{"id":17707,"date":"2026-01-31T08:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=17707"},"modified":"2026-01-31T08:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T16:21:25","slug":"assessing-the-mets-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2026\/01\/31\/assessing-the-mets-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing the Mets’ Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the moment the New York Mets<\/a>‘ 2025 season came to an end in late September, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said that improving the Mets’ defense would be a priority in the offseason. \u201cI\u2019ll keep harping on run prevention,\u201d Stearns said<\/a>. \u201cThat is where we fell short this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

But with only a few weeks left before spring training, most of the Mets’ big roster moves are done. The defense has been rebuilt, with some pieces playing interesting positions.<\/p>\n

An Infield of Shortstops<\/h2>\n

The first major move the Mets made this offseason was trading<\/a> longtime outfielder Brandon Nimmo<\/a> to the Texas Rangers<\/a> for Marcus Semien<\/a>. Semien came up as a shortstop but moved to second base when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> in 2021. He’s won two Gold Gloves as a second baseman, including in 2025.<\/p>\n

The Mets signed infielder Jorge Polanco<\/a> to play first base<\/a> after Pete Alonso<\/a> signed<\/a> with the Baltimore Orioles<\/a>. While Alonso was a great hitter for the Mets, his defense left something to be desired. His lack of range and inability to throw consistently to bases cost the Mets repeatedly.<\/p>\n

Polanco has never played first base in his career. He, too, came up as a shortstop, and the Mets are hoping that athleticism will help him at the position.<\/p>\n

The Mets then signed<\/a> shortstop Bo Bichette<\/a> to play third base, a position he hasn’t played since high school. Add on Gold Glove shortstop Francisco Lindor<\/a>, the Mets suddenly have an athletic, versatile infield. Stearns touted this infield, while also admitting the learning curve Bichette and Polanco have.\u00a0“We’re probably going to make a mistake or two, but we’re also going to have elite range round the infield,” Stearns said<\/a>. “That’s pretty exciting.”<\/p>\n

That range might prove useful with a rotation that could feature three groundball specialists in Nolan McLean<\/a>, David Peterson<\/a>, and Clay Holmes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More Athletic Outfield<\/h2>\n

It wasn’t just the infield the Mets sought to improve — they also made moves to benefit the outfield. The Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr<\/a>. from the Chicago White Sox<\/a> to be their everyday centerfielder. The 2020 Gold Glove winner has been elite defensively every year of his career and is an improved version of Tyrone Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>