Juan Soto arrived in Port St. Lucie on Sunday, donning the orange and blue that he is expected to wear for the next 15 years. His first words and swings of camp mark the beginning of an era that will be defined not by meaningful games in September but by championships.

Pete Alonso is expected to join the club Monday, during the first full-squad workout, and it will be another day of optimism for an organization that spent the offseason marrying the lovable incumbents (Alonso, Sean Manaea and Jesse Winker, among others) with the wildly big-ticket hired gun (Soto).

The 2025 Mets project to be a more powerful offensive club with a higher ceiling in their rotation and their bullpen than the 2024 version that came two wins shy of the National League pennant. And yet, there is something specific missing. It feels as if the fan base would sooner welcome a 35-year-old utility infielder than a proven ace.

Such was and is the Jose Iglesias effect.