What do the New York Mets have now that Steve Cohen owns the team? More money and more desire to win now.
Now, what don’t they have? Prospects and upper-minor league level depth.
The best strategy for building the 2021 team, then, is to sign as many top free agents as possible and leave the trades for their rivals.
By signing some combination of JT Realmuto, DJ LeMahieu, James McCann, George Springer, Trevor Bauer, Liam Hendriks, and Brad Hand, the Mets will position themselves as serious World Series contenders in 2021 and beyond, while retaining the few legitimate prospects they have.
Francisco Lindor will likely be available as a free agent in 2022, where all it will take is money, and that is the better time to acquire him for the long haul.
If the Mets are willing and able to sign Springer, Bauer, Realmuto, and Hand (or Springer, Bauer, McCann, and Hendriks), 2021 should be quite exciting and competitive.
Getting Springer gives the Mets some flexibility, such as moving Nimmo to left field where he belongs. They can put McNeil back at second base and install Andres Gimenez as the starting shortstop.
That allows them to try Amed Rosario at third base (competently backed up by Luis Guillorme and J.D. Davis). Rosario needs to earn his playing time by fielding significantly better than Davis and hitting as well as he did in late 2019. Otherwise he becomes a utility player at best.
If they take this route, perhaps trading a few surplus players for one or two A-ball prospects could clear out the system to avoid losing player after player as a result of botched 40-man roster manipulations.
The lineup (assuming universal DH) would be:
1) Nimmo – LF
2) Springer – CF
3) Conforto – RF
4) Alonso – DH
5) Smith – 1B
6) Realmuto – C
7) McNeil – 2B
8) Rosario – 3B
9) Gimenez – SS
Bench: Guillorme, Nido, Davis, Mallex Smith
Rotation:
Jacob deGrom, Bauer, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, Steven Matz (Noah Syndergaard in June or July?)
Bullpen:
Edwin Diaz, Hand, Seth Lugo, Miguel Castro, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, Brad Brach or Sam McWilliams, and Chasen Shreve.
An additional suggestion on building this team to compete every season is to buyout or release Robinson Cano before he plays another game for the Mets.
He does not deserve another chance, even if the team has to swallow the remaining $40.5 million left on his contract.
