The Athletic recently posted the results of their 2023 spring training survey and it makes interesting reading for Mets fans.
The survey is completed by a panel of 29 executives, former executives, coaches and scouts, who all remain anonymous. The survey covers a wide-ranging number of topics and the New York Mets come up a lot.
For instance, when asked for the most improved teams in the National League, the 29-man panel place the Mets with 19 votes behind the Phillies (23) and the Padres (20). It appears as though do-it-all shortstop Trea Turner landing in Philadelphia impressed the entire baseball community. The Phillies also added plenty of depth and that was enough to earn the title of the most improved team in the NL.
The Padres, who spent $300 million on Xander Bogaerts, and Seth Lugo to name just a couple, will also get Fernando Tatis Jr. back at some point this season and they too placed above the Mets. New York gained just one more vote than the Chicago Cubs, who drastically overhauled their roster this offseason. While New York did good business this winter, it obviously wasn’t as eye-catching as other teams in the eyes of certain baseball people.
The Mets signed three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander as their marquee addition. However, Verlander didn’t appear in the best free agent signings category in The Athletic’s survey. Instead, Turner topped that list and he and the Phillies appear to be getting a lot of love this offseason. Carlos Correa, who was so nearly a Met, was voted second and, interestingly, Jacob deGrom, the man who Verlander replaced, received five votes. Verlander, meanwhile, missed the featured list with four votes.
However, the jury also appears to be out on deGrom. Per The Athletic’s panel, the former Met finished second in the worst free agent signing of the offseason with nine votes. One baseball person in the story was quoted as saying “I’d rather have two years of Verlander than five years of deGrom.” The general consensus is that the five-year, $185 million contract deGrom received from the Texas Rangers will not age well at all. Another former Met pitcher in Taijuan Walker, who signed with the Phillies this winter, was ranked just behind deGrom as the third worst free agent signing.
The Mets actually featured prominently in the worst free agent signing list. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who signed an eight-year, $162 million deal earlier in the offseason, came in at No. 5 with five votes, while Verlander and Kodai Senga also received votes.
Elsewhere, the future of superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani ranked as the most intriguing story to follow in the American League throughout spring training. Given that the Mets are widely seen as the frontrunners to sign the uber-talented unicorn if he does indeed hit free agency, they figure to feature heavily in that conversation.
And you won’t be shocked to learn that the Mets feature as one of the most intriguing spring storylines in the NL. Owner Steve Cohen and his willingness to spend the big bucks and blow everyone else out of the water ranked second with six votes, six fewer than the Padres and their payroll and array of talent.
The Mets also featured again with the panel giving four votes to the age and overall health of the starting pitching staff as another big storyline to follow. With Max Scherzer and Verlander 38 and 39-years-old respectively, coupled with the fact that Carlos Carrasco, José Quintana and Kodai Senga are all 30 or older, the overall health and durability of the Mets’ rotation will be an intriguing sub-plot to watch play out.
Given that this team is in win-now mode, it is not surprising that they got five votes when it comes to the teams feeling the most heat heading into 2023. The Red Sox, Padres and the Angels (in that order) all finished above the Mets in that category. The general consensus from the panel seems to be that, if the Mets fall short in 2023, someone will be used as a scapegoat for that failure.
Finally, the Mets had a representative among the seven phenoms to watch this spring. Rounding off the list with six votes – tied with Yankees prospect Anthony Volpe – was catcher Francisco Álvarez. Although he’s not expected to make the Opening Day roster, Álvarez will get an opportunity to impress at both catcher and at DH throughout spring training. If he is lights out this spring, then maybe the phenom prospect begins the year in the bigs after all. It was also interesting that the panel collectively agreed that Mets manager Buck Showalter may look to be clever when it comes to working with the new pitch clock rules in terms of trying to find an advantage.
You can view the full results of The Athletic’s 2023 spring training survey (subscription required) right here.
