Noise is the right word for the New York Mets offseason so far. Not momentum. Not clarity. Just noise. The roster looks different, the payroll math has shifted, and the emotional whiplash of watching Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo leave town has left a fan base split between anger and cautious curiosity.
The Mets did not sit still, though. Devin Williams adds late-inning gravity. Luke Weaver is a legitimate reclamation project. Jorge Polanco brings positional flexibility and switch-hit competence. Marcus Semien is still one of the steadiest infield presences in the sport. None of that erases what walked out the door, but it does suggest intent beyond simple teardown.
Intent, however, does not solve problems by itself. And as Anthony McCarron of SNY outlined, the Mets still have four glaring areas that feel unresolved as the calendar flips toward 2026.
The Missing Ace Still Looms
The Mets rotation is not empty. Kodai Senga can look like a frontline arm when healthy. Sean Manaea, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes are all better than their late-season stat lines suggested. The organization also believes strongly in Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong, a trio that could change the pitching conversation in a year or two.
But October does not wait for projections. The Mets still lack the pitcher who walks to the mound in a playoff series and tilts it. The one who can give you seven or eight dominant innings and quiet a lineup built to do damage.
Free agency still offers names like Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Zac Gallen, but the trade market feels more realistic. Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta would instantly change how opponents game-plan for the Mets. That kind of move does not just upgrade the rotation. It recalibrates expectations.
An Outfield Held Together by One Superstar
Juan Soto covers a lot of sins, but even he cannot play three positions at once. Right now, the Mets outfield depth chart is Soto, Tyrone Taylor, and Carson Benge. That is not a contender’s alignment.
Taylor was exposed offensively in 2025 when given everyday responsibility, and Benge may simply need more time. After moving on from Nimmo and losing Jose Siri and Cedric Mullins, the Mets created a vacuum they have not yet filled.
Interest in Cody Bellinger, Austin Hays, and other free agents makes sense. So does poking around on Luis Robert Jr. trades. What does not make sense is entering 2026 pretending Taylor is a locked-in regular. At least one impact bat is non-negotiable here.
A Bullpen That Needs More Than Hope
Williams and Weaver help, no question. But Edwin Diaz is gone, and so are Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley, Gregory Soto, and others who quietly soaked up important innings.
The Mets have leaned into minor-league deals, betting on spring training breakouts. That is fine as a supplement. It cannot be the plan. Depth wins championships, and right now the Mets bullpen feels thin beneath its top layer.
There is still time. But the urgency should be real.
First Base Cannot Be a Leap of Faith
Jorge Polanco playing first base is intriguing. It is also risky. Defense matters there, and if the experiment struggles, the Mets need an escape hatch.
McCarron floated Paul Goldschmidt as a possibility, a veteran who still crushes lefties and stabilizes the infield. Eugenio Suarez offers another path, bouncing between first and third while lengthening the lineup.
Either move would acknowledge reality. Versatility is valuable, but contingency plans matter just as much.
The Mets are not broken. They are unfinished. Whether this offseason ends up remembered as bold or misguided depends on what they do next, not what they have already done.