Jesse Winker bought to a Mets group in late July that had been hovering round .500 for a lot of the season.
By the tip of the yr, the Mets got here inside two wins of the World Sequence.
The 31-year-old Winker is again with the Mets on a one-year deal value as much as $9 million, and can be teammates with Juan Soto, which supplies the group a few of the similar expectations they’d within the second half of 2024.
Requested throughout a Zoom name on Wednesday if he felt there was “unfinished enterprise” following final yr’s loss to the Dodgers within the NLCS, Winker mentioned, “For positive.”
“I feel anytime you come that near attending to the World Sequence, you’re at all times gonna need to give it one other shot,” Winker mentioned. “You by no means understand how shut you’re gonna be once more. It’s valuable.”
The roster figures to look significantly completely different in 2025, because the Mets added Soto on a 15-year, $765 million deal, in addition to Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas to the rotation and A.J. Minter to the bullpen.
Sean Manaea was introduced again on a three-year, $75 million deal, however Luis Severino left for Sacramento to hitch the A’s.
The Mets stay out there for extra aid assist and there continues to be a query mark at first base.
Pete Alonso stays a free agent and, a minimum of for now, the Mets’ plan seems to be to maneuver Mark Vientos throughout the diamond from third base and go along with an unproven amount like Brett Baty, Ronny Maurico or Luisangel Acuña at third.
How the lefty-swinging Winker elements into the combination stays to be seen.
He mentioned Wednesday he believes his position can be “very related” to what he did after coming over from the Nationals previous to the commerce deadline, which was taking part in some nook outfield, some DH, in addition to coming off the bench.
Winker added that he performed a little bit of first base throughout a rehab task in 2023, and felt snug sufficient to fill in on the spot every so often.
What the Mets want extra, although, is for Winker to provide on the plate like he did in spurts final season — and within the playoffs, when his power and emotion helped spark the group, together with Jose Iglesias, who’s additionally nonetheless on the free agent market.
When he joined the membership final season, Winker had one thing of a contentious relationship with Mets followers from his days with Cincinnati, when he drew their wrath by waving to the group after a house run, but it surely was a lovefest by the tip of the postseason.
He hopes that continues.
“This fan base, they carried us,” Winker mentioned. “We wouldn’t have been capable of do something with out them. It’s a particular metropolis, a particular place.”
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Submit
And it ended with what Winker referred to as “a cool expertise. Hopefully this yr we are able to make it occur once more.”