Nick Castellanos spills the beans on why Jose Iglesias deserved NL MVP for his phenomenal Mets turnaround in 2024

It was a year to remember for the New York Mets. Despite opening the year with an inconsistent stretch, posting a 22-32 record by the end of May, the squad pulled it together to clinch a postseason berth and make a deep playoff run to the NLCS. Even though they did not reach the World Series, the team's turnaround in 2024 was something to behold.

While a lot of the success of the club has been credited to superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, and rightfully so, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos believes there is a different source of the success.

On Monday's episode of "The Chris Rose Rotation," the veteran slugger explained that Jose Iglesias may have been the real key for the Mets in 2024, dubbing him the NL MVP.

"If you're looking at the MVP as having the most weight on creating wins for your team, there's no other player that has had that much weight as Iglesias," Castellanos said.

While it may sound ridiculous to consider Iglesias as the National League MVP over the winner Shohei Ohtani or even his Mets teammate Francisco Lindor, Castellanos believes his impact on unlocking the squad was undeniable.

"I think with him being able to come in and bring that Latin spark knocked the ice off of Lindor, finally got Vientos probably to be comfortable to be an everyday third baseman," he added.

"Now, a bunch of guys who look like they had no direction, running in all different directions at the beginning of the year, they made the playoffs, got to where they did while the whole Mets organization had the OMG signs everywhere."

Even though Castellanos may be right about Iglesias having a notable impact on the team's clubhouse and dynamics, there is no denying the season that Shohei Ohtani put together.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar became the first player in MLB history to record a 50 home run and 50 stolen base season, which cemented him as the NL MVP without much question.

New York Mets will look to keep their momentum rolling into 2025

Even though the team was unable to secure a title last season, the turnaround and playoff run gave the franchise some momentum heading into the new campaign. The club hopes to use the success they experienced in the postseason and carry it into the new year instead of battling through an extended slump like last season.

The club made notable additions this offseason, including players such as Juan Soto, Clay Holmes, Jose Siri and Frankie Montas. The team has not yet been ruled out of re-signing Pete Alonso in free agency. That being said, Jose Iglesias remains a free agent, so it remains to be seen what his future with the New York Mets will be.