Photo: Mets.com

The Mets have been one of the more active teams in baseball so far this winter. Apart from acquiring Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano from the Seattle Mariners and inking reliever Jeurys Familia to a three-year deal, New York has been at the forefront of what seems like every rumor.

New Mets’ general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has thrust himself right into the action, and it doesn’t look like that will stop anytime soon, as New York still has multiple holes to fill.

With the Winter Meetings over, a couple transactions under their belts and more rumors flowing in everyday, the MetsMerized staff held a roundtable discussion. The topic: Are you encouraged by the Mets offseason so far?

Here were our answers.

Joe D: After only two significant moves a week apart, we went from having one of the league’s worst bullpens to arguably the best 1-2 punch at closer and setup man. Additionally, not only did we add a big bat in the infield in Robinson Cano, but we unloaded Bruce and Swarzak in the process. So yes, I’m pretty encouraged and I’m looking forward to what other tricks Brodie has up his sleeve.

Jack Hendon: This has probably been the most active offseason among those I’ve paid attention to (think the last seven/eight years). I’m convinced that the team is trying to win now given Brodie Van Wagenen’s transparency and involvement. As far as whether or not I’m encouraged, I can’t say I am just yet. There are holes behind the plate that need to be filled and depth still lacks across the board, especially in that bullpen. If this team took the field tomorrow, it would win 83-86 games – maybe fewer given how competitive this division has become. I’m encouraged by Brodie. Not so much by the current group relative to other teams in the National League.

Tim Ryder: I’m incredibly into the foundational moves Brodie Van Wagenen has been making. Adding Robinson Cano strengthens the lineup and adds some pop. Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia — along with Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman — give the Mets a solid relief corps. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that additional, even more significant, upgrades could be cooking down the turnpike. In any case, the Mets are in a better place than they were at the beginning of the offseason. That’s a great start, but there’s still work to be done. I’m definitely on board, so far.

Dilip Sridhar: I’m encouraged in that I like how Brodie’s exploring every option. I’m not encouraged in the fact that he is willing to move Brandon Nimmo or Michael Conforto. There will still be a solid 45 days so of this so I guess the best course would be to buckle up and hope for the best.

Jack Ramsey: While I’m sure everyone will tell you about Brodie’s big moves, I’m here to talk about some of the more under-the-radar moves I’ve really liked. He hired PR guru Zach Weber away from the Brewers to help run a Jay Horowitz-less PR Department, he hired Jared Banner, a 32 year old “front office prospect” away from the Red Sox, and brought in well respected minds to his front office staff, like Allard Baird and Adam Guttridge. He hired a well-sought-after Bench Coach in Jim Riggleman, poached a divisional rivals’ pitching coach, Chuck Hernandez, to be the bullpen coach, a former Major League All-Star in Chili Davis to be the hitting coach, and promoted from within with a very much deserving Luis Rojas to be the teams new Quality Control coach.

For all the moves Brodie has made on the field, the off the field additions have been just as good and even better. He’s also done a good job addressing the teams lack of depth with a great Rule 5 Draft and some interesting MiLB Free Agent signings like Dilson Herrera and Ryan O’Rourke.

John Sheridan: Honestly, I don’t see how this isn’t business as usual. The Mets went all-in on the Cano/Diaz trade, but they’re not going all-in when it comes to spending. Despite being two arms short, the Mets aren’t getting another big reliever past Familia. Vargas is the fifth starter. The starting pitching depth is the same guys who faltered last year.

The big time free agent targets is Pollock, not Harper or Grandal. Put another way, the Mets are going for the cheaper injury prone guy and hoping he pans out. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  It should because that’s how the Wilpons choose to operate their baseball team. That leaves us debating if we should be getting excited about selling off the future for the possibility of a Wild Card.

Rob Piersall: So far, I’m cautiously optimistic about the moves Brodie Van Wagenen has made so far. With that being said, we aren’t out of the woods yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the Mets don’t give up a huge package for J.T. Realmuto when they can just sign Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos and keep their core in tact. If Grandal or Ramos are signed, as well as another reliever and potentially an outfielder along with some depth signings, I think you can call this offseason a success. I’m excited to see what other moves the Mets make, but I think they are trending in the right direction. Just don’t trade Syndergaard. 🙂