Life after OMG: Can 2025 Mets replicate their 2024 vibes?

When New York Mets president of shot operations David Stearns attempted to assemble the champion imaginable roster for the 2025 play this winter, the apical precedence was signing outfielder Juan Soto. Next was the request to replenish the starting rotation and bolster the bullpen. Then, days earlier pitchers and catchers reported for outpouring training, the lineup received 1 last important reinforcement erstwhile archetypal baseman Pete Alonso re-signed.

Acquiring a subordinate with a singing vocation connected the broadside didn't marque the cut.

"No, that is not connected the list," Stearns said with a smile.

Stearns' determination not to re-sign Jose Iglesias, the infielder down the mic for the viral 2024 Mets anthem "OMG," was attributed to creating much roster flexibility. But it besides hammered location a reality: The scrappy 2024 Mets, authors of a magical summertime successful Queens, are a happening of the past. The 2025 Mets, who volition study to Citi Field for their location opener Friday, person overmuch of the aforesaid halfway but besides immoderate salient caller faces -- and the new, outsized expectations that travel with falling 2 wins abbreviated of the World Series, past signing Soto to the richest declaration successful nonrecreational sports history.

But there's a question surrounding this year's squad that you can't enactment a terms tag on: Can these Mets rekindle the magic -- the vibes, the memes, the feel-good underdog communicative -- that seemed to travel retired of obscurity to assistance transportation them to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series past season?

"Last twelvemonth the civilization was created," Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. "It's a substance of continuing it."

For each the occurrence Stearns has engineered -- his small-market Milwaukee Brewers teams reached the postseason 5 times successful 8 seasons aft helium became the youngest wide manager successful past successful 2015 -- the 40-year-old Harvard grad, similar the remainder of his beforehand bureau peers knows there's nary precise look for clubhouse chemistry. There is nary civilization projection system. No Vibes Above Replacement.

"Culture is precise important," Stearns said past play successful the visiting dugout astatine Daikin Park earlier his nine completed an opening-weekend bid against the Houston Astros. "Culture is besides precise hard to predict."

Still, it seems the Mets' 2024 play volition beryllium each but intolerable to recreate.

There was Grimace, the purple McDonald's blob who spontaneously became the franchise's unofficial mascot aft throwing retired a archetypal transportation successful June. "OMG," performed nether Iglesias' signifier name, Candelita, debuted astatine No. 1 connected the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart, earlier a remix featuring Pitbull was released successful October. Citi Field became a karaoke barroom whenever Lindor stepped into the batter's container with The Temptations' "My Girl" arsenic his walk-up song. Alonso unveiled a fortunate pumpkin successful October. They were gimmicks that mightiness person felt forced if they hadn't felt truthful right.

"I don't cognize if what we did past twelvemonth could beryllium replicated due to the fact that it was specified a chaos-filled group," Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said. "I don't cognize if that's replicable due to the fact that there's conscionable excessively galore things going on. I don't cognize if that's a sustainable model. But I deliberation the anticipation of winning is truly important. I deliberation establishing what we did past twelvemonth and coming into this twelvemonth wherever radical are like, 'Oh, no, that's what we're expecting to do,' makes it different. It's ever a antithetic vibe whenever you consciousness similar you're the huntsman versus being the hunted."

For the archetypal 2 months past season, the Mets were unspeakable hunters. Lindor was relentlessly booed astatine Citi Field during different dilatory start. The bullpen got crushed. The losses piled up. The Mets began the play 0-5 and sunk to stone bottommost connected May 29 erstwhile reliever Jorge Lopez threw his mitt into the stands during a 10-3 nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Dodgers that dropped the squad to 22-33.

That night, the Mets held a players-only meeting. From there, possibly coincidentally, everything changed. The Mets won the adjacent day, and 67 of their last 107 games.

This year, to debar an aboriginal malaise and to amended incorporated caller faces similar Soto and Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, players made it a constituent to clasp meetings during outpouring grooming to laic a beardown foundation.

"At the extremity of the day, we cognize who we are and that's the quality of our club," Alonso said. "Not conscionable who we are talent-wise, but who each idiosyncratic is arsenic a antheral and a personality. For us, our major, large spot is our corporate individuality arsenic a unit."

Organizationally, the Mets are attempting a dual-track makeover: Becoming perennial World Series contenders portion not taking themselves excessively seriously.

The commemorative purple Grimace spot installed astatine Citi Field successful September -- Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 successful close tract -- remains determination arsenic portion of a two-year contract. Last week, the franchise announced it volition diagnostic a New York-city themed "Five Borough" contention astatine each location crippled -- with a antithetic mascot competing to correspond each borough. For a 3rd consecutive season, USA Today readers voted Citi Field -- location of the rainbow cooky ovum roll, among galore different innovative treats -- arsenic having the champion ballpark nutrient successful baseball.

In the clubhouse, their individuality is evolving.

"I'm precise overmuch successful the campy that you can't unit things," Mets starter Sean Manaea said. "I mean, you can, but you don't truly extremity up with bully results. And if you hold for things to hap organically, past sometimes it tin instrumentality excessively long. So, there's similar a nudging of sorts. It's like, 'Let's benignant of travel up with something, but not unit it.' So there's a good equilibrium determination and you conscionable got to hold and spot what happens."

Stearns believes it starts with what the Mets tin control: bringing affirmative vigor each time and fostering a household atmosphere. It's hard to quantify, but vibes undoubtedly helped substance the Mets' 2024 success. It'll beryllium a pugnacious enactment to follow.

"It's fluid," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "I similar wherever guys are astatine arsenic acold arsenic the squad chemistry goes and things similar that and the connections and the relationships. But it'll proceed to instrumentality immoderate time. And winning helps, clearly."