The Mets Need to Go All-In This Offseason
The New York Mets could be in big trouble if they do not do something big this offseason.
The Mets are taking a brand new look into this free agency period of the 2018 offseason, after recently hiring former agent Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager. Van Wagenen has been vocal about his plans for the organization, saying all the right things, saying he’ll be “in” on every free agent this offseason, and that he likes the Mets current roster.
My question to Van Wagenen: Really? You like this Mets roster? I understand what he is saying. Many of the current roster is composed of previous clients that he had, but come on. Yes, Yoenis Cespedes makes a huge difference when healthy, but he is yet to put together a full season in a Mets uniform, and that is ridiculously unsettling as he is on the back end of his prime, entering his age 33 season, and will possibly be sidelined for multiple months after recovering from two heel surgeries.
Who is there to actually like on this Mets team? Surprisingly, a lot. Michael Conforto’s second half of the 2018 season looked much like his breakout 2017 season, which ended prematurely due to a torn shoulder capsule. Brandon Nimmo set the world on fire by having the second highest on base percentage in the National League behind Joey Votto. Amed Rosario took a nice step forward in his progression as an everyday shortstop. Peter Alonso absolutely destroyed and pillaged every level of minor league baseball this year, and continues to shine in the Arizona Fall League. Not to mention, the starting rotation is pretty stacked, headlined by ace Jacob deGrom, who will likely win the 2018 NL Cy Young award. Not to mention Zach Wheeler being nails in the second half plus much of the year, Steven Matz being nearly unhittable at times (when he wasn’t going two-thirds of an inning and giving up 7 runs) and the future arms of Justin Dunn, Franklyn Kilome, and David Peterson.
While, yes, there are components of the Mets current roster to like, Brodie Van Wagenen almost seemed complacent with areas of his team that he needs to look closer at. Third base is such a huge question mark. Todd Frazier, who was a Van Wagenen client, currently is manning third. Come on. Todd Frazier is not a good solution to third base, and the Mets should realistically look to upgrade that position. The bullpen is an absolute dumpster fire, especially now without Jeurys Familia, AJ Ramos, and Jerry Blevins. Second base is another question mark with Jeff McNeil being so unproven, although he did play very well both in terms of batting average and defensive since being called up. We must remember that he was a 26 year old rookie who didn’t even rank in the top 30 prospects for the Mets at the time of his callup. The catcher position is also a massive question mark, with neither Kevin Plawecki or Travis d’Arnaud ever putting it all together. And what Jay Bruce are we going to get? The one who hit 29 homers before being dealt to the Indians in 2017? Or the one who hit .223 with 9 home runs in over 90 games in 2018?
So what do the Mets really need? Lets start brainstorming.
Impact Bat:
Offense has been the biggest issue for the Mets over the past few seasons, as they’ve wavered between two extremes. They went from an all-or-nothing, home run-oriented offense to more of a old school NL offense style, and there really isn’t anyone scary in their lineup. Michael Conforto doesn’t have any protection in the lineup, Cespedes is never healthy, and many of the current lineup are very unproven. The Mets should definitely make a hard push to get a Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, as either would immediately make a statement that the Mets are serious about winning. More realistically, a Josh Donaldson coming off of an injury-plagued season would make more sense for this franchise. While he is likely not going to be the 2015 MVP caliber player that we saw, he has a presence in the batters box that can’t be understated, and plays a good third base at a position that needs to be improved. And he will be much cheaper than Machado or Harper.
Clubhouse Presence:
One of the major problems that I see the Mets having over the next couple of seasons is an identity crisis beginning with the fact they are losing their captain David Wright. I think that they would greatly benefit from having a veteran who can relate to the younger players, who can act as an on-field coach and be a presence in the dugout and in the clubhouse. A guy like Adam Jones is probably what a lot of Mets fans want, as he is a professional, great teammate and good clubhouse guy. But for this role, I see the Mets spending less money and getting guys similar to Brian McCann, who could help the Mets young catchers learn the everyday grind of being a Major League catcher. Another guy who could fill this role is A.J. Ellis. Finally, Brandon Phillips wouldn’t be a bad option as he is one of the most infectious teammates in baseball, keeps it loose in the clubhouse and could give you some talent off the bench both at second base and in the lineup, even at age 38.
Catcher:
If the Mets are serious about competing now and in the future, yes they can go out and get a free agent catcher who is likely past their prime and hope they channel their youth and put together a solid season. If the Mets choose this course of action, Yasmani Grandal is an interesting candidate. A switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate, Grandal is also a good defensive catcher and is very good as a receiver. His veteran presence and history of catching great pitchers like Kershaw and Rich Hill will help him teach the Mets pitching staff. But to me, the Mets need to go and trade for J.T. Realmuto. He is young and has only gotten better every single year he has been in the Major Leagues. He would be a massive upgrade at the catcher position, and is already familiar with the teams in the division. If I were Brodie Van Wagenen, I would definitely try to trade a couple of their young pitching prospects for Realmuto, as clearly he doesn’t want to stay in Miami and they will likely move him this offseason.
Third Base:
I already said how I think Josh Donaldson would be a good fit in Queens, and how I think Todd Frazier is so bad that he shouldn’t even be sniffing this lineup next season. Personally, I’ve been advocating for the Mets to get Mike Moustakas since last offseason when he first hit free agency. The Moose is definitely someone that would be an impact bat on this roster, as he is only 30 and coming off of back-to-back 25+ home run seasons. He also plays a premier third base, as he is a former gold glover.
Second Base:
I honestly don’t even know if free agency can be a solution to this issue. While there are okay options out on the market, I wouldn’t touch Jed Lowrie with an 100 foot pole. He is 35 and coming off of a career year, and fortunately I don’t see him leaving Oakland any time soon. D.J. LeMahieu would be intriguing if he wasn’t coming off of his worst season in 4 years, which was also aided by his 81 games at Coors field. Yes, LeMahieu plays a good second base, but I don’t know if I want to go make that guy my two hitter. I could see the Mets going that route, but you know who I want? Rougned Odor. Yes, that guy. The one coming off of a year where he hit .253, just a year removed from hitting .204. Odor would provide the Mets with power and flare, two things that are becoming very prominent in the modern game of baseball. He is just going into his age 25 season, so there will likely be many good years left in the tank for this kid. They can probably buy low on him, and the Rangers need to rebuild.
Bullpen:
Where do I even start? The Mets currently have one reliever that I trust. One! Seth Lugo is the only guy in that bullpen that, when he comes in, I’m like, “this guy might get the job done.” Everyone else is a disaster. Rob Gsellman was good as a starter in 2016 and 2017, but was not good when they tried using him as their closer this past season. I would target Mychal Givens in a trade with the Orioles, who will be out of it for a long time. He is young, and he is borderline-dominant when he is on. Jeurys Familia is still only 29, and was successful pretty much his entire tenure as a Met. Why not bring him back? Joe Kelly showed everybody this past postseason why he is one of the most electric arms in baseball, especially once he figured out how to effectively use his changeup. That could definitely be a guy to go to, as when he is on, he is one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. Also, don’t be surprised if the Mets are in play on a guy like Justin Wilson, who has been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball over the past 3 seasons. But the guy who I would like to see in Flushing next season is Adam Ottavino, who was so electric in pretty much every outing this past year. Yes, he is the oldest out of all of these listed relievers, but at age 33 you could afford to take a flyer on him for a short multi-year deal. His awkward arm angle and devastating slider-two seam combo makes him virtually unhittable for right handed hitters.
If the Mets are serious about winning this season, Brodie Van Wagenen needs to take a very long look at this roster and realize that upgrades are needed pretty much everywhere.