The Mets were one of the most famous teams in baseball heading into spring training last year.
There was a lot of star power on the field. Buck Showalter was still the manager and brought a certain dignity to the dugout. Even before an early exit from the playoffs, there was still talk about the team that won 101 games the previous season.
Much of that aura is now gone, along with the high expectations that surrounded the team.
With less than two weeks left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, to find a Mets team with low expectations, you have to go back at least a decade to the early days of the Sandy Alderson-Terry Collins partnership. Might happen.
Four of the major gambling apps are in lockstep, setting the Mets’ over/under win total for next season at 82.5.
To some fan bases, that number may seem low.
But there’s also a louder segment that seems convinced the Mets are better, if not worse, than last year’s 75-win team that finished fourth in the National League East.
That realization came from the offseason, when the Mets looked to add complementary players to replace stars and strengthen organizational depth.
But if the Mets play even slightly better than Las Vegas expected, they could make it to the postseason.
Last year, the Marlins and Diamondbacks both won 84 games and made the playoffs. The Divacs made it all the way to the World Series.
Here are five players who offer the Mets an opportunity to exceed mediocre expectations.
Luis Severino
The Mets are taking a low-risk gamble in hopes that the right-handed pitcher can stay healthy and recapture the magic that made him an All-Star with the Yankees.
In recent years, the Mets have taken a similar approach with pitchers like Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha, and Carlos Carrasco (acquired in Cleveland’s trade for Francisco Lindor).
All were previously top starters expected to make a comeback. He had mixed results with the Mets.
But Severino hasn’t turned 30 yet (he’ll reach that milestone during camp), and the Mets are training him harder this offseason to avoid the springs that have troubled him this past season. I hope he can avoid any injuries in training.
A healthy Severino could emerge as an ace and change the dynamics of the entire rotation.
Starling Marte
The Mets had a completely different player in right field last season than the one who helped the team reach the playoffs the year before.
By the way, both names were Starling Marte.
Last year’s version had a -0.3 WAR and missed the final two months of the season with groin discomfort.
A year ago, Marte’s WAR was 2.9.
If the Mets can get even halfway between those two numbers this season, they’ll be solidifying an outfield that has the potential to be a solid defense, but by no means impressive on paper.
The Mets could also benefit from giving the 35-year-old Marte occasional stints at the DH to give him a break.
Brett Batty
The cheers were overwhelming when the rookie arrived last April, following a quick start in Triple-A and early struggles from Eduardo Escobar.
But Batty probably would have benefited from some extra seasoning at Syracuse, as he looked overmatched for most of the season.
He ultimately returned to Syracuse in August, rejoining the Mets for the final month.
But Batty is only 24 years old.
If the Mets get a significant increase in production from him commensurate with his pedigree as a first-round draft pick, the batting lineup that is currently constructed and likely to be missing an at-bat or two will have a different feel. right.
Edwin Diaz
The team’s dominant closer is back and if the Mets can give him enough of a lead to protect him, it should be worth something.
But in a way, we need to rediscover Diaz, who missed last season after tearing the patella tendon in his right knee during an on-field celebration at the World Baseball Classic.
If this is Diaz, who is hitless in 2022, the Mets will have a chance to overachieve.
Francisco Alvarez
Last season, the ball exploded off his rookie bat many times, but he finished with a 95 OPS+, suggesting he was below average offensively.
Perhaps the question this season, which could partially determine whether the Mets exceed expectations, will be whether the 22-year-old catcher will continue his steady development or break into stardom.
