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The Mets enter the 2025 MLB season not only as playoff contenders, but as a team that is viewed as one of the very best in baseball.

It's been a huge leap over the last year for a franchise that began the 2024 campaign with legitimate hope that they were turning things around, but not much in the way of postseason expectations.

In last season's version of this story, I predicted that the Mets would win 86 games (they exceeded that mark by three wins) and nab the third Wild Card spot in the National League (which they did).

But even the most optimistic prognosticators had to be surprised at how far the 2024 Mets went, as they caught fire in the second half of the season, rode an incredible wave into the playoffs, took out the Brewers in the Wild Card Series on the back of the most dramatic home run in franchise history, ousted the Phillies in four games in the NLDS, and ultimately fell to the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in six games in the NLCS.

Because of the way the Mets finished last season, and the pixie dust that seemed to be sprinkled on them as they made their remarkable run, it had to be tempting for David Stearns and Co. to keep much of that group together.

But while the Mets re-signed some of the players whose contributions were huge last season (including Pete Alonso,Sean Manaea, and Jesse Winker), others are now playing elsewhere (Luis Severino, Jose Iglesias, Jose Quintana).

Of course, the biggest move the Mets made this past offseason also happened to be the most seismic one they've ever made: the signing of Juan Soto.

Along with Soto and a big chunk of players who were part of the 2024 squad, a new cast of characters including Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, and Jose Siri will try to help New York not only get back to the playoffs, but be the last team standing at its conclusion.

Without further ado, here is our preview and prediction for the 2025 season...

What the Mets have going for them

After scoring the sixth-most runs in baseball last season, the Mets will return the bulk of that lineup while also adding Soto -- who had a .178 OPS+ last year while smacking a career-high 41 homers, driving in 109, and scoring a career-best 128 runs.

To say that the top of New York's lineup with Francisco Lindor at No. 1 and Soto at No. 2 is dynamic would be an understatement. But it doesn't stop there.

A returning Alonso (who will be looking to cash in after the season) along with Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo should provide serious punch in the middle of the lineup. Meanwhile, Winker and Starling Marte (who could split DH duties) and Jose Siri add pop to the lower half.

Two X-factors for the offense could be Francisco Alvarez (who is out until the end of April or a bit longer) and Brett Baty (who will begin the year as the regular second baseman in Jeff McNeil's absence).

The Mets should also have a very strong bullpen, which is a big step up from where they started last season. Anchored byEdwin Diaz, there are a plethora of arms that not only possess big-time stuff but the ability to pitch in the late innings.

That list includes Minter, Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett, and Dedniel Núñez (who should be ready to contribute soon). And if high-upside, multi-inning options Jose Butto and Max Kranick excel, New York's bullpen could be elite.

The biggest question mark is the rotation, which will be led by Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson early as Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas work their way back from injuries.

But while the starting staff will have a lot of pressure on it until Manaea returns (perhaps at the end of April) and Montas is back (in May or June), the strength the Mets possess elsewhere should allow them to persevere through any potential early hiccups in the rotation.

Even though most of the focus is rightfully on the players who broke camp on the big league club, it's impossible to ignore the fact that a handful of truly impact prospects could contribute in a big way this season -- potentially as early as the first half.

Names to watch there are right-handed pitchers Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, and Blade Tidwell, infielder Ronny Mauricio, and outfielder Drew Gilbert.

There's also a chance infielder/center fielder Jett Williams debuts in 2025.

The Mets will make the playoffs if...

If they stay relatively healthy and the starting rotation is at least average, the Mets should find themselves in October.

And if the rotation excels and/or gets a jolt by Sproat and/or McLean, New York could be headed for its first NL East title since 2015.

Something else to note here is that if serious reinforcements are needed around the trade deadline, Stearns and the front office are now in a spot where they'll likely be more than willing to part with some serious prospect capital in order to acquire it -- whether that's an impact starting pitcher or something else.

Most of these Mets can also draw on the experience of last year's battle for the playoffs and ensuing run, so they should be well-equipped to handle a tight race.

Also a plus is the steady Carlos Mendoza, who had the same demeanor, guiding hand, and communication skills for every day of last season in what was his first year as manager -- from 0-5 to Game 6 in Los Angeles.

The Mets will miss the playoffs if...

For every team, there's always a chance that injuries could derail a season. For a team as deep as the Mets, though, it would take a rash of lengthy injuries to top contributors in the lineup and the pitching staff.

If not injuries, the Mets could also be doomed by how ridiculously deep the National League is -- especially compared to the relatively weak American League.

For someone ranking the 10 best teams in baseball, it wouldn't be crazy to list seven NL teams (the Mets, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Cubs) among them. It's also possible the Brewers are formidable again and the Reds take a step forward, which would set up a serious battle for the six playoff spots.

It is not impossible to envision a scenario where the Mets win 90 games and miss the playoffs, though it should be pointed out that every team that has won 90 games or more since the third Wild Card in each league was added has made the postseason.

Final record and playoff prediction

94-68
Second place in NL East
First Wild Card spot

The Mets will come close to winning the division, but the Braves will eke that out, leaving New York as the top Wild Card team.

New York will oust the Phillies in the Wild Card Series and take out the loaded Dodgers in the NLDS.

But the Mets' season will again end one step shy of the World Series, as they will fall to the Braves in the NLCS.

How Giants newcomer Koss locked up Opening Day roster spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — Christian Koss was 14 years old when Buster Posey hit a grand slam off Cincinnati Reds right-hander Mat Latos in the 2012 NLDS, but he still remembers exactly where he was. He remembers where he was for Barry Bonds’ record-breaking homers, too. 

Koss was born in Riverside, grew up in Southern California and went to UC Irvine. His friends all cheered for the Dodgers or Angels, but the Koss family was an outlier. 

“It was tough,” he said, laughing. “I always loved orange growing up.”

The family was drawn to the team’s colors, and it certainly helped that Koss spent his childhood watching Bonds and then a dynasty. On Tuesday, his family found out that it’s safe to purchase a lot more orange clothing.

Koss was the big surprise on the Opening Day roster. He had a big spring, but he was in camp as a 27-year-old non-roster invitee who seemingly was blocked on the roster. He bats right-handed, which made the left-handed Brett Wisely and Grant McCray cleaner fits.

But the Giants went with Koss and fellow right-handed hitter Casey Schmitt. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said he’s not worried about the imbalance; the focus was on putting together the best roster, and both Schmitt and Koss bring a lot to the table.

“I think both of those guys give you nice versatility,” Posey said. “Schmitt is obviously great against left-handed pitching but as the spring went along I thought his at-bats against right-handed pitchers got a lot better. He defends well. Koss, the same thing, (plus) the versatility to play multiple positions on the infield. You probably could throw him in the outfield if you need to — he’s just that type of player. 

“He’s another one for me that I watched this spring that just carried himself with such a confidence at short or third or wherever he was playing. He’s just to me is the epitome of a baseball player and will go and do anything you ask him to do. We’re excited he’s on the team.” 

Koss had a .426 on-base percentage while looking comfortable all over the dirt this spring. He played outfield in winter ball and said he even has played first base in the past. The Giants view him as a strong baserunner, and initially that could be how he gets a lot of time late in games. The simple swing should be easily maintained as a bench player.  

“He made an impression from Day 1,” manager Bob Melvin said. “The style of play that we want to play, he embodies it.” 

Melvin delivered the news before Tuesday’s exhibition, and he said the Giants made a production of the whole thing. Koss later got to tell his parents and wife, who will be at Great American Ball Park this weekend, along with his two-year-old daughter. 

Koss said there were a lot of tears. Then the focus turned to travel logistics and preparing for his Major League Baseball debut.

“I don’t think it has really set in yet,” he said, smiling. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Alex Rodriguez on Yankee beards, Juan Soto and who will be in 2025 World Series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Alex Rodriguez says umpires stink.

No, not at calling balls and strikes. They smell, just like sweaty baseball players.

So, A-Rod is going to bat for umps in his latest commercial for Lysol Laundry Sanitizer that debuted on Opening Day.    

“Bacteria and sweat can lead to seriously stinky clothes, which I can attest as a player,” Rodriguez recently told NBC Local. “So, umpires get stinky, and we come in and help out.”

A-Rod’s World Series prediction

Those umpires are back behind the plate across the country today with the Major League Baseball season officially getting underway. How it ends this fall could come as a surprise if Rodriguez’s prediction plays out, with one team reaching the World Series for the first time in over 40 years.

“The one thing I will not sleep on is the Baltimore Orioles,” said Rodriguez, who hit 696 career home runs, the fifth most in MLB history. “The Baltimore Orioles I think can win 100 games. In many ways, everyone is talking about the Yankees and the Red Sox, but I think the Orioles have a chance to be the head of the class in the American League.”

The Orioles are not far removed from a triple-digit victory season, having gone 101-61 in 2023 for their winningest season since 1979. They followed that up with a 91-win campaign last year. But each season ended without a single postseason victory, with the O’s having been swept in the 2023 ALDS and 2024 Wild Card Series. Rodriguez believes that will change this season.

“I’m a big, big believer in continuity,” he said. “So, they’re a young team, think about them like they’re almost like juniors or seniors in college now, but they’ve come together. Freshman year, they came out and made a big splash. Sophomore year is always the toughest, plus they had a tough injury with their closer. I think this year they have new ownership, they have good mojo, they have continuity.”

Rodriguez’s pick for the Orioles’ opponent in the Fall Classic comes as no surprise. He expects the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to once again reach the World Series, comparing the dominance of the team to a young Tiger Woods.

“Reminds me a little bit of when Tiger was in his prime, where it was Tiger against the field,” Rodriguez said. “I feel it’s the Dodgers against the field.”

Yankees with beards?!

The field includes the defending American League champion New York Yankees, who lost Juan Soto in free agency and Gerrit Cole to injury, but added Cody Bellinger and Max Fried.  

“For them it’s just play par golf, just move on to live another day,” Rodriguez said. “Look to get healthy and hot at the right time in the summer, kind of leading into the fall, just play really, really strong fundamental baseball. I think one of the things Brian Cashman did a really good job of is addressing some of their liabilities, which kind of all came together in that fifth inning of Game 5 — which is a bit of a lack of fundamentals, lack of focus on those details. I think they’re really much better off going into this year, and then when the time is right, I’m sure they have the resources to go out and plug and play whatever they need at the deadline.”

And those players will be permitted to have a beard. The Yankees lifted their long-standing facial-hair policy that limited players to having nothing more than a mustache.

“I was surprised,” Rodriguez said, joking it would not have impacted him as a player because he’s unsuccessfully been trying to grow a beard for 30 years.

“It was wild pivot for the organization, a rule that had been on there since 1973 when George Steinbrenner acquired the team,” he said. “Give them credit, they’re fluid, they’re willing to change, they’re not just married to whatever the past was.”

Clean-shaven faces are now part of that past – as is Soto.

Advice for Juan Soto

The 26-year-old signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown rival New York Mets. Rodriguez also changed teams as a marquee free agent at the height of his career when he left the Seattle Mariners for the Texas Rangers in 2001 at the age of 25.

“What advice would I give him? I think slow and steady wins the race,” Rodriguez said. “Don’t try to get all [15] years done in one at bat or one month. But I think he’s really well positioned. I think he has perfect training. He’s been around a little bit, he’s already been a world champion, he’s already been to another World Series, he played in New York, he understands the media market, which is one of the biggest and toughest challenges of New York, he’s already done that very, very well. So, take your time, be patient and play the long game.”

What does he think Soto saw in the Mets that convinced him to change New York boroughs?

“I think Alex and Steve Cohen are very compelling owners,” Rodriguez said. “They have a really big vision, they have tremendous resources, they’re avid, avid enormous Mets fans. They’ve been partners with the Mets now for over a decade. Usually when Steve Cohen wants something, he gets it. And I’m sure he made a really strong compelling argument of why Juan Soto’s career was better with the Mets than the Yankees.”

Soto returns to Yankee Stadium for his first game as a member of the Mets on May 16.

“He’s gonna get a Bronx reaction,” Rodriguez said with a smile.

Does baseball need a salary cap?

Rodriguez, an MLB analyst for Fox, won three MVP awards and one World Series during his 22-year playing career. He recorded 3,115 hits and 2,086 RBIs – the fourth most all-time. He also set financial records, signing a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Rangers in 2000 that at the time was the largest deal in MLB history.   

He is now set to become one of the majority owners of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. Having first been a well-compensated baseball player and now expected to be at the other side of the bargaining table as a team owner, Rodriguez was asked if he feels MLB needs a salary cap like the NBA amid the league’s increasing payroll disparity among its teams.     

“I don’t know what the answer is, but I think you have much smarter people than me that are having to figure that out now,” Rodriguez said. “I do think that you need a system where somehow everybody has an opportunity. I’m not sure what that looks like, but I think they’ll figure it out. And again, we have to make sure that the game stays healthy and it stays fair, and more teams than the Yankees and Mets have an opportunity to win year in and year out.”

Robot umpires? ‘I hate it’

In the years to come, balls and strikes could be determined by robot umpires, a computerized system that MLB recently tested during spring training games.

Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals as part of the Automated Ball-Strike System.

A-Rod, however, does not want to see robot umpires replace the stinky umpires.

“I hate it,” he said. “But I’m a bit of an old school guy. I don’t believe robots should be taking the jobs of human beings. I think umpires are some of the most undervalued assets that we have in sports, and I love to see them be a part of it. I mean, they’re so damn good, and we have to support them and not replace them.”

He’s 89 years old and has been retired for two years, but Dodgers broadcasting legend Jaime Jarrín looked like he was ready to call another season or three as he strode into Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena.

The mellifluous tenor that narrated Dodgers games for generations of Spanish-language listeners hasn't weakened. His magnificent head of hair remains full. His capacity to tell tales is still worthy of Gabriel García Márquez.

It was the lunch rush earlier this week, yet every Gale's server, busboy and cook stopped what they were doing to shake Jarrín's hand. Wearing a crisp outfit of brown khakis, an Ecuador soccer jersey, Harold Lloyd-style glasses and a 1988 Dodgers World Series championship ring that was simultaneously brilliant yet understated, he greeted them all by name.

“I've eaten here over 20 years,” Jarrín said in Spanish as we made our way toward his regular spot near a wall of glass block windows. "When my wife was alive, we’d come in at least four times a week. If I like something, I stay with it.”

Ya think?

The Hall of Famer called Dodgers games for 64 years, the second longest tenure for one team of any baseball broadcaster after his dear friend, Vin Scully. Jarrín and his late wife, Blanca, were married for 65 years. He has lived in the same San Marino home since 1965. He's still a spokesperson for the Los Defensores legal firm, a relationship that goes back 41 years.

Jarrín never misses a Dodgers game on television and attends home games whenever possible, “because I do miss a little bit the atmosphere of the stadium.”

But his big project these days isn't baseball.

Read more:Arellano: A hearty thank you to Dodgers legend Jaime Jarrín. 'He made me believe that I belong'

He serves as the name and face of a scholarship fund that has awarded more than a quarter million dollars to students. His sons Jorge and Mauricio founded it in 2019 to honor their mother, who died of a heart attack during spring training that year.

“My name is the only thing I have,” Jarrín said as he sipped on an Arnold Palmer and nibbled on complimentary bruschetta. Jorge, himself a broadcaster of note, joined us. “It’s not necessary to have our name [on the fund], but to be able to be associated with something that helps others is wonderful because the need is so obvious and large.

“The community has been so loyal to me, so kind,” he continued. “And in our business — radio, television — if you don’t have followers, it’s over. So the least I can do is give back.”

A waiter came over to take our order. “Denosunos minutitos, por favor,” Jarrín said. Please give us a few minutes, sir.

There were stories to tell.

He remembered as a teenage radio reporter in the 1950s going into the newsroom of El Comercio, the largest newspaper in Quito, Ecuador, in the early morning to swipe stories from desks, “but since we were the same company, it didn’t matter.”

Then there was the time in the 1970s when Sears was expecting 500 people to show up at its landmark Boyle Heights store for a live broadcast with Jarrín, Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey and Ron Cey. About 15,000 people showed up instead: “We told the players, ‘Here’s your check — go! Go! We’re not responsible for your security.”

Above all, Jarrín praised his “extraordinary teacher,” Scully.

“When Blanca died, he called me,” he said. A small bowl of corn chowder was now before him. He tucked a large napkin over his Ecuador soccer jersey. “And they were the most beautiful 20 minutes of my life. Listening to Vin talking in that melodious voice — his mastery of the language, that vocabulary, that intonation, that heart. He spoke from experience, because he had lost his wife too.”

Scully passed away in 2022, just a few months before Jarrín called his last game. Jorge said Scully inadvertently served as an inspiration for him and his brother to start their family foundation.

“We started to discuss, 'How are we going to maintain and perpetuate his legacy and not let it fade away?'” he said. “It’s wonderful the love that people had for Vin Scully. But in another generation or so, it’ll just be, ‘Oh yeah, I heard of that guy — they say he was a great announcer.”

He looked at his dad, who was busy forking through a small house salad with extra garbanzos, and smiled. “My father doesn’t want to write a book because he doesn’t feel that the story is over. But this, he’s proud of.”

Jorge joked that the Jaime and Blanca Jarrín Foundation is “done on our laptops out of the house” with the help of his brother and sons. They’ve yet to ask the Dodgers to donate — “but the wife of [Dodgers CEO] Mark Walter sends us a check,” Jaime noted. Students of all backgrounds and interests can apply, but two scholarships are set aside for students pursuing law and journalism — the former as a nod to the Jarrín Foundation’s primary sponsor, Los Defensores, the latter in honor of Jaime’s career.

Not that he’s happy about the state of journalism.

Read more:Jaime Jarrín has seen every big Dodgers moment in L.A.: Here are his fondest memories

“Maybe I’m a dummy, but I don’t get it,” he said, his voice suddenly sharp. “In all industries, when the competition is hard, you try to better yourself. You try to offer something special. The news industry, instead of fighting to do that — offering better editions, more reporters, more columns, something to attract people to pay attention? No, they gave up against social media.

“It’s an embarrassment,” he added.

Jarrin said that young people long would approach him to share that they wanted to get a communications degree in the hope of breaking into journalism, “and I’d say, ‘Perfect. Very good. Wonderful.' But in the last two years, I’ve said, ‘No. Take language classes.' If you speak three languages, the world is at your feet. This country is behind the rest of the world in two fields specifically because we don’t have enough bilingual people: politics and the economy.”

Our time was nearly up, so I tossed three more questions. First up: How are the Dodgers going to do this year?

Jarrin praised the recent contract extension for manager Dave Roberts “because he has the respect of the clubhouse,” and said he has no problem with huge player contracts because “it would be unjust if the owners kept all the money. … Dodger Stadium is a gold mine. Do you know how much money you get from feeding 50,000 people every night?”

He thinks this year’s team is the strongest Dodgers squad he’s seen since the 1977 and 1978 ones that made it to the World Series only to lose to the New York Yankees. “On paper, they have the most powerful unit, above all with pitching, which is extraordinarily good,” Jarrín said, going as far as to say they’ll win the National League. “If they don’t win, it’s going to be an absolute and total failure.”

Next was a change-up: What do Latinos need to do to now that we’re nearly half of the population in Southern California?

“Even though the numbers favor us, we remain a minority,” he replied. “We need to better ourselves more and do a little bit more than what a white person would do to excel. And the foundation for this is to learn English.”

Jarrín blamed himself for not speaking English as well as he'd like on account of his career and talking only Spanish at home so his sons could be bilingual — “I sacrificed my knowledge” for them, he claimed.

Would he have had a more successful career if his English were better?

For the first time all afternoon, Jarrín seemed unsure of himself.

“Maybe?”

He reflected on all of the accolades and accomplishments of his career. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to achieve all of that in English.”

A chuckle.

“The competition would’ve been harder, no?”

Finally, a softball: What did he want people to say about what his legacy is?
 
Jarrin didn't hesitate: "Only that they think and say to others, 'I want you to be like Jaime Jarrín in your commitment to whatever you want to do. Follow his way and his discipline, and you'll achieve what you want.'"
 
Throughout our conversation, he waved or gave a thumbs up to admirers who didn't want to interrupt our conversation. The moment we got up from our table, the floodgates of fans opened. Soon came photos, more handshakes, more conversations. The lunch rush was over, so most of the Gale’s workers looked on in admiration.

“A lot of people do that,” said server Francisco Perez in Spanish. “He’s such a loving man. Refined and loving. He’s what we say in Mexico is gente de raza.”

Man of the people.

Chef Leonardo Castillo stood behind the counter. He’s worked at Gale’s for 20 years.

“He’s never been someone who comes in and says, ‘I’m Mr. So-and-So,'” said the native of Puebla, Mexico. “He comes in like anyone else, even though he's Jaime Jarrin! What an honor that he's one of us."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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