The Mets begin their 61st season in less than 2 weeks. The usual pre-season hype has them in contention for a playoff spot, if not a division title. We'll look at the NL East another time, but let's focus on the Mets.
After 2 underperforming seasons under Luis Rojas (now a coach with the Yankees), Steve Cohen lured Buck Showalter out of the MLB Network studio, and back to managing. Maybe now the carousel can stop spinning in the dugout.
One misstep was not keeping members of the Mets' 2021 "Bench Mob", who've moved on. For example, Kevin Pillar signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers the other day. Another one was letting Michael Conforto test the free agent market. He's another one listening to bad advice from Scott "20 Mule Team" Boras, and is paying for it, as he remains unsigned less than 2 weeks before Opening Day. To fill the void, the Mets picked up Mark Canha & Starling Marte from Oakland. They also bolstered their infield options by signing Eduardo Escobar (Arizona), who can spell J. D. Davis at 3rd, Francisco Lindor at short, or Jeff McNeil or Robinson Cano at 2nd. Yeah, Cano's back after missing 2021 due to a PED suspension. Travis Jankowski (Philadelphia) was brought in on a minor league deal as outfield insurance.
Speaking of the Phils, they heisted relievers Brad Hand and Jeurys Familia via free agency, so Familia's 2nd stint in Flushing is over. Aaron Loup followed Noah Syndergaard to Los Angeles (Angels). Building a new bridge to Edwin Diaz in the 9th inning is not going to be easy. Marcus Stroman signed as a free agent with Chicago, and promptly threw shade on the Mets after 2 seasons in Flushing. That translates to bulletin board material when the Cubs & Mets play. However, Stroman's slot in the rotation figures to be filled by another acquisition from Oakland, Chris Bassitt.
Of course, the rotation is fronted by a lethal 1-2 punch of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, who came over from the Dodgers as a free agent. With 5 Cy Young awards between them, figure they're the reason for all the increased hype over a possible division title run, especially after Atlanta lost Freddie Freeman. Offensively, Escobar, Canha, and, when he's healthy, Marte, will look to make up for the departure of summer pickup Javier Baez (Detroit). The addition of a DH in the NL will take the bat away from deGrom, Scherzer, et al, but I wouldn't put it past Showalter to use them as pinch-hitters, and maybe exploit the new Shohei Ohtani Rule and let them bat in the DH spot when they pitch. We'll talk more about the new rule next week.
The projected lineup (no particular batting order):
The pundits have the Mets as high as 2nd, maybe winning the division. Call me a pessimist if you want, but there are holes, particularly in the bullpen.
Prediction: 2nd, Wild Card.
Of course, I could be wrong. NL East preview on Monday.
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