We've reached the point in the offseason where it's safe to say that Max Scherzer was correct in his assessment of the Mets' 2024 plans.
Before he waived his no-trade clause and departed for Texas last summer, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was told by team executives that the Mets were more focused on 2025 and beyond than next season. He said he agreed to the contract. With only an option year left on his contract, Scherzer couldn't afford to sit back and compete for a World Series.
The Mets immediately went into damage control mode, assuring season ticket holders in a letter that they plan to play again this year. Conspiracy theories quickly emerged that team owner Steve Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler had simply told Scherzer that the Mets would be less focused on next season so that the right-hander would agree to a trade.
Once the season ended, there seemed to be a general understanding that Coach Cohen would again spend money to bring top players to Citi Field. Even the richest owner in the sport never fully slows down, right?
After the Mets decided not to offer Shohei Ohtani a contract, they took a shot at Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but it missed.
The rest was mainly crickets.
With about five weeks left for pitchers and catchers to report to Port St. Lucie, Florida, the main assignments made by new Director of Baseball Operations David Stearns are Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Harrison Bader and Joey. Wendle, Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor, and Jorge Lopez.
In other words, Scherzer was right.
Of course, the Mets could still surprise us with a flashy move, but for now, the team and its remaining key free agents, a group that includes Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery, There is nothing that ties them together. And Josh Hader.
While there will likely be some additional moves before spring training, the team could still add another starting pitcher and likely have plenty of additions at hitters and relief pitchers, but this has been a hell of a winter for the Mets. It's hard to say.
That's especially true considering the team the Mets aspire to be, Southern California's National League franchise, has become the Showtime Dodgers. The team signed long-term contracts worth more than $1 billion this winter, and the main acquisitions are Ohtani and Yamamoto.
The NL East Braves are thinking big with the addition of Chris Sale, who brings another ace to a team that already features studs Spencer Strider and Max Fried. Across town, the Yankees added Juan Soto to a lineup that already included Aaron Judge.
The flip side is that the Mets won the championship last offseason (did anyone see that trophy?) and were trying to figure out how to fix a huge mess by June. In this case, why commit to a player long-term unless you are sure that he will perform at an appropriate level over time?
At 25 years old, Yamamoto certainly fits the bill as someone worth pursuing long-term. It's even harder to say the same for older pitchers.
Otherwise, there may be something to be said for building a rotation around relatively inexpensive pitchers on short-term contracts until they can develop their own crop. Manaea and Severino are far from headliners at this point in their respective careers, but when healthy they could provide quality innings for the team.
Much of the intrigue surrounds Manaea, a left-handed pitcher who increased his velocity and added a sweeper to his arsenal last season. The concern for Manaea is how he will react to New York after spending his entire career on the West Coast with the Athletics, Padres and Giants. And when Manaea's velocity is down, his second pitch isn't enough to make up for it.
Will the Mets be good enough to compete in 2024 under their current structure? It probably depends on your definition of “competition”. If they're finishing above .500 and competing for a wild card, why not?
Still, kudos to Scherzer for accurately portraying what the Mets had in mind for this winter before he left.
