The Mets have many areas and contractual issues they will have to address if they expect to return to the World Series next year. Anticipate a bevy of rumors as Sandy Alderson and the Wilpon’s will be under the gun to make improvements. It will be interesting to see how the front office can handle the pressure, now that the Mets will have higher expectations for 2016, and nothing short of another trip to at least the National League Championship Series will be acceptable.
Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy
Most of the beat writers are saying that neither Yoenis Cespedes or Daniel Murphy will return to the Mets this offseason. Murphy is someone who Gary Cohen described as a “net negative” and to the agony of Mets fans everywhere this came to fruition in the World Series. His historic playoff run will be forever remember however, his baseball IQ and poor defensive plays have cost the Mets too much over the past few seasons. In addition, the Mets have a solid prospect in Dilson Herrera waiting in the wings to take over at 2nd base. Herrera is an all-around better player and will strengthen the Mets defense up the middle while adding some speed to the lineup. The Mets will certainly extend Murphy a Qualifying Offer, which he will decline and give the Mets an extra 1st round pick for next years draft.
The Cespedes situation will be more challenging of a decision for the Mets to make. Yes, there is no denying that his bat and arrival in Flushing was the turning point of the season and the Mets will be forever grateful for that. However, Cespedes is 30 years-old and will command a deal of 6 to 7 years, something the Mets do not seem willing to do, nor should they. There will be a team that overpays for Cespedes services and that team will not be the Mets. Paying Cespedes upwards or $25 million a year for his age 36 and 37 seasons is too big of a risk for a team strapped for cash.
One suggestion floating is going after free agent Jason Heyward, who is 26 years-old and suits the Mets’ hitting philosophy better than Cespedes as he is a high on-base percentage player and will also add speed to a lineup that lacks it. Heyward is one of the best defenders in all of baseball and the Mets could play him or Curtis Granderson in center field with Michael Conforto at one of the corners.
Another idea would be to go after Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who is under team control for the next four years. Blackmon had a rough go around when he visited Citi Field this season but he is a solid player who gets on base and steals a lot of bases. The Rockies could be interested in Kevin Plawecki and some of the Mets pitchers such as Jon Niese whom they asked about last offseason.
Bullpen
The bullpen is an immediate issue that the Mets need to address in order to bridge the gap to Jeurys Familia. The need for a left-handed specialist has to be addressed as well as getting more reliable 7th and 8th inning relievers. Addison Reed should be tendered as he was phenomenal after coming over from Arizona. Hansel Robles has the potential to turn into a power arm. Either of them could fill that void.
For a LOOGY the Mets could bring back Jerry Blevins, as he will be on the cheaper side, or could welcome back Oliver Perez, which is cringe worthy. J.P. Howell is the most desirable left-handed free agent after posting a 1.97 ERA over the last 3 years and would be an asset coming out of the pen.
As for set-up men, Alderson may have to explore a trade as the only viable options on the free agent market are the likes of Joakim Soria or bringing back Tyler Clippard which would be extremely unwise after how he finished the year.
5th Starter
The Mets will have to make do until Zack Wheeler returns in June or July of next year from Tommy John Surgery. Trading Niese, and his salary, when his value is most likely as high as it will get, could yield something useful. Bringing back Bartolo Colon would be a cheap option, while also giving the Mets a reliable arm if any other starters were to go down with an injury. It is hard to imagine the Mets trading or acquiring a big name starter but they could be in the market for another starter if a trade for Wheeler came about, which we all know teams are still interested in him even with the injury.
Shortstop
Wilmer Flores, the cult hero, turned out to be an average defender after there were extreme doubts of his ability at the position. One free agent the Mets could consider at shortstop is Ian Desmond, who would also bring some power to the lineup with the departure of Cespedes. However, his fielding is less than desirable and is not much better than Flores.
Going out and getting another shortstop, who is a better fielder, or second baseman is something the Mets will definitely look into. But Flores will likely be starting at one of those positions come Opening Day. Ben Zobrist, who crushed the Mets in the World Series, has always been someone linked to the Mets and for the right price would be an excellent fit due to his versatility and hitting mentality. Another team that has a plethora of young middle infield talent are the Chicago Cubs. Javier Baez would be able to replace some power as well and is an upgrade in the field but strikes out entirely too much and shows no plate discipline. Another name is, of course, Starlin Castro, who has been up and down but has shown his ability to hit and also has a very team-friendly contract.
Bench
This is a key aspect of the Mets roster as David Wright, unfortunately, cannot be counted on to play an entire season and if he does he will still need plenty of days off.
Bringing back Juan Uribe, if his contract demands are not too high, would be a solid move. But it sounds as though the Mets might just bring back the less costlier Kelly Johnson instead.
Bottom line is, the Mets can ill-afford for their bench to perform like it did at the beginning of this season, they need more experience and better pinch-hitting options. Michael Cuddyer, and his albatross of a contract, will be able to play 1st base and some outfield while being the most expensive bench player in baseball but overall he should be productive in that role.
It is hard to say exactly what the Mets offseason will look like. I do not expect a huge splash from them. but do expect some solid moves to be made. The starting pitching is where the Mets are all set, but a consistent offense and a reliable bullpen will be the difference between a parade down the “Canyon of Heroes” or a disappointing finish.
I refuse to believe the Wilpons have no money to spend and would not be shocked to see a payroll of roughly $120 million going into next season. It should be an exciting couple of months with the earliest domino dropping soon, as Qualifying Offer decisions are due by November 13th.
