"Juan Soto goes ballistic" - Justin Verlander's brother Ben claims Mets will be powerhouse with ex-Yankees star, Pete Alonso & others against all odds

The New York Mets shook the MLB landscape this offseason by handing out the largest contract in league history to bring Juan Soto to Queens. The club managed to snipe Juan Soto away from their cross-town rivals by handing him a 15-year, $765 million deal, surpassing the contract that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After reaching the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets should once again be one of the top teams in Major League Baseball after some of their offseason moves. While the club was able to re-sign some of their own free agents such as Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea, bringing in a superstar such as Juan Soto is a game-changing move.

This is something that Ben Verlander (brother of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander) brought up on the latest episode of his show, "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander". During the podcast episode, Verlander broke down all five teams in the NL East, while also sharing his excitement for the dangerous Mets lineup.

"You could tell me Juan Soto goes absolutely ballistic and that him and Pete Alonso are an incredible one-two punch. Honestly, Lindor, Soto, Alonso are an incredible top of the lineup no matter what way you look at it, they're going to be very good," Verlander said on his show.

While stating that Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are going to be good is not exactly a groundbreaking update, Verlander did say that another reason for his excitement for the club is their depth. Thanks to the emergence of young stars like Mark Vientos, New York should be a tough matchup for everyone.

"I am exicted about the 2025 New York Mets for so many different reasons. Mark Vientos was fantastic once he came up in 2024. I think Francisco Alvarez takes a massive leap forward. Brett Baty has looked really good in Spring Training, is this the year he figures it out... There are alot of reasons for optimism about this New York Mets offense," Verlander continued.

New York Mets linked in trade rumors to notable pitcher as they look to improve rotation

While Ben Verlander gave tremendous credit to New York's lineup, he was less confident in the team's pitching rotation. Although the club has several veteran arms such as Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes, none of these pitchers have been considered Cy Young candidates in their career.

Enter Dylan Cease, who has reportedly been linked to the Mets all offseason, The San Diego Padres have been looking to move some of their veteran players, with Cease being one of the top names on the block. MLB insider Jon Heyman reportedly earlier this offseason that New York has shown interest in Cease, however, the price tag might complicate matters.

There could be several veteran pitchers who could be on the block this season that New York could target this season aside from Dylan Cease. One of those pitchers could be Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. Things could get interesting for New York as the season rolls along.