In their recently updated Baseball Futures, leading online sports bookers BetFair, cast the New York Mets with 14/1 odds to win the World Series, that’s higher than last month when they were at 25/1.
There are five teams ranked ahead of the Mets:
- Los Angeles Dodgers – 4/1
- New York Yankees – 11/2
- Atlanta Braves – 10/1
- San Diego Padres – 10/1
- Chicago White Sox – 13/1
While these Las Vegas odds are not exactly indicative of anything you can bank on, or even predictive in any way, they are certainly worth looking at and seeing if there are any trends.
The Mets ended the shortened season in 2020, with much disappointment and a sense of gloom. Oddsmakers right away had them ranked in the bottom third of all MLB teams.
However, the Amazins’ quickly started to inch their way up as the Steve Cohen news got louder and louder. When the sale of the team finally became official, enthusiasm was on the rise and so was their stock value in Vegas.
While the new front office, led by Sandy Alderson and Jared Porter, have yet to make a big splash this offseason, they have managed to make some significant improvements.
The Mets have struggled to get consistent production out of the catcher position for the better part of a decade. But they nipped that problem in the bud by moving quickly to sign free agent James McCann.
It certainly appears the Mets may have overpaid McCann by giving him a four-year deal worth $40.6 million, but it showed just how serious and committed the new ownership is. That’s something that was dreadfully lacking during the Wilpon era.
McCann, 30, gives the Mets lineup some serious offensive thump. He batted .289/.360/.536 (.378 wOBA, 144 OPS+) with seven home runs and 15 RBI in 31 games last season for the White Sox, and was an All-Star in 2019.
He recently improved his framing, has a solid and accurate throwing arm, and last season he had +5 defensive runs saved.
Another significant development this offseason, was right-hander Marcus Stroman accepting the team’s one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer.
Stroman, 29, says he’s “beyond excited” to be back and he gives the Mets a solid front-end starter in a rotation that has too many questions.
Over six major league seasons, Stroman is 51-47 with a 3.76 ERA in 146 games, including 140 starts. He has posted a 15.8 fWAR in that span including a career-high 3.9 fWAR in 2019.
Looking to bolster a beleaguered bullpen, he Mets may have struck gold when they signed right-handed reliever Trevor May to a two-year, $15 million deal.
May, 31, has become one of the game’s best late-inning relievers since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2017. Over the last three seasons, May has averaged 12.2 strikeouts with a 1.10 WHIP, 3.19 ERA and a .214 BAA.
There are several reports suggesting that the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays are the finalists for free-agent outfielder George Springer.
Springer, 31, posted a strong .899 OPS with 14 home runs and 32 RBI in 51 games this season. He posted a career-best 6.5 WAR, 158 wRC+ and .974 OPS in 2019 with 39 home runs and 96 RBI in 122 games. If Cohen can reel him in, it would be a major upgrade for the Mets in center field.
The Mets also appear very willing to add one more arm to the rotation, which will be without Noah Syndergaard until June. Among the names being bandied about are Jake Odorizzi and Trevor Bauer .
So there you have the state of the New York Mets as we turn the page to 2021.
There’s still plenty of offseason left, and you could bet the Mets will make at least one big splash signing before long.
Hope is on the rise in Flushing and it looks like Steve Cohen has his eyes on the prize — a World Series championship.
