Reese Kaplan -- Things are Better Than They Seem

At this time of the year a great many people are skeptical about the moves made by the front office to prepare for the upcoming 2020 baseball season.  The Mets have operated in the pre-BVW era with a garage-sale mentality when it comes to improving the roster.  Last year Brodie blew the doors off that staid sedan type of mentality, and while not everything worked as hoped, the second half of the year showed a team capable of playing winning baseball.  Then when they decided they needed to do still more, hope soared.

Yes, there were missteps.  The Carlos Beltran managerial signing was an incorrect move both based upon the lack of experience he brought to the role and the apparent insufficient background check of this prospective candidate which, this week, confirmed everyone’s worst suspicions.  However, rather than thinking of it as a bad thing, I perceive it as a rare “do-over” in which the Mets can now select a more seasoned managerial candidate to begin their new season.  The bad part is having to rush through the process with Spring Training starting on February 10^th for pitchers and catchers.  That’s just 23 days away, just over three weeks to background check, hire and radically integrate a new manager. 

A lot of people are moaning about the inclusion of pitchers like Rick Porcello who has not approached his Cy Young level in quite some time, and Michael Wacha who pitches better when his arm is not falling off his body.  They fuss and complain that the Mets did not lock up Zack Wheeler when they had the chance.  Little do they realize that the 5-year $118 million deal would average out to over $23 million per year.  Had the Mets gone down that road for the often sore-armed pitcher, they would have had no money to pay the likes of Porcello, Wacha and Dellin Betances.  Wheeler is good but I don’t know that his ability is on par with his paycheck.  They did the right thing here. 

Another blip in the off-season roster construction was the departure of free agents like Todd Frazier and Juan Lagares.  Frazier became somewhat irrelevant assuming Jed “Waldo” Lowrie is back among the baseball living, backed up ably by Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme and others.  The overpriced Lagares was replaced defensively by the much less expensive Jake Marisnick.  He’s probably a little disappointed he won’t be getting opposing sign information by former manager Carlos Beltran, but he’s been brought here for late inning glove and arm reinforcement for some of the more offensively capable but defensively challenged outfielders. 

Is the off-season a stellar one?  Well, considering there are still question marks about the backup catcher, the capability of the starting centerfielder, the health and ability of the bullpen arms and the sagacity of the selection of Wheeler replacement innings for the starting rotation, the answer is probably no.  Throw in the eleventh hour search for a new manager and people might even be more negative. 

However, look at the second half production last year and ask yourself how well would the team do if they were able to replicate that output over the full six months of the season?  Now throw in the prospective additions of Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie and full season production from others who did not have that level of health and opportunity.  It probably is a solid foundation plus extra pieces.  Did they go far enough?  Maybe not.  However, there is still time.