DALLAS – The ink hasn’t dried yet on Juan Soto’s record-breaking, 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, which is still unofficial. When Soto puts on his jersey, he will join an offense that ranked seventh in the majors last season and fourth in MLB from May 29 through year’s end. It’s a good offense. Soto does it better.

While it’s still not clear how the Mets might complement this unit (and they will), it’s not too early to predict how their lineup might evolve in various scenarios. Like for example:

If the Mets do nothing else

Frankly, this is an unrealistic option. The Mets currently do not have a first baseman on their roster and will need to acquire a corner infielder one way or another. But for this exercise the setup currently looks something like this:

Soto regularly played second for the Yankees last season and has played that position repeatedly throughout his seven-year career. Given the success Lindor has had in the early going, it is unlikely that manager Carlos Mendoza will oust him from the position. That gives added importance to Vientos, a right-hander strong enough to bat third if he keeps playing like he did last season.

Baty is unlikely to make the Mets’ Opening Day roster, but for now he’s their most realistic in-house option… unless they move McNeil to third and play second against the No. 12 prospect Luisangel Acuna. Unlikely. An easier solution would be to bring back someone like Jose Iglesias to man the hot corner, but the Mets may want to shoot higher.

If the Mets re-sign Pete Alonso

The return of Alonso would certainly make this lineup deeper and give Mendoza far more flexibility in the lineup. An option with Alonso looks like this:

This would be a right-handed-heavy bottom of the rankings with only McNeil keeping things at arm’s length. Given that Alonso and the top alternative free agent option, Christian Walker, are both right-handed, such a scenario might be unavoidable. (The best left-hitting first baseman on the market, Carlos Santana, is a switch-hitter who’s about to turn 39 and also hits better from the right side. He’s an option, but perhaps not an ideal one.)

For all of these reasons, the Mets could be a little more right-handed next season. Unless …

If the Mets sign a left-handed DH

Joc Pederson is the most spectacular option here, although a return of Jesse Winker also makes sense. It would be an aggressive move that would push Marte into a part-time role, but an option that would add both momentum and balance to the Mets’ lineup. David Stearns, president of baseball operations, loves what he calls “layoffs” on his roster, or multiple options at the same position. In this world, Mendoza’s lineup map would look something like this:

All the usual caveats apply, such as: B. Signing a full-time third baseman or using Acuña in some way. But why play this either/or game? These are Steve Cohen’s Mets, who have proven they’re willing to give it their all. What if they signed Alonso and Pederson? That would be an impressive lineup:

If the Mets sign a right-handed first baseman and a left-handed DH

The Mets could flip Alonso and Vientos on this card depending on who hits well. They could also flip Pederson and McNeil or Alvarez and Taylor. Against lefties, they would have Marte available to step in as DH or give one of their outfielders a breather. And Jose Siri would be a defensive-minded option on the bench, like Harrison Bader was last season.

A lot will depend on how the rest of the offseason plays out, but for now it’s clear the Mets have options — and even if they don’t make another move, their Opening Day lineup should be solid.