To a man, the Mets expected to compete with the Washington Nationals for a NL East Division title and, at worst, take one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League. We don’t need to summarize why or how that didn’t happen for the Mets, so let’s instead attempt to look forward and figure out how the team proves 2017 as an aberration and not the start of another stretch of struggling for the organization.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”849″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”” style=””][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]The Line-Up[/custom_headline][text_output]The good news – even if the Mets don’t reinvest every dollar that came off the book after the 2017 season, the team is still flush with cash with anywhere between $40-60 million available for free agents.
The bad news – the Mets are flush with cash because line-up mainstays like Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker and Lucas Duda were all traded ahead of hitting free agency, leaving the Mets with massive line-up holes to fill.
Let’s go over what we know for sure first.
Yoenis Cespedes will be this team’s every day left fielder. In what was largely a forgotten, injury-riddled season for Cespedes, it’s important to remember how impactful his bat was for this line-up for the 81 games he did play. He slashed .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs and a 131 wRC+, all while providing solid defense (+2 DRS) in left. If you were to extrapolate his numbers out to a full season, Cespedes was on pace to match his exact numbers from 2016. You can’t assume perfect health (especially for the Mets), but more of Cespedes will only help the line-up in the middle.
Amed Rosario will break camp with the team and be the Mets primary shortstop to begin the season. His 46-game cameo at the end of last year gave us flashes of his potential and left you dreaming of what the next 10+ years could look like in Queens.
However, the lump sum of his first 170 plate appearances in the majors were less than glamorous. Rosario slashed .248/.271/.394, managing only a 74 wRC+. Even more concerning – Rosario posted an abhorrent 1.8% walk rate while striking out in 28.8% of his plate appearances.
Rosario has never been known to be the most patient of hitters, but it’s safe to his walk rate will like rise to around his Minor League average of 5.5-6%. His base running and speed are already the best on the team, and the gap-to-gap power he flashed last season will only get better the more he matures.
Defensively, Rosario is without question the best shortstop the Mets have employed since prime-Reyes in the mid-2000s. Fears of him outgrowing the position seem to be a thing of the past, and the Mets up-the-middle defense will be lightyears better than it has been in a long time.
The Mets believe their 2018 catching corps is in good hands, and don’t plan to look outside the organization for additional help. Had you explained that to me in late July of last year, I would’ve been concerned. Now, there’s reason to be hopeful.
Travis d’Arnaud continues to be a conundrum offensively. The power is clearly there, hitting a career-high 16 home runs last year and slugging .443. Last year, though, it seemed as though his patience at the plate evaporated, and it’s been a deteriorating trend since 2015, dropping from a respectable 8.6% to a concerning 6.1%. D’Arnaud did a better job limiting his strikeouts, but wasn’t able to turn his contact into hits, posting career-worst .250 BABIP.
What’s more, injuries continue to be a main storyline in his career. He was able to play in a career-high 112 games last year, but that number is still well off the clip the Mets were hoping for when they acquired him as their catcher of the future.
The good news, though, is the resurgence of Kevin Plawecki. After an incredibly slow start to the season in the Majors where he slashed .125/.214/.167, it seemed as though the once-bright star associated with Plawecki had flamed out. However, after a productive stint in Las Vegas where he made significant tweaks to his approach, Plawecki came back in the second half with vengeance. He slashed .303/.411/.474, had an early 1-1 walk to strikeout ratio and maybe more importantly, gave the Mets hope.
You can make the argument that with Plawecki’s increase production and if d’Arnaud’s BABIP can return to at least his career average of .267, the Mets catching corps should be fine, both offensively and defensively.
The Mets also picked up Asdrubal Cabrera’s 2018 option, meaning he will once again be a fixture in the Mets infield. While it seems on paper Cabrera’s 2017 (1.3 fWAR) was nowhere near as impactful as his strong 2016 season (3.0 fWAR), almost all of that can be attributed to Cabrera’s shortstop defense evaporating.
Offensively, Cabrera’s two seasons with the Mets have been nearly identical. His power dipped in 2017, but he still managed a .280/.351/.434 slash line with 13 home runs and a 111 wRC+. His walk rate spiked to 9.4% and did a better job of limiting his strikeouts, shaving almost 3% off his percentage from 2016.
Defensively, Cabrera was a nightmare at short. In 386 defensive innings at the position, Cabrera tallied a -13.8 UZR/150 and was a -8 DRS. The Mets finally removed Cabrera from short (to his displeasure at first), and his defensive value began to recover. Cabrera proved to be a capable third baseman, posting a +1 DRS, and his range numbers are less of a concern at the hot corner. When positioned at second, Cabrera was fine, but the team would probably feel more comfortable playing Cabrera every day at third than at second. His bat still plays, and now that he isn’t a human void at short, his overall numbers should return to his 2016 level.
Outside of those four positions, though, everything else is a question mark.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”856″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]When healthy, Michael Conforto is without question this team’s every day right fielder, and will be for hopefully the next decade.
Conforto shut down anyone who may have questioned his ability after a disappointing 2016 with a monster junior campaign. He slashed .279/.384/.555, connected on 27 home runs and posted a 146 wRC+ in his first All-Star season. He even held his own in center field when deployed there, but is clearly more comfortable as a right fielder moving forward.
The problem with Conforto is we have no idea when he’ll return to the line-up. The timetable for Conforto’s recovery from shoulder surgery can be anywhere from 4 months (if you’re super optimistic) to a full year (if you’re extremely pessimistic). The safest scenario is to assume Conforto won’t be available on Opening Day and try to plan accordingly with that in mind.
That leaves the Mets with holes to fill at first, second, center and right come Opening Day (and yes, I’m doing all this under the assumption David Wright will not be healthy and Asdrubal Cabrera is starting at 3B. Look, I love David as much as the next guy, but we’re well beyond the point of expecting him to be a healthy contributor to this team at any given time.)
So, where are the answers?[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”859″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]On the free agent front, there are names you can immediately cross off.
As dynamic as J.D. Martinez is as a hitter (.303/.376/.690, 45 HR 104 RBI, 166 wRC+), he’s an abomination in the outfield (-14.8 UZR/150, -5 DRS, which is actually a stark improvement from his -22 DRS the year prior). American League teams are going to value his bat, and rightfully so. But it’s hard to imagine the Mets making the necessary investment in Martinez (who is projected to get $150 million over six years by MLB Trade Rumors) who won’t be able to contribute to the team defensively.
While the Mets are no longer opposed to making long-term investments to third basemen not named David Wright, Mike Moustakas doesn’t fit the mold of a player having enough position flexibility to make sense for the line-up. Add in the likely five-year commitment it would take to secure Moustakas on the open market, and you can already see Sandy Alderson not wanting to pursue him.
The Mets may have some interest in a reunion with Neil Walker, but I can’t foresee the Mets making a serious play for him. Walker had contract extension discussions with the Mets prior to them trading him to Milwaukee in August, and if something wasn’t able to be worked out then, it’s hard to imagine that changing now that Walker has the ability to sign anywhere he likes.
A Jay Bruce reunion feels equally unlikely. While Bruce was one of the few bright spots for the Mets last year, it doesn’t make sense to bring him back on a long-term commitment to force Michael Conforto (when healthy) out of position.
There are two premiere free agents I can imagine the Mets chasing. The first: Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain.
The 31-year old Cain is coming off a strong four-year run, posting fWARs of 4.8, 6.5, 2.5 (in 103 games) and 4.1, respectively. He’s hit over .300 and stolen 25+ bases in three of the last four years, with again the only exception being his injury-shortened 2016 campaign. Cain has also been one of the most steady defensive center fielders in baseball, having posted positive UZR/150s and DRS every year since becoming the everyday center fielder for the Royals.
MLB Trade Rumors projects Cain to get something close to the same contract Dexter Fowler signed last year (five-years, $82.5 million), which is where things get a little less realistic for the Mets. It’s not the annual salary that will scare them away; it’s the years. Sandy Alderson is yet to give any free agent more than four years (you can argue the Mets essentially gave Cespedes a five-year deal, I guess). It would seem uncharacteristic for Alderson to break that trend for a center fielder on the wrong side of 30 whose game relies on speed.
Furthermore, the Mets may feel like the have a strong enough center field platoon currently in house to justify allocating assets elsewhere.
As good as Lorenzo Cain is defensively, the Mets will not find a better defensive center fielder on the open market or trade market than Juan Lagares. His offensive game has been the Mets hesitation from playing him every day, but he did much better last year against right-handed pitchers (.264/.308/.379) and has always been strong against left-handed pitchers (.267/.314/.400). If the team wants to maximize the dollars they’re spending, letting Lagares play nearly everyday and mixing in Brandon Nimmo (.260/.379/.418 as a starter, .261/.433/.348 as a pinch hitter) against tougher right-handers, the Mets have a plenty-capable center fielder in house.
That brings us to Todd Frazier.
I am not the biggest Frazier fan, and would be totally fine if the Mets tried to go a different route, but he does make sense for this team. He’s a power bat to protect Cespedes and Conforto, has hit 25+ home runs each of the last four years, been an above-average hitter according to wRC+ and in all likelihood will only command a three-year deal. He also has experience at first base, which would allow the Mets to play Cabrera at third (or second) and allow Dom Smith to have more time in the minors after struggling in his brief 2017 cameo (.198/.262/.395).
If Frazier can maintain his spike in walk-rate (career-best 14.4% in ’17), his presence as a run-producer hitting 4th or 5th makes sense. Fans will crow about his batting average from time to time, but his outlying numbers back up his offensive abilities consistently. If he’s willing to play more first base than he has in the past, he’s a nearly perfect fit for the Mets.
On the trade front, there aren’t a lot of obvious targets for the Mets to chase. the name that has been bouncing around already this month is Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon. Gordon has three years and about $38 million guaranteed left on his contract, plus a team option of $14 million in 2021.
Gordon would provide much-needed speed to the top of the Mets line-up, leading the majors in stolen bases in three of the last four years. Defensively, he’d make a lightning-quick double play partner for Amed Rosario and provide the Mets with their best up-the-middle defense when Lagares starts in center field since the heyday of Rey Ordonez-Edgardo Alfonzo-Jay Payton years.
The downside with Gordon – his production is almost entirely contact-driven. Gordon walked in only 3.6% of his plate appearances last year, and while his BABIP will always be higher than normal thanks to his speed, it’s extremely difficult for a player to maintain a high-enough on base percentage at the top of a line-up if they’re only getting on base with hits.
While the Marlins are making Gordon available in trade and would likely take a slightly-lesser value deal for a team to pick up the entirety of his contract, it’s still going to cost someone like the Mets a valuable piece to get a deal done. The name I’ve seen floated around most so far is Steven Matz. At some point, the Mets need to think long and hard about what they have in Matz and if it’s more useful turning a young pitcher with as much injury questions as upside into a piece like Gordon to build out their line-up.
There’s a scenario where the Mets could sign Frazier and trade for Gordon. That would definitely provide the line-up length and flexibility the team desires, and makes them even more lethal if David Wright can be healthy for any stretch of the season, moving Cabrera to a utility role.
In terms of short-term solutions for Conforto, the Mets may consider names like Howie Kendrick (who could also be a solution for second base if they don’t go trade route) on a short-term deal, or even consider signing Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year deal to help the team at the beginning of the season.
If the Mets sign Frazier, either sign Kendrick or trade for Dee Gordon and add a veteran bat to the outfield to cover for Conforto’s early-season injury, you have a playoff-caliber line-up. But that’s a massive if.[/text_output]
Oh how times have changed.
There are two guys in the rotation we don’t need to go over. Jacob deGrom was the team MVP in a forgotten 2017 season for the Mets, and Noah Syndergaard should be fully recovered from a lat injury that kept him out for almost the entire season after April. Thor and Hair still form one of the best 1-2 combinations in the league, and there isn’t a pitching match-up either of those two could find themselves in where I wouldn’t feel like the Mets have as good a chance as ever to snag a win.
The rest of the rotation, well, there’s a lot that needs to be answered.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”869″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]When talking about what this rotation could look like in 2018, the conversation after the big two always begins with Matt Harvey.
2015 feels so long ago at this point. Mets fans were willing to write 2016 off as an injury-plagued season that, in hindsight, wasn’t as bad as we probably remember it being. But the wheels completely fell off Harvey’s wagon last year.
Every number you look at for Harvey, things only get worse.
Of the 153 starting pitchers who threw more than 80 innings last year, Harvey ranked 150th in fWAR (-0.8), finishing ahead of only Derek Holland, Mike Pelfrey and Chris Tillman. Among the same group, Harvey was 14th-worst in terms of HR rate (19.4% of fly balls left the park), 4th-worst in FIP (6.20), and 3rd-worst in terms of ERA (6.70).
Arguably the most alarming number from last year for Harvey was the drastic dip in his strikeout rates. After Harvey’s K% dropped from 24.9% in 2015 to 18.9% in 2016, they plummeted even further, hitting a career-low 15.6% in 2017. Even more concerning, as his strikeouts dropped, his walk rate skyrocketed, going from 6.2% to a staggering 10.9% (more than 4.5 walks per 9) last year. Simply put, nothing worked for Harvey.
It’s very possible 2017 will be remembered entirely as a wash for Harvey; the equivalent of a full year of rehab from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome needed to regain arm strength and command. He’s due to hit free agency after the season, and right now, the ball is entirely in Harvey’s court to prove to the Mets and the rest of the league that he’s worth the big money extension we all thought was coming for him after 2015.
More importantly, if the Mets are going to come close to regaining the form that carried the team to the 2015 World Series, maybe no player is more important to their success than a healthy, dominant Matt Harvey. Even as bullpens are becoming more important than ever, being able to carry a rotation of three young aces separates you from your competitors, and the Mets are not going to add a top-of-the-rotation arm by trade or free agency. They’re counting on the talent in house to take the next big step forward. Nobody is going to feel that pressure more than Harvey.
The back-end of the rotation is more muddled now than it has been in quite some time.
The always-lingering injury history of Steven Matz seems to be frustrating Mets officials more than ever. Add in a subpar 2017 campaign when he was healthy, and you’re left to wonder where his future with the team stands. His name has already been floated around in a handful of trade rumors this off-season, most notably when anyone discusses a Dee Gordon trade.
Assume for a second Matz is, indeed, traded away. That leaves the Mets with Zack Wheeler, Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero as in-house options to fill out their rotation.
It would be surprising to see Wheeler out of the rotation come Spring Training. While his overall numbers from last year aren’t pretty to look at, he did show glimpses of the pitcher who was on the verge of taking the leap before Tommy John surgery robbed him of two full seasons in the Majors.
Lugo and Montero both have some experience working out of the bullpen, and with the Mets expecting to carry eight relievers this year, it’s safe to assume Montero at the minimum (who will be out of minor league options after Spring Training) will likely be carried as a swingman.
In Lugo’s case, the Mets may look to bolster their bullpen by using him as a traditional reliever. Lugo’s numbers in the first two times through the order, Lugo is striking out five batters for every one he walks, and respectable but not spectacular .754 OPS against. The third time through the order, the OPS spikes to .810 and his K-to-BB ratio plummets to under 2.3, which indicates hitters not chasing the pitches Lugo throws earlier in the game. Add in some complications with the health of his elbow, and utilizing Lugo as a super reliever capable of going multiple innings starts to make a lot of sense for a team desperately trying to improve their bullpen.
As for Gsellman, the jury is out right now on his standing with the organization. There was seemingly a rift last year about comments made by Gsellman saying he didn’t really care about his results that didn’t sit well with Alderson and company. With as much as he struggled when in the rotation last year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mets start him in Vegas to get his feet under him before trying to force feed him back on the 25-man roster.
One thing is relatively clear, though: the Mets should add a veteran arm to balance the rotation.
While everyone missed Bartolo Colon for obvious reasons, this team clearly lacked a stabilizing force when things started to go belly-up in the rotation. While it’s irresponsible to daydream about the Mets being serious players for any of the big names like Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta, there are intriguing options the Mets can get involved with.
Trevor Cahill’s season deteriorated when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals at the deadline, but he remains a lower cost arm that can serve as a swingman in the same way the Mets may deploy Rafael Montero (which, of course, could make Cahill redundant). Doug Fister’s late-season resurgence and the interest the Mets had in him at various points last season leads one to think they could be a match. Ubaldo Jimenez has a previous working relationship with Mickey Callaway, and enjoyed success under his guidance, which makes a one-year flier on him an intriguing possibility. Wade Miley as a bounce-back candidate is another name to keep in mind.
The guy I’d love for the Mets to chase, but have doubts they ever will: C.C. Sabathia. Like Fister, Sabathia came to life in the second half of last year, and remains a commanding force in every clubhouse he walks in to. He’s not the same guy who put the Brewers on his back in 2008, and he might not even be able to harness the guy we saw in the playoffs this year, but the innings he provides are valuable and he’d likely be willing to do it on a short-term commitment.
Either way, the Mets understand they can’t go into camp without adding a veteran arm. Who that arm will be is very much open to debate.[/text_output]
Marc Carig is reporting the team plans on carrying eight relievers, which is a trend the team has been leaning towards for some time now. Given the injury uncertainty of the starting rotation, the more arms the Mets employ in the ‘pen, the better.
We know holdovers Jeurys Familia, A.J. Ramos and Jerry Blevins will feature heavily at the back-end of the Mets bullpen.
Blevins has been a force as a left-handed specialist for the Mets each of the last two years. There hasn’t be a single lefty-on-lefty assignment that has overmatched him, and his presence in a division that includes Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy (don’t even), Freddie Freeman and Christian Yelich makes him a key cog to securing the final 9 outs of every game. Terry Collins began letting Blevins face more right-handed hitters last year, and he was simply unable to get them out consistently. There’s nothing wrong with being a left-handed specialist, but Blevins shouldn’t be relied on to get critical righties out.
Ramos had an up-and-down 21 game cameo for the Mets last year after coming over at the deadline in a surprising trade made by Sandy Alderson. His strikeout numbers are where you would hope a late-inning reliever’s numbers would be, but his problem has been and will continue to be walks. Ramos walked 12 batters in only 19 innings of work for the Mets last year (5.7 BB/9), pushing his WHIP up to 1.63 and inflating his ERA as a result. A full off-season with the Mets revamped pitching coordinators could help him, but walks aren’t a new problem for Ramos. Nonetheless, Ramos is going to be relied upon heavily the same way Addison Reed was during 2016.
That brings us to Familia.
Like many other pitchers on the Mets staff, injuries derailed his season entirely, requiring surgery to remove a blood clot in his shoulder. When Familia returned at the end of the season, he didn’t possess the same control he had shown each of the two years prior while establishing himself as a force at the end of games. How much of that was rust from not pitching all year and how much of that may have been something else is what the Mets will need to find out (to be fair, almost every Mets pitcher saw his walk rates increase last year, which is part of the reason why Dan Warthen is now without a job). In order for the Mets bullpen to be anywhere near the level it was at points in 2015-16, Familia is going to have to return to his All-Star caliber form. How big of an ask that’s going to be is something we’re going to get into shortly.
That leaves five spots that we’re not so certain about entering 2018.
I’ve already made the case for why I think it’s valuable to slide Seth Lugo into a multi-inning super reliever role, which would be slot number four. It would be somewhat surprising if Rafael Montero was cut loose after showing signs of improvement last year, meaning he would serve as the long man in the ‘pen (barring a trade) and become reliever number six.
The final two bullpen spots are where things will get very interesting (or final three, if one of Montero/Lugo isn’t ticketed to the bullpen).
The Mets have traditionally liked having two left-handed relievers in the bullpen; one for late-game situations (Blevins) and one to serve as a bridge to the final nine outs. None of the in-house candidates did anything to distinguish themselves last year, with the likes of Josh Edgin and Josh Smoker receiving most of the chances to fill that role and neither impressing.
The biggest name on the open market will be that of Mike Minor, who had a resurgent year in the Royals bullpen to re-establish his name as a shut down reliever once injuries ruled him out as an every-fifth-day starter. However, Minor is likely to command a four-year deal similar to that of Brett Cecil, and is almost a guarantee to get a three-year deal as a baseline. The Mets front office under Alderson has never given out a long-term deal to a reliever, and it’s hard to imagine them bucking that trend someone they may view as redundant to Blevins.
Jake McGee won’t cost nearly as much Minor will, but he falls along the same lines. It wouldn’t be shocking to see McGee garner a three-year contract, which would rule the Mets out from serious contention for his services.
Instead, I imagine the Mets will shop a little more casually for lefty help.
To me, former Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins is one of the most intriguing names available. He’s only thrown a total of 7.2 innings in the last two seasons combined due to numerous injuries, but has a long track record of success when healthy. Should the Mets be the team taking chances on players coming off serious injuries? I don’t know. It feels like a bad narrative to use to not sign someone, especially someone who could help in a significant way like Perkins can.
Former Cardinals lefty Kevin Siegrist is a name to watch as well. Siegrist’s wasn’t nearly close to as effective as he was in 2015, with his numbers regressing towards what his FIP suggests they should be in 2017. However, he’d be a low cost option to possibly fill a void in the Mets ‘pen. Tony Watson would be a third option, but will likely have a lengthy list of suitors that will raise his open market value.
The final spot in the ‘pen, there are two drastically different ways the Mets can go.
On one hand, they could try to fill the need with in-house options. Paul Sewald provided the Mets bullpen with depth and proved he could get more than three outs at a time when needed. Sewald’s 3.74 FIP indicates he was a bit unlucky to sport a 4.55 ERA, and the eye test would suggest that’s a fair explanation for his end-of-year number. Sewald also proved his minor league strikeout numbers weren’t a fluke despite not having a 95+ MPH fastball, working in a heavy sinker and a slider to keep hitters off balance.
The Mets also acquired a herd of minor league relievers in their deadline deals. Jamie Callahan, Drew Smith and Jacob Rhame are the three that are likely to be given immediate opportunities to win a job in Spring Training, but none are considered anywhere near a lock.
In my mind, this is the area where Sandy Alderon should buck his trend. If the Mets want to be taken seriously, they need to add another legitimate arm to shorten games for their starting pitchers without running Familia, Blevins and Ramos into the ground.
Again, Alderson has never given out contracts longer than two-years for a free agent reliever, but if that were to change, Wade Davis is who it should change for.
There are obvious concerns about Davis’s recent run. Despite his strikeout numbers taking a jump towards his dominant 2014 numbers, his walks rose with them. Most notably, Davis’s home run rate tripled from 2016 to 2017, but one has to wonder how much of that has to do with moving from Kaufman Stadium to hitter-friendly Wrigley Field (3 of the 6 home runs Davis allowed came at Wrigley).
Davis is also 31, so if you’re giving him a four-year deal, you’re doing it to include years you no longer expect to have this version of Wade Davis anymore. Do you trade getting two more years of potentially prime Davis, knowing you’re going to get Davis on the tail-end as well over getting no Davis at all?
Any Davis contract is going to start at the deal Mark Melancon got from the San Francisco Giants last year (which, admittedly, has not gone well so far for San Francisco). It’s an expensive deal, and if the Mets only have one expensive deal in their appetite this off-season (again, I don’t consider the aforementioned Todd Frazier deal or Dee Gordon contract to be that expensive by comparison), is it wise for them to use it on a reliever?
The 2017 postseason has reaffirmed where the game is headed. Deep bullpens with multiple weapons available to close out a game is no worse than equally important as a dominant rotation five starters deep is. The Mets wouldn’t have to worry so much about innings limits if they’re able to dedicate at least 9 outs a night to some combination of Familia, Davis, Blevins and Ramos.
The argument could be made about the Mets reuniting with Addison Reed, who is two years younger than Davis and will likely require about $3 million less annually on a three to four-year deal. Reed, to me, is a perfect Plan B to Davis, considering the immense success he enjoyed here in Queens and his familiarity with serving as a bridge and a closer (then again, Davis has the same familiarity).
If you’re inclined to eye-ball a Plan C, Pat Neshek is a guy to watch. 37-years old and likely seeking a two-year deal, Neshek isn’t maybe the first, or second, or third guy you think of when building a deep bullpen.
Without question, Neshek is coming off the best year of his career, posting a 1.86 FIP and 29.4% strikeout rate. The downside to Neshek is he’s not a guy who can go beyond one inning. Only once in his 71 appearances last year did Neshek record more than three outs. In essence, Neshek completes a combination with Blevins to work your way through an inning using two specialists. Neshek might be the best specialist in the game, and would definitely provide value to the Mets bullpen, but that value is limited compared to Reed and Davis.[/text_output]
However, unlike in year’s past, the Mets are no longer a couple tweaks away from being serious contenders. They have holes to fill in almost every aspect of the team, and significant ones that will require creativity.
In my mind, the Mets signing Wade Davis and Todd Frazier are the two free agents that can do the most for this team. The more I think about it, the more intrigued I’d be by a low-cost signing of Ubaldo Jimenez to see if Mickey Callaway can work his magic yet again on the mercurial right-hander. Glen Perkins on a show-me one-year contract rounds out the bullpen with a second lefty, and still this team would need to figure out if Dom Smith is ready for a full season of Major League pitching, if they need an everyday second baseman with Smith back in the minors and Frazier/Cabrera manning the corners, and another outfield bat to ease the burden off Conforto missing the first part of the season.
This team has a ton of holes. I don’t have the slightest idea as to how the Mets will fill all of them. But they need to if they want to be taken seriously.[/text_output]
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?