JUPITER, Fla. — Admittedly, this is not the seemingly stacked, star-studded Mets team that entered the 2023 season (before the mysterious bombing). But comfort yourself, Mets fans, that might be a good thing.
Even in this year of transition, there’s a lot to like here. The Mets were given half a chance to play until October.
Here are 22 reasons why the Mets may be better than you think.
1. They still have an MLB record $340 million in expenses after the winter off (via Cot’s Baseball Contracts). So you can see that there is talent here, even if some or more of it is wasted.
2. They are only two years removed from 101 wins, but nine players remain from that team, including a number of key players. The 2023 season may be a fluke.
3. New coach Carlos Mendoza seems ready. I was initially skeptical since he was the bench coach for an underperforming Yankees team last year (after a few good seasons). But it became clear that he had character and smarts. And you know, as the guy who recently hired David Stearns, a longtime Yankees employee with a strong analytical mind who’s putting up some notable numbers, you know he’s ready for the modern game. You need to keep it.
4. Defense power has been greatly improved. Harrison Bader at center is one of the best and Brandon Nimmo should be one of the best on the left.
5. Francisco Alvarez should take the next step in his second year. He surprised us with how well he prepared last year, and he should be even better this year. His arm is one of the best, and the Mets’ pitchers are working hard to give him a chance right now, especially since he has a below-average runner-out rate (only 12 stolen bases caught in 2023). %) to one of the best players of all time.
6. The rotation is missing a No. 1 or even No. 2 starter until ace Kodai Senga returns from a shoulder issue, but all five should be given a chance.
7. No. 5 Tyler Megill has a splitter that he learned from Chiga. Ghost He is not a folk (we can clearly see that), but he is given an additional pitch.
8. Chiga says he’s ready to pitch, so there’s a chance he could return sometime in May. People bet on anything these days, so it’s strange that no one has taken action yet on whether Chiga or Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will return first.
10. Their rotational depth situation isn’t terrible. Better than some teams, in fact (Yankees fans, look away). Jose Buttto looked great in the spring, Joey Lucchesi was great in a cameo last year, and David Peterson should show up sooner rather than later.
11. Christian Scott leads quite a few potential starters. “He’s legit,” says one scout.
12. Other than Logan Webb, Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cole, and one or two others, no one goes more than six innings consistently anymore, so rotations aren’t as important as they used to be. It’s gone.
13. Edwin Diaz is back, and so is the trumpet. The injury at WBC last year cost Mets his life. It looks nice too. That’s music to everyone’s ears.
14. The rest of the bullpen looks pretty solid, which is important since the Mets are without a rare seventh-inning starter. They performed very well here and it’s worth it.
15. Jorge Lopez and Michael Tonkin (assuming he’s successful) look like great Pen additions. Lopez has great talent, and Tonkin pitched 80 innings with the Braves last year, posting a 1.08 WHIP. (We’re assuming that anyone who can play any role with the Braves has to be pretty good.)
16. The top of the lineup may not be as good as the Dodgers, or even as good as the Braves or Phillies, but it’s pretty good. The first four are set, with Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and newly signed JD Martinez already penciled in.
17. Alonso is finally proven to stick to the lineup. He had some decent hitters, including Robbie Cano, Michael Conforto, and Jeff McNeil, but no hitter boasted more than 133 career OPS than Martinez. Coincidentally, this is the same background as Hall of Famers Jackie Robinson, Billy Williams, and Todd Helton (and Mets great David Wright).
18. Alonso looks set for a monster year. No one expects him to repeat that same performance in Aaron Judge’s platform year. But let’s be honest, his average home run average is 44, and that was before Martinez got here.
19. The rest of the lineup isn’t too bad either.
20. Starling Marte hasn’t been hitting much this spring, but he looks healthy.
21. Bret Beatty looks better. He seems more confident, Mets officials say, and that may be the key. He looked a little underwhelmed as a rookie in New York last year, but this is very common and not a crime.
22. Steve Cohen is the owner of the team. If the two are close, assume you can add more, even if it means paying the fourth tier, the so-called “Steve Cohen tax” of 110 percent. He is the only owner who can tolerate a $200 million annual deficit. To say the least, this is an estimated loss for the past year, which is a blessing unless you are his accountant.
