With another failed postseason bid and new ownership incoming, the New York Mets know that the moves that will be made this offseason will have major implications on the path and trajectory of this franchise. Brodie Van Wagenen has led the Mets to a 112-108 record in his two seasons, but the stat that stands out the most is the two failed attempts at the postseason. Couple that with the loss of prospects and you have a failed job in some aspects.
With that in mind, new owner Steve Cohen will be giving the Mets something that they haven’t had, should he get approved by the league owners. Cohen, the founder of Point 72, a hedge fund worth over $17 billion, will be coming in with more assets than ever before to help the disgruntled franchise re-gain respect throughout the league. Rather than having to trade away prospects for mediocre assets, Mr. Cohen will now be able to buy players to help bring a winner back to Queens while still retaining the farm talent.
The current rosters talent is undeniable with names like Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, Andres Gimenez, Brandon Nimmo, JD Davis, Amed Rosario, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, and David Peterson.
Say what you want but if that is the core that you need to build around, that is something to be proud of and should not be a hard task to fix.
With the Mets’ new views on operations under Cohen, what moves would make the most sense to fill out a championship-caliber roster?
The obvious need is pitching There are a few approaches that the Mets can take with that but the most realistic one would be to attempt to retain Marcus Stroman, on whom they spent prospect assets to acquire. He would slide in nicely as a No. 2 or 3 arm with the potential to be an ace on some teams.
New York would likely not want to settle for mediocrity after two failed seasons so another addition that would make sense is signing Trevor Bauer, the Reds star who is set to hit free agency. Bauer is coming off of a magical season in Cincinnati with an impending playoff run. With a 1.73 ERA in this peculiar 60-game season, Bauer broke out in some respects to make the point of him being ready for a jump to ace level performance. He would create a brick wall of a rotation for the Mets and help lessen the blow elsewhere.
The Mets will also need to revamp a weakened bullpen which has several players leaving in free agency. Some players that they may want to consider are Liam Hendriks and Blake Treinen. Both are impending free agents with track records of late-inning success. Additionally, they both have an Oakland connection with the Mets’ incoming President of Baseball Operations, Sandy Alderson.
The last item that the Mets ought to cover this upcoming offseason is catcher. Wilson Ramos has been adequate but not great. The Mets, who run on pitching, need a catcher that can help their pitchers while also contributing offensively. A free agent like J.T. Realmuto would certainly help that with his 95 percent framing rate compared to Ramos’s rate below 75 percent. Realmuto also has been in the NL East his whole career, thus giving the Mets the ability to learn more about their opposing pitchers and construct a better game plan offensively. Realmuto is one of the best all-around catchers and can truly be a game-changer for New York on both sides of the ball.
Overall, the Mets have their work cut out for them. There will undoubtedly be several more moves this offseason but the top priorities are fairly certain for those who look for them.
Steve Cohen has a chance to save the Mets’ current failed run in a big way and change the perception of the franchise forever.
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