Have the Mets earned the benefit of the doubt?

New York makes a pair of minor signings on Monday. Plus, preaching patience as we enter the next phase of the Mets offseason.

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• The Mets officially signed infielder Jared Young to a major league contract on Monday night

• Young, 29, hit .326/.420/.660 in 38 games in Korea over this past summer and has only played 22 games in the major leagues in his career

• New York also reportedly agreed to sign LHP Brandon Waddell to a minor league contract (FanSided)

• Mets 2B Luisangel Acuña has been red hot in the Venezuelan Winter League, hitting .337 with three home runs, 17 RBI, 18 stolen bases and a .914 over 32 games while playing shortstop, second base and center field

• Former Mets team photographer Marc Levine will be posthumously inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame (Mets)

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Rumor Mill 💨

• Could free agent RHP Corbin Burnes consider taking a short-term contract for high AAV? (Rosenthal)

• The Cubs are working hard to complete a potential trade for Marlins LHP Jesús Luzardo (WSCR-AM)

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Be patient with the next phase of the Mets offseason… ✍️

By all accounts, the start to this Mets offseason has been rather scintillating. They’ve already made multiple multi-year signings with deals to Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, in addition to their prized acquisition of the offseason in Juan Soto.

It’s been barely over a week since the initial reports of the club’s record deal with Soto first surfaced, and already has there been a bit of impatience and agita shown by Mets fans.

That’s because baseball’s offseason is like a drug. Every signing, trade and rumor hits like a new high, each better than the last, but the next day you’re back to wondering when is the next time you’re going to feel like that again.

And look, it’s a fair and relatable feeling. Each rumor and acquisition act as a massive boost of serotonin, bringing excitement to this fan base as they look ahead toward the future. But there are still questions to be had as we wonder, “what’s next?”

The additions to the starting rotation certainly don’t hurt, but this unit still faces a lot of question marks. Kodai Senga only made one regular season start in 2024, David Peterson is looking to repeat his career season after four inconsistent major league years, Montas is coming off of a so-so year and Holmes will be moving into the starting rotation for the first time since 2017. Oh, and they still have two open spots in their rotation because David Stearns has already committed to going with a six-man rotation in 2025.

Things are definitely closer to being complete on the offensive side of the baseball, but even after the massive addition of Soto there are still a handful of questions to be answered here, as well. Are the Mets more or less likely to re-sign Pete Alonso — whose market does not appear to be catching fire – now that Soto is in the mix? Is Alex Bregman the right contingency plan or perhaps an even better option if they choose to go in another direction? Will the club bring back Jesse Winker as the every day designated hitter? Who between Jeff McNeil, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio or José Iglesias (if they re-sign him) will be the team’s starting second baseman?

And, of course, there will always be questions when it comes to this bullpen as that unit struggled to find consistency last season.

All of these questions are valid to ask and ones that we’ll all want answers to, but I also believe that we finally have a front office and ownership group that has earned a little patience. As I said, this team has already committed contracts to Montas and Holmes in addition to the unbelievable, record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal for Soto. They have shown the wherewithal, desire and ability to add to this roster in spades… and I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt here.

At this stage of the offseason there is no reason to believe the Mets won’t address the remaining major holes to their roster. Based on their actions and what Cohen and Stearns have said thus far, there really is no evidence that the team isn’t serious about continuing to improve other than the PTSD that lies within Mets fans that still remembers the days of the Wilpons all too well.

But I have good news for you: these ain’t the Wilpons. The days of silent, rumorless, low-spending Mets offseasons are officially over. This is a franchise that in just five years went from being priced out on back-of-the-rotation starters like Wade Miley to defeating the New York Yankees in an all-out bidding war for a 26-year-old superstar that resulted in the largest contract in the history of professional sports.

So yes, I know that we’re all desperately searching for that next rumor or addition that is going to give us that shot of adrenaline again like the one we felt on that unforgettable Sunday night, but I’m going preach patience here. Because I believe it won’t be long before we feel that boost once again.

For the first time in their existence, this franchise has given you no reason not to believe it’s coming.

And look, if we reach the start of Spring Training and there are some obvious, large holes on the team that didn’t ultimately get addressed that is a discussion that we can have at that time. But as long as this offseason is still going, I’m not evaluating the state of this roster until they’re truly done. The Mets have earned that now.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Orioles officially signed Japanese RHP Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year, $13 million contract