Before the season started I asked some of my co-writers to give me their thoughts on the team. Mostly, I wanted to know how they viewed the offseason and if we have all the pieces to win win the NL East and hopefully bring home a World Series title. Here’s what they had to say…
Tommy Rothman – This offseason was a roller-coaster, for sure. It started slow, but the Mets opened up their wallets and made some very good moves, including the big one they needed to make. Keeping Yoenis Cespedes made this a very good offseason and makes our team, once again, a threat to win it all. Our bullpen could be better and I would have liked them to do a bit more about that, but there aren’t many (if any) guys better than the one we have pitching the ninth inning. This lineup is deep, and everybody in it could hit 15+ home runs. This bench is great, and there won’t be any wasted spots in the lineup like we saw early last year. Sandy Alderson did a great job and, with some good health and a little bit of luck, this could be the year.
Logan Kader – As soon as Yoenis Cespedes was re-signed in January, the offseason became a major success. Having him in the lineup makes everyone better, as we saw when he was first acquired. Sandy Alderson did an exceptional job this offseason and made this years team better than last years. The only area I would of loved to see Alderson focus more on is the bullpen. The acquisition of guys like Jim Henderson and Antonio Bastardo wont be enough to compete with the top bullpens in the league. The Mets have the pieces to win a championship, all it comes down to is consistency and the bullpen.
Tim Donner – As one who was satisfied with their off-season even before Mr. Cespedes was signed, this winter was marked mostly by well-considered, methodical and logical work by the front office – but ended with the bold exclamation point of Cespedes. Best of both worlds.
Start with offering Daniel Murphy a qualifying offer. It would have been just fine to have him for one more year, but not three given the hopes for Dilson Herrera. Acquiring Neil Walker made total sense – one year of quality play from a reliable, established, mid-career 2B, and the chance to pick up an extra draft pick with a qualifying offer, or worst case, getting him for one additional year. And oh, dumping Jon Niese, his mediocrity, his attitude and the reminder he represents of the bad old days, was a delightful bonus.
Many will say they should have signed Ian Desmond – much of it 20-20 hindsight once Desmond signed one of the most undervalued contracts in recent memory, perhaps ever – but I disagree. Asdrubal Cabrera is another solid mid-career talent with a steadier glove, greater versatility and higher contact rate, and should be a good if not perfect fit for the 8 hole in a balanced lineup.
Jerry Blevins and Antonio Bastardo are just what the doctor ordered in filling the gaping hole from the lefty side of the bullpen. And when Josh Edgin returns later this spring, it will give TC a trio of options to face the Bryce Harpers and Freddie Freemans at multiple points in the game.
Alejandro De Aza, signed to platoon with Juan Lagares in CF but now relegated to a reserve/bench role, makes sense either way – aside from a salary commensurate with a starter. He will now be significant as the only LH bat off the bench, except when Duda/Granderson/Walker/Cabrera are rested.
We are all well acquainted with the assets and liabilities of Mr. Cespedes, but his signing not only provides a substantially greater threat level in the middle of the order, but just as important, deprives the Nationals of same – think of Harper and Cespedes back-to-back. In what should still be a competitive divisional race, his signing could possibly be the difference-maker, though the Mets’ spectacular starting rotation is still what distinguishes the New York franchise from all the others.
Martin Kester – The offseason was about building for 2016 and not hampering the team for the future. Therefore all the moves were made with both goals in mind. The pursuit of Ben Zorbist was a 2016 move that wouldn’t hurt the future because of his versatility, i.e. moving him off 2B in 2017 to allow for Dilson Herrera. When that didn’t work, the moves were done on Sandy’s terms. Neil Walker on a one-year deal means he’s motivated and playing for a paycheck. Asdrubal Cabrera is a starter now, but can easily be a backup infielder next year if necessary. The moves weren’t made to win the back page battle or appease the fanbase. Cespedes was obviously never in the plan…until it became clear he was willing to come back on Sandy’s terms…
With all of this going on, the bullpen was addressed but seemingly didn’t get the same treatment as the infield. I think that’s because the front office believes relievers come and go and they would rather have a stockpile of capable relievers than pay for last year’s quality…that could easily fail this year.
Overall, they did what they needed to do to produce a quality team that should play meaningful games in September. There’s not enough defense for me to truly say all the championship pieces are in place, but I’m optimistic enough to buy into the front office’s believe that the pitching staff will nullify that obvious deficiency.
Gerry Silverman – During the offseason, I was looking for the Mets’ front office to address concerns on the infield defense, bullpen, and middle of the lineup. To a large degree, much of this was accomplished by Sandy & Co., though I feel that the gains in defense up the middle would likely be marginal as Walker and Cabrera do not add greatly in range although Walker’s glove certainly appears to be less error prone than that of the departed Daniel Murphy. The contributions on offense by the new keystone combo should hopefully make up for their defensive shortcomings.
Similarly, bringing back Cespedes is clearly the coup for the Mets’ brass, and if he can deliver 80% of what he accomplished last season, he will still likely be the most formidable weapon in the lineup. Again, the need to play him in CF much of the time may have a tempering effect on his contributions, but hopefully this will not emerge as a major concern. Adding Blevins, Bastardo, and Henderson to the bullpen should provide the reliability that Collins requires for his style of relief employment, Bastardo’s shaky spring showing notwithstanding. Overall, this is what looks to be a solid job by Alderson in getting the team in shape to pursue another run at a championship.
