Could the Mets actually be sneaky good?
The Flying Squirrel wants to team up with the Polar Bear for years to come
What’s Up with the Mets? 🍎
The Mets have been linked at least a little to RHP Domingo German (NY Post)
Jeff McNeil, like all Mets fans, doesn’t want to ever see Pete Alonso play anywhere else (Foul Territory)
Could the Mets be sneaky good in 2024?✍️
Earlier this week I saw a tweet from Ben Verlander identifying the Mets as a team that he believes could be surprisingly good in 2024.
Initially my thoughts were probably similar to most Mets fans.
“Yeah, okay.”
We entered last season with expectations flying through the roof, and it didn’t take long for the hopes of a special season in Queens to spiral down the drain.
This time around, the Mets are going to enter the season with a far inferior roster on paper to the one they boasted 12 months ago. We have been conditioned to prepare for this to be a bit of a transitional season (or rebuild, or retool, or reboot, or whatever you choose to label it) for the Mets. Expectations are low.
But, could Verlander actually be correct?
Logically I want to say no. But as a diehard Mets fan, I’ve always been groomed that ya gotta believe, right?
So, while it looks challenging for the current roster to surprise us, it is at least possible.
Offensively in 2023, the Mets were actually better than you probably remember. As Rich mentioned yesterday, only nine Major League teams hit more home runs than New York last year.
For the club to be good in ‘24 it’s quite obvious that Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo will all have to have similarly strong seasons to the ones they each just enjoyed.
Expecting Alonso to hit 45+ homers and drive in 120+ runs is not unreasonable.
A second consecutive 30/30 season from Lindor is certainly possible.
And Nimmo continuing to contribute more power while also maintaining his elite on base skills out of the leadoff spot is not a stretch. And, a shift over to left field could help preserve Nimmo and increase his overall stamina.
After that, things get more murky.
Jeff McNeil won the batting title in 2022 but was not nearly as productive a year ago, at least at the plate. The Mets desperately need him to be the elite bat to ball hitter he was two years ago, while maintaining his ability to bounce around the field and give the club defensive flexibility. It also goes without saying that the Mets simply cannot withstand an injury to one of their top four players.
Francisco Álvarez hit 25 home runs as a rookie last season and the Mets absolutely expect that to just be the beginning for him. But the young catcher cannot be the only ‘Baby Met’ to take the next step in 2024. He also needs to get on-base a lot more than he did in 2023.
Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have both dominated the upper levels of the minor leagues while struggling to find consistency at the sport’s highest level. Barring an unforeseen outside addition, the pair will be responsible for playing third base and DH on an everyday basis.
Then there’s Starling Marte, who was such a critical part of the Mets success in 2022, but offseason surgeries and then new injuries led to a completely lost ‘23 campaign. He’s hit well in the Dominican Winter League, and if he can rediscover his stroke from two years ago the Mets offense would get a huge jolt.
Regardless of how the offense performs, the mound is where the Mets season will either sink or swim. Gone are the big names atop this club’s rotation, but is that really a bad thing? Last season didn’t work out with long in the tooth veterans leading the staff.
Kodai Senga was excellent in his first year in New York. The rest of the Mets rotation—currently comprised of Luis Severino, Adrian Houser, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea—is an experienced group with a lot of big league innings under their belts.
Can they stay healthy and give the Mets consistent quality starts?
The bullpen will have Edwin Díaz back which is obviously a sensational boost. Having the best closer in the game pitching in the ninth inning will drastically improve the Mets ability to finish games in the late innings. After that, though, things get significantly less confidence inducing. This is why the Mets continue to be linked to every available late inning relief pitcher, and to be perfectly honest, they simply need to add at least one and maybe two (or three).
All in all, in my heart I feel like the likelihood of the Mets competing seriously in the National League East in 2024 is extremely farfetched. However, this time last season there was nobody expecting the Arizona Diamondbacks to represent the National League in the World Series.
If everything goes right, the Mets do have enough talent to catch lightning in a bottle. Ya gotta believe.
Yes, it’s one of those “if everything breaks right” years.
Hot Stove 🔥
Former Met reliever David Robertson signed a free-agent contract with the defending champion Rangers (Passan)
Another former Mets bullpen arm, John Curtiss, has signed with the Rockies (MLBTradeRumors)
Joc Pederson is joining his third NL West team, as he inked a one year deal with Arizona (MLB.com)
The only area the 2024 roster is inferior is the pitching staff. Far too many question marks going into the season. Can Senga improve upon his rookie performance? Can Severino return to any semblance of the pitcher he was before the injuries? Can Manaea repeat what he showed toward the end of 2023? What can we expect from Quintana and Houser? Can McGill and Peterson get out of their own way and contribute? And that's just the starting staff! Don't even get me started on the bullpen!
Can't really be sneaky good without a BP. What is the Whiz Kid waiting for ? Hey I would have settled for Robertson and Adam but I guess they make too much money for Stearns !! The D- I had given him so far for this off season is moving to an F Fast. He is the Bloom of Flushing arrogant , obnoxious , etc. I hope he watched Bloom and what a Big mistake it was to let Betts go.