PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — On the eve of first official workouts of spring training, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza played coy about the nature of the competition that was about to begin.

When asked specifically about Jeff McNeil’s spot at second base, where Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty appear to be lurking, Mendoza was particularly vague about the veteran’s spot. While McNeil is a “big part of this team,” that position is one of the few spots where there is some intrigue heading into camp.

“I want to see everybody earn it. That’s the big leagues,” Mendoza said. “There has to be some sense of urgency. You always feel like somebody’s trying to take your job. That’s the mentality. Like I said, competitions bring the best out of people. I’m excited about Jeff. I’m excited about all the guys here.”

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As Mendoza enters his second spring training camp as the Mets’ manager, there are much more heightened expectations after the team reached the National League Championship Series in a year that had been deemed a transition year.

With superstar outfielder Juan Soto joining the fold and the majority of the roster back, including first baseman Pete Alonso, the Mets enter spring training with a sturdy foundation that they will be looking to build on.

“It was fun last year, and all that, especially the way we started the year, but we just got to play baseball,” Mendoza said. “We’re here to win a championship. That’s the goal. But we understand there’s a lot of good teams out there. We’ve got to go out and do it.

“How do we manage it? By taking care of the little things, by not looking too far ahead. That’s how we do it.”

As Mendoza addressed the beginning of the team’s preparation for 2025, here were three key developments:

Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna staying in the infield

When it comes to the Mets’ pool of young players, there seems to be a logjam in the infield.

With Francisco Lindor rooted at shortstop for another seven years and Mark Vientos staking his claim to third base in a transformative 2024 season, there is not much wiggle room for the next class of Mets players to break through. With that in mind, Mendoza said that versatility could be a player’s gateway to a major-league role.

“If there’s someone that you can put at second or third or even short to spell Francisco and you can find a way to get him in games and get him at-bats so he can continue their development, that’s the perfect world, right?” Mendoza said. “Again, too early to tell, but there’s always a balance and we’ll have those discussions and we’ll make those decisions when we need to.”

Behind Lindor, Mendoza said that the expectation is to get both Acuña and recent signing Nick Madrigal time during the spring. Acuña, who made 10 starts at shortstop in Lindor’s absence in 2024, is also expected to take game reps at third base.

Mendoza said Baty, who lost his starting job to Vientos in 2024 but posted a .853 OPS at Triple-A Syracuse, is willing to play multiple positions to earn his spot back with the big-league club. He’ll see most of his time at third and second base.

“It was, ‘Hey, we’re probably going to need you to play multiple positions,’ and he’s like, ‘I’m up for it,'” Mendoza said. “Now he’s just got to go out there and compete and do it and be himself because he is a really good player.”

Jose Butto to remain in bullpen as rotation grows

With Kodai Senga looking to chart a healthy 2024 campaign and Clay Holmes transitioning to a starting role after more than half a decade in the bullpen, Mendoza said “there’s a good chance” the Mets will go with a six-man rotation throughout 2025.

That final spot behind Senga, Holmes, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and David Peterson is likely to be contended between Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill.

Jose Butto, who has made 14 major league starts over the last two seasons, will not factor in that competition. Mendoza said the 26-year-old righty will remain in the bullpen, where he thrived down the stretch in 2024.

“We just felt it was best for him, for the team, to keep him in that role as a multi-inning guy, in that 40, 45 pitch mark,” Mendoza said.

Butto made 23 relief appearances last season, posting a 6-0 record with a 2.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts across 36 innings. He also notched three saves and posted a 1.00 WHIP. Max Kranick is another former starting pitcher that will spend this spring building up as a multi-inning relief option.

Carlos Mendoza excited to have Pete Alonso back in lineup

With Pete Alonso still go through his medicals and his re-signing with the Mets still unofficial, Mendoza had to be careful about addressing the return of his four-time All-Star first baseman.

But it is clear that the Mets manager is looking forward to having that dependable power bat back in the lineup.

“As the manager, having the feel and knowing who’s going to be in the middle of your lineup, not worrying about who’s playing first base and things like that, it means a lot,” Mendoza said. “You don’t have to worry about him. There’s going to be a lot of days when he’s not feeling at his best and he’s still going to post.”

Last season, Alonso became only the second Mets player to play in all 162 games. He finished with 34 home runs and 88 RBI before providing some postseason heroics to help the Mets reach the NLCS. After a long drawn-out free agency, Alonso reportedly agreed to a two-year, $54 million deal last week to return to the Mets.

Now, Mendoza has the benefit of trying to craft a lineup to best utilize the skillsets of Lindor, Soto and Alonso near the top. He plans to have those conversations with the heart of the lineup as spring training gets underway. Lindor will be returning to the leadoff spot, Mendoza said Tuesday.

“I like consistency. When you’ve got established, elite big-league hitters, I think that goes a long way too,” Mendoza said. “That’s the goal is hopefully everyone’s healthy and they know who’s hitting in front of them, they know who’s hitting behind them, but you got to stay open-minded too.”