Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

During this dangerous dance between millionaires and billionaires, it’s the fans that serve as collateral damage. On the verge of the apex and terminus of the football season, what’s usually an inaugural pre-celebration party for the baseball faithful may alas serve as a melancholy reminder of what is not yet to be. So what else is there to do than blindly look forward to what could be?

Lockout Finish Line

First and foremost, there’s nothing any of us want more than for the quarrel amongst the haves and have mores to sit down at the table and remain until resolution. Anything beyond this sentence and this point is moot. All eyes are on these two sides with earnest hopes of a swift accord.

Free Agency Frenzy 2.0

Before December 1st, 2021, we’d all lay witness to one of the busiest, most condensed signing free-for-alls the sport has ever seen. Over the last decade and beyond, the baseball off-season and free agency period have slowed to a snail’s pace. But with the impending lockout this past November, many teams and GMs scrambled to get their hands on some talent before the shutdown. Imagine how the post-lockout mad dash will go.

New Sheriff in Town

While Mets fans are not accustomed to having a universal liking to one decision, it seems nearly unanimous that Buck Showalter was the guy to get. Skip has already made an appearance at Port St. Lucie, living up to his detailed, regimented reputation. 

New Toys

While there are still many more moves to be made, the 2022 Met roster and rotation already have plenty of new pieces. Billy Eppler provided a treasure trove of new toys for Buck and the boys to play with. Combine the oft-mentioned acquisitions with Free Agency Frenzy 2.0, which will hopefully include some bullpen reinforcements, the clubhouse should be chock full of new options.

State of Jake

It’s easy to forget the precarious unease Jacob deGrom left us with in the latter half of the 2021 season. deGrom began the season at a ‘68 Bob Gibson / ‘85 Dwight Gooden pace, only to get shut down due to injury. The prevailing narrative was that if there was October Met baseball, Jake may have been ready. But we can’t deny the unsettling feeling that still sits with us entering the 2022 season. Monitoring the state of Jake will be a worthwhile endeavor once the gates reopen.