Inside The Mets

Jesse Winker not ready to put unneeded pressure on Mets' World Series Hopes

Mets outfielder Jesse Winker had an interesting response when asked about New York's 2025 World Series dreams.

Grant Young

Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) and left fielder Jesse Winker (3) looks on during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) and left fielder Jesse Winker (3) looks on during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets acquired former Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker on July 28, 2024 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tyler Stuart.

This trade was seen as somewhat polarizing at the time, albeit not because Winker is a talented player who seemed sure to positively impact the Mets. Rather, Winker did not have a great reputation among Mets fans due to some of his past antics with them when he was playing on other teams.

However, it didn't take Winker long to become a fan-favorite in Queens due to his infectious energy and charismatic personality. And some of his clutch hitting during New York's run to the playoffs and in the postseason didn't hurt, either.

While many expected Winker to part ways with the Mets this past offseason when he became a free agent, he instead signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal to remain in New York.

Read more: Mets' Francisco Lindor makes his leadership style clear

The outfielder is now part of a much improved outfield compared to one season ago, due to Juan Soto joining the team after signing the biggest contract in sports history.

On the outside looking in, adding Soto to a lineup that made it to the NLCS last year makes a World Series appearance seem like a clear 2025 goal for the Mets. But during a Q&A with the New York Post that was published on March 1, Winker relayed that a World Series appearance isn't top of mind right now.

"Do you think this is a World Series team?" the Post's Steve Serby asked Winker.

"I think time will tell. Obviously thereā€™s a bunch of talent here, and as a player, itā€™s extremely exciting to be a part of this. I just want to go play these games," Winker replied.

That's a wise sentiment from Winker, who doesn't appear keen to count his chickens before they hatch.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Womenā€™s Basketball for Sports Illustratedā€™s ā€˜On SIā€™ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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