The World Series is officially in the books, closing the 2026 MLB season. The New York Mets did not make it back to the World Series for an 11th straight year, leaving David Stearns with plenty of work to do to improve his roster over the course of the offseason.

Stearns has a lot of priorities to consider, including whether to bring back any of the players he dealt at the trade deadline and whether to utilize Steve Cohen's financial resources to put a Godfather offer on the table for Tarik Skubal. Let's go through various position groups for the Mets and attempt to project what the Opening Day roster for the 2027 season will look like.

The exercise will include potential additions, which we will highlight in bold in the following tables. Each position group will also get a further breakdown beneath the list of players it covers.

2027 Mets' Opening Day roster projection

Catchers

Barring a team blowing away Stearns with an offer for either Alvarez or Torrens, the Mets' catching duo will stay intact over the winter. You can argue that no team in the major leagues has a better tandem than the Mets, who have elite defense with Torrens and the potential of a 30-home-run hitter with Alvarez, so they likely won't mess with what's working.

Infielders

The Mets' position player group won't look too different next year, and the infield is good evidence of why. Bichette is expected to opt into his contract, and the Mets will move on from both Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos; neither is a good fit for the 2027 roster.

The big addition will be France, who should form a lefty/righty platoon with Young at first base. France is a solid defender at first, and his underlying metrics indicate his power resurgence should be a real one, even if his counting stats dip from career highs in 2026.

Polanco is on here as long as he shows up to spring training, but if he can't get into game shape, it will open another spot for a young player. Semien also figures to be on a short leash in spring training, given the quality young infield prospects the Mets have accumulated over the years.

Outfielders

There should be no surprise about the Mets starting outfielders. The fourth outfield spot is up for grabs after Nick Morabito failed to make a compelling case to claim it in September. A reunion with Taylor makes the most sense since he can handle all three outfield positions defensively while giving them an option to rest either Ewing or Benge against tough lefties.

Starting Pitchers

The big name here will be Skubal, who feels like a slam-dunk target for the Mets given their need at the top of their rotation. Cohen may weigh in to convince Stearns that it is fine to take a financial risk with Skubal since they have a lot of cost-controlled talent coming in the pipeline, which would make it easier to stomach paying Skubal over $40 million per year into his mid-30s.

We're also projecting that the Mets will add a veteran starter in the middle of their rotation in the form of Bieber, who can take a one-year prove-it deal to rebuild his value. Injuries are a risk for Bieber, but he could increase the Mets' upside in a potential postseason scenario.

Thornton is currently projected to be the fifth starter, but he will have to win a competition against Sean Manaea, Jonah Tong, and Tylor Megill. Expect all of them to make starts for New York throughout the season.

Relief Pitchers

Despite Senga's wishes to start, the Mets will likely leave him in the bullpen since he was far more successful there over the summer. A reunion with Raley will fortify the left side of the bullpen alongside Lavender, while Phillips adds a proven righty setup option with closing experience.

If Manaea loses a rotation competition with Thornton, he will likely begin the year as the long man, much like he did in 2025. The Mets could shop him in spring training with only one year left on his deal.

Nearly every reliever the Mets have outside the veterans has minor league options remaining, so expect Stearns and Andy Green to shuffle in players like Daniel Duarte, Jefry Yan, and Jonathan Pintaro throughout the year, ensuring the Mets have fresh arms at all times.