After a laborious managerial search that included a multitude of candidates, numerous rounds of interviews and non-existent “bombshell” options, the Mets have their man: longtime Met and future Hall-of-Famer Carlos Beltran.
While the rest of the coaching staff has yet to be rounded out, New York has hopped the biggest hurdle by tabbing Beltran as manager.
Now that that’s done and the offseason is under way, it’s time for general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to shift his priorities to improving the makeup of the team.
Van Wagenen set lofty, albeit unsustainable, goals for the 2019 that ultimately didn’t pan out, yet the team did finish 10 games over .500 and just three games out of a Wild Card berth.
The Mets have a strong young core that includes the likes of Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Amed Rosario and so on, as well as a rotation led by Jacob deGrom, so they’re no slouches.
However, as Tim Britton of the Athletic recently opined, it’s time for the Mets to build on that to thrust themselves into real contention.
With their window shrinking over the next couple years as well as having to share a division with the defending World Series champion Nationals and two more strong teams in the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, New York is going to have to spend this winter.
The Mets biggest areas of improvement this winter are bolstering the bullpen, adding an outfielder, signing another starting pitcher and potentially a catcher if they can move Wilson Ramos.
At the back-end of the bullpen, New York is hoping Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia can rebound, but that should not dissuade them from adding to the corps. In fact, it should give them more incentive to do so. With Aroldis Chapman staying in New York, it tightens the market up a bit, but the Mets still need to add a couple arms to round out the pen.
Seth Lugo and Justin Wilson, who had strong years in 2019, will be returning to the fold, but New York needs more depth so they aren’t stuck cycling out the likes of Tyler Bashlor, Drew Gagnon, Jacob Rhame and company to try and get something to stick.
That should be priority No. 1, followed by adding an outfielder. At this point, we have no idea what the deal with Yoenis Cespedes is. The Cuban slugger is entering his contract year, but all has been quiet on his front after missing the last year plus.
Should Cespedes return, it would be a welcome addition, but the Mets have to act as though he won’t return and bring in an external outfielder. An appealing name could be Jackie Bradley Jr. who could round out center field while allowing Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo to man the corner spots.
And last but not least: the battery. In an ideal world, the Mets should be going hard after Gerrit Cole, who established himself as one of the premier pitchers in the league and easily the top option on the open market. New York’s monetary issues have been well established, but even if they do make a big splash and go over the luxury tax threshold, the punishment for first time offenders is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Should Cole not be an option, it’s of utmost importance to try and retain Zack Wheeler, who has put up nearly 9 fWAR in the last two seasons and has been talked about as a major breakout candidate.
Behind the dish, the Mets should also be looking to dump Wilson Ramos and his salary, perhaps to an AL team who could utilize him primarily as a designated hitter. If they can do so, they should put their focus on Yasmani Grandal, who has become one of the strongest catchers in the league defensively and can produce on the offensive side as well.
The Mets have an uphill battle this winter that is going to require them to spend and be creative in moving around some money in order to compete. If they don’t, it’s going to be very difficult to topple the World Series defending Nationals as well as two other hungry teams in their division.
So the clock is now on, Brodie. What’s your move?
