SNY’s award-winning broadcasting trio — Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, named best in MLB last season by Awful Announcing — begin their 20th season together previewing the 2025 Mets as Opening Day nears in a Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby:

Q: Is this the best lineup in baseball?

Keith: It’s certainly right there. I think it was critical that [Pete] Alonso was re-signed. You brought in [Juan] Soto. I had dinner with [Mike] Rizzo, the general manager of the Nationals, in Florida one night and he said that Soto’s the best offensive player in the game, even over [Shohei] Ohtani. But, if they hadn’t brought Pete back, it just would hove been a trade-off. They’re a little weakened with the injuries at the bottom half … but I think this lineup is formidable, and it doesn’t give pitchers a chance to take a deep breath.

Ron Darling, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez are beginning their 20th season together as a broadcast team on SNY. SNY

Q: How does this lineup stack up with the ’86 Mets lineup?

Ron: That ’86 Mets lineup, they just knew how to score runs. They could hit it out of the ballpark, but they could also small-ball you. It went to a place where this team wants to go. I said last year, I was doing a game postseason, how do you get a guy [Soto] out who seemingly doesn’t have any holes? You’re only as good as the pitches you swing at, and he doesn’t swing at bad pitches.

Q: Do you think Alonso’s single-season home run record of 53 is in jeopardy?

Gary: No, I don’t think about Soto in those terms. He hit 41 last year playing at Yankee Stadium, I don’t think he’ll hit as many home runs this year. His ability is the ability to get on base in every situation and then provide punctuation. The fact that he has more walks through his age-25 season than anybody in history is what separates him. He’s an all-fields hitter, but I don’t think that he’s going to be a home run hitter, not the way Pete Alonso hit 53. I think Alonso’s a lot more likely to hit 50 than Soto is. … It’s almost hard to fathom how much the home run that Pete hit against Devin Williams in October last year meant. I think you can make the argument that if he does not come through in that spot that he might not be a Met today. But I also think that it took an enormous burden off his shoulders after what had been for him a down season. I just think that it took him to a different level, and I think he can go back now to being more of what we saw over the first few years of his career.

Pete Alonso rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the Mets’ exhibition tie with the Yankees on March 24, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Q: What will Soto’s reception be when he returns to Yankee Stadium on May 16?

Keith: What he got [Monday]. He’ll be booed. It’ll bring out the best. I was booed in St. Louis, and it just makes you more determined to go in there and … kill ’em. For once the Mets have stolen a star from the Yankees — oh my gosh! This is great!

Q: Alonso needs 27 home runs to pass Darryl Strawberry for the Mets’ all-time home run record.

Gary: He’s hit at least that many in every full season that he’s played. I think it’s inevitable that Pete is going to be the Mets’ all-time home run leader. I think it was a big incentive for Pete, and I think it was a big incentive for the Mets to re-sign him. The Mets have never been known for sluggers. They’ve had them for periods of time, Strawberry, [Mike] Piazza, but Pete is on a different level. He is the best slugger the Mets have ever had. It will be his righteous spot atop the home run list when he gets there.

Q: The pressure on Alonso in a contract year?

Ron: I feel it’s much different than it was last year, because he does have a contract for more than one year if he chooses to do that. So that gives him a little bit of a safety net. Is he going to opt out after this year? I’m sure he will. He’s gonna be standing at the plate with [Francisco] Lindor and Soto on base a lot this year. He’s gonna have opportunities to drive in 150 runs if he has a big year. That could happen. I think it’s gonna be an unbelievable season for Pete, which is gonna necessitate the opting out. I don’t think that he is gonna feel any of the heat that he felt last season. It seemed palpable from the booth, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it did feel like there was some pressing going on to really have a five-home run game to get back to where he needed to be. I think he’s gonna be relaxed, he’s gonna go back to doing what he does. Since he made his debut, only [Aaron] Judge has hit more home runs, and no one’s driven in more.

Francisco Lindor (left) and Juan Soto are all smiles earlier in Mets’ spring training. Corey Sipkin for New York Post

Q: How would you feel about Lindor being named captain?

Keith: I would defer it a year, and let Soto get his feet wet. Let’s not give the media any opportunity to try to stir up some stuff. When we got [Gary] Carter in ’85, “Was Hernandez and Carter gonna get along?” I was gonna make sure that didn’t happen, and it didn’t.

Gary: I think that also negates the impact of Brandon Nimmo. I think that in a clubhouse where Lindor was Lindor and there was no Nimmo, I think it would be more likely that Francisco would be named captain.

Q: What should Mets fans expect from Mark Vientos batting cleanup when Nimmo is not?

Ron: He just was the consummate young professional … the Mets fans are gonna expect exactly what they had last year. The second full year’s always a trying time, but he’s been through it already, so I think he’ll handle it well.

Q: Did Nimmo celebrate the Yankees’ relaxation of facial hair by growing his beard?

Gary: He didn’t have to go to management and threaten ’em like Devin Williams did (smile).

Q: Can Luis Torrens hold the fort until Francisco Alvarez returns?

Ron: I’m a fan of Luis Torrens. I expect him to play at a high level, maybe not provide all the pop that Alvarez provides, but he’s a capable hitter, he’s a smart hitter, and an impeccable arm and release should negate some of that running game that tends to hamper the Mets. As far as Alvarez is concerned, what’s gonna separate him is that he not only would be a very capable defensive player, but that he’s gonna be one of the best young hitting catching prospects in the game. That has not happened yet. We’re waiting for that.

Q: What did you observe about Brett Baty this spring?

Keith: He’s swinging the bat good, that’s for sure. He’s always had a nice, fluid swing. Everybody gets to the Rubicon, and some cross it and most don’t. So how do you cross the Rubicon? You get your opportunity and they get base hits. He’s gotta go out there and do it.

Q: What’s holding Luisangel Acuña back?

Gary: I think he’s still learning how to hit and how to control his aggression. I think he’s an incredibly talented player. He’s never going to be the power hitter that his brother [Ronald] was, but I think he’s got a similar swing, and he has a similar level of aggression, but because he doesn’t have as much power as Ronald does, I think he needs to calm down a little bit.

Brett Baty has to take advantage of his early season opportunity, according to SNY’s Keith Hernandez. Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Q: DHs Jesse Winker and Starling Marte?

Keith: That’s a nice platoon. I’m glad they brought Winker back, Winker is a character and I think a good guy in the clubhouse. It gives a good right-left DH, I think it’s one of the best combos in the game.

Q: Thoughts on the void left by Jose Iglesias?

Ron: I don’t know if they get where they want to go without Jose Iglesias last year. He was a great team guy … clutch hits, great two-strike hits … he might not reach balls that he did early in his career, but if he gets to ’em, they’re outs. I’d never played with a guy who got three hits and then had a concert after the game (laugh). That was one of the most remarkable journeys for a journeyman that I’ve ever seen, and it’ll always be remembered.

Keith: I think the Mets are gonna lose defensively by not having him. He played a second base that I haven’t seen. I was very hopeful that they would bring Iglesias back.

Gary: Whether that hurts the Mets in a certain respect, I think it enhances their ability to work their younger players into their future. … It may be a more talented team this year, it doesn’t mean they’re gonna have the same magic.

Kidcaster winner, 9-year-old Kingston Korn from Manhattan, poses for a photo with Keith Hernandezz (left), Rond Darling (background) and Gary Cohen (right) during a Mets game last season. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Q: Clay Holmes’ transition from reliever to starter?

Ron: I admire him. He’s got an entire repertoire to get hitters out. His only issue is how far can he go? How many innings can he pitch? If he pitches 150 innings it’ll be an unbelievable year for the Mets and for Clay Holmes.

Q: Can Kodai Senga return to his 2023 form?

Ron: He’s still got the same stuff he had two seasons ago when he had a breakout season. I’d expect the same. It’s just health with him, and his ability to maybe occasionally pitch when he doesn’t feel 100 percent. I think he’s one of those pitchers that it’s really important for him to have his mechanics and everything right before he goes out there. He’s so good that they’re always a better team if he’s on the mound. If he makes 28-plus starts, that puts them in a much better position. He’s really being asked to replace the innings and the work of [Luis] Severino.

Q: Tylor Megill?

Ron: Consistency really is what he needs to find.

Q: Griffin Canning and David Peterson?

Ron: Canning I think is gonna really benefit being in a new league, new division, new people to face. He showed a lot in spring training as well, including a new changeup that should bode him well. And as far as David Peterson, he’s a No. 1 pick, there’s high expectations his entire career, he meets them this year.

Kodai Senga delivers a pitch during a Mets’ spring training outing earlier this month. Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Q: Brandon Sproat?

Ron: He reminds me a little bit of Spencer Strider, same kind of body type, strong legs, throws in the upper-90s. He has an amazing future ahead of him, but I like that the Mets are kind of treating him like the Mets used to treat young pitchers in the ’80s — let him have a full, productive, great season in Triple-A, so when he does come up, he never goes down again.

Q: Edwin Díaz?

Keith: If he could come back and have the year he had a couple of years ago — some of his pitches were unhittable.

Q: You didn’t mention the trumpet.

Keith: That’s getting a little tired, isn’t it?

Ron Darling said he believes Griffin Canning will have a good season for the Mets this year. Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Q: The bullpen. Getting to Díaz?

Gary: Getting A.J. Minter was a huge pickup and it appears as though he is fully healthy. He can be devastating against lefties and righties because of the cutter that he throws. To me, the key to the bullpen is Dedniel Núñez. When he came up last year for the two months that he was healthy, he was the best pitcher the Mets had.

Q: Team speed?

Gary: The Mets are not a burner team but they added Jose Siri who can run. Acuña while he’s there obviously is a fast player. Tyrone Taylor has the best foot speed of anybody on the team, and Lindor and Nimmo can run. They’re an adequate-team-speed kind of team, but they’re certainly not gonna be stealing 200 bases this year.

Q: Team defense without Iglesias?

Ron: Maybe the only question mark when I look at the Mets team is how well they’re gonna play defensively.

Q: Carlos Mendoza’s strengths as a manager?

Keith: I like the way he manages a game, as a field general, tactician. But I think his strength is he communicates well with the players. What I like about Mendy, if someone is sloughing off, he’ll let them know when he is in command, he is the skipper of that team, and they respect him.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Q: David Wright getting his jersey retired and entering the Mets Hall of Fame in July?

Keith: David meant so much to the organization. I remember when he got hit in the head against the Giants at Shea Stadium. It changed everything for him, he was on such a rise, he was such a great player both defensively and offensively, and a leader of that ballclub.

Gary: The Mets have had a lot of great players, but most of those great players did not spend their entire career as Mets. The fact that David came in as a Met, and went out as a Met, and was a star from the day he arrived, and had that incredible moment that finished his career, and every day in between, he was a mensch. And I think that Met fans appreciate him in a way that they have never appreciated any other player, because he’s one of theirs, he was as impeccable a human being as you could ask for, and a really, really good player, too.

Q: How do you see the division race?

Gary: I think there are three outstanding teams. The Braves went through a lot of injury problems last year and still were able to prevail. The Phillies got better. Adding Jesús Luzardo to that rotation gives them the strongest rotation in the division. But their window of opportunity is closing. And the Mets are right there with them.

Left to right: Ron Darling, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez in 2013. SNY

Ron: The Phillies have the belt, so I’ll give it to them. With that rotation they’re gonna have, I think they’re the best team in the division on paper right now. You wouldn’t be surprised if any of the three teams won the division.

Keith: I kind of agree with both Gary and Ron. Philly, they’re maybe at the top of the list, but the Mets are right there.

Q: Are you surprised to learn that Vegas has the higher win total for the Mets (90.5) than the Yankees (89.5)?

Keith: Well the Yankees have had a ton of injuries, right? in spring, so I’m not surprised by that at all.

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Gary: Their rotation after you get past [Max] Fried and [Carlos] Rodón is gonna be a big question mark, and really their bullpen, once you get past their top two relievers, Williams and [Luke] Weaver, it’s gonna be a big question mark as well … [Paul] Goldschmidt is 37 now … how much support is Judge gonna have in that lineup? Is Cody Bellinger gonna try to retool his swing again to be a pull hitter at Yankee Stadium? They’ve got a lot of question marks so I can certainly understand why the Mets would be expected to have a few more wins than the Yankees.

Q: With Soto on board, does that mean this can be a Mets town now?

Ron: I remember when Keith and I played for the Mets, you would hear that talk, that Manhattan was a Mets Town now. I don’t know anything about that. I do know that they took an amazing, great player who was on the Yankees, and now he’s on the Mets. That’s a big coup. And that they’ve assembled a lineup of stars, and that’s what sells in New York — people want to come see Lindors and Sotos and Alonsos and Nimmos, et al.

Q: Is this World Series-or-bust for the Mets?

Keith: Well there’ll be another season next year, the curtain’s not gonna fall if they don’t make it, it’ll be disappointing (laugh). Our ’85 team, we won 98 games and we went home, and the Mets were one series away from going to the World Series. And I think we came back in ’86 determined to get it done. And then Davey [Johnson] in spring training said, “We’re not only gonna win, we’re gonna dominate,” and I think that we responded to that, we were shocked, but I think it gave us that little push to … and we did dominate. So I think they’re in the same spot right now. We came that close, we’ve got the same people back and added the best hitter in the game, let’s get it done.

Q: Opening Day?

Keith: It’s exciting, you’ve got a full house of fans, and you want to have a big game.

Gary: It’s the start of the marathon. And I always get a little nervous before Opening Day. The crowd’s big, and you’re coming out of spring training where the games are completely meaningless. … The Mets are the best team in history on Opening Day.

Ron: As a player, I was always hoping for health. And in the booth, I get goose bumps on Opening Day. The ceremony and everything kind of gets to me each and every time.

Q: You’re entering your 20th year together in the SNY booth. How have you guys done it?

Gary: I think that when we got here, we all had no idea what we were doing … to be serious, I think that what’s amazing about this booth considering that you have a guy who should be in the Hall of Fame in Keith and one of the best pitchers in Mets history in Ronnie, is that there’s absolutely no ego. None. None of us needs to have the microphone, none of us needs to be on camera, we all allow the others to shine, and we have a great producer in Gregg Picker who has been with us every step of the way, and prods us to be better every day.