his knee injury and while closing games for one of the best teams in baseball on paper, Diaz is an elite fantasy closer.