Mets’ Early Takeaways of 2024 MLB Season

It remains to be seen whether the New York Mets will be contenders in 2024, and they are playing .500 baseball through their first 36 games, but there have been some positive takeaways in the early going.

The offseason additions of Luis Severino and Sean Manaea to shore up the starting rotation look like solid value moves, while the bullpen has been one of the best in baseball with Edwin Díaz back healthy and Reed Garrett as one of the season’s early breakout relievers.

However, the team’s offense remains a question mark, and stars like Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are off to slow starts.

Ahead we’ve taken a closer look at those notable early takeaways from the 2024 season.

With Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer traded at last year’s deadline, the Mets had two major holds to fill in the starting rotation this offseason.

They opted for a short-term fix by signing Luis Severino (1/$13 million) and Sean Manaea (2/$28 million with opt out) in free agency, and those two have done a great job propping the rotation while ace Kodai Senga recovers from a shoulder strain.

The young tandem of José Buttó and Christian Scott also deserves some props for their early performance, but the front office did a nice job finding production and value with their offseason additions.

It’s been a slow start to the season for the Mets offense, as they rank near the middle of the pack in OPS (.691, 17th) and runs per game (4.47, 15th).

They have scored two runs or fewer 12 times in 36 games, including getting shut out three times, and the team’s biggest stars have not been pulling their weight over the first month-plus of the new season.

Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are the team leaders in home runs and RBI, but their overall batting lines leave a lot to be desired.

A sub-.300 on-base percentage from your two best hitters doesn’t cut it, and until that changes it’s hard to envision this group being anything more than a middle-of-the-pack offensive team.

The biggest strength for the Mets this year has been the bullpen, with the relief corps posting a 2.88 ERA that ranks fifth in the majors, to go along with an MLB-leading 11.7 K/9 and a stingy .199 opponents’ batting average.

Closer Edwin Díaz has returned to the ninth inning, while Adam Ottavino is once again serving as a proven setup option, but it’s the overall depth of the bullpen that has made it such a weapon.

Former All-Star closer Jorge López (18 G, 2 SV, 5 HLD, 2.04 ERA) has been a great pickup on a one-year, $2 million deal, while left-hander Jake Diekman (14 G, 3 HLD, 3.86 ERA, 13.1 K/9) has brought some balance as a lefty with swing-and-miss stuff.

By far the biggest surprise has been Reed Garrett, who was plucked off waivers from the Orioles last June and entered the year with a 7.11 ERA in 31 career appearances in the majors.

The 31-year-old has a 0.47 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 15.2 K/9 with five wins, one save and three holds in 13 appearances, and he has struck out 32 of the 75 batters he has faced while emerging as a lights out option.