Reese Kaplan -- Winter Meetings Alert: We Need a Few Things...

 

With the Winter Meetings beginning next week it’s time to think of what the Mets need to do to ensure the time is used productively.  Obviously, the need for a GM is front and center, but that’s not typically why they take place.  It’s a time for the various ball clubs to consider rule changes to the business of baseball and how the game is played.  A good example would be the implementation time frame for the designated hitter in the National League. 

 

The secondary reason this event takes place is to lay the groundwork for player personnel moves.  Conversations with fellow GMs (if your club has one), player agents for free agents and internal discussions regarding future directions for the roster.  With a team missing a GM going into the biggest baseball event of the Hot Stove Season, it’s putting the Mets at something of a disadvantage, though obviously Sandy Alderson has had extensive experience as a General Manager with varied levels of success.

 

So, going into the meeting, what personnel issues are the New York Mets facing?  They already crossed one major hurdle earlier this week when the team announced who was and was not getting tendered a contract.  It currently leaves several open spots on the 40-man roster for additions to be made.  The big question is who those additions will be, will they arrive via free agency as Alderson has indicated is the preferred route, or will they come as part of multi-player trades?  The team is bereft of top talent at the AA and AAA levels, so that would mean major league players crossing over to a new team in return for multiple prospect level players who may not yet be ready to join a major league squad.

 

Certainly the opening behind the plate is first and foremost on many fans’ minds.  Tomas Nido, Ali Sanchez and Patrick Mazeika may be fine people but thus far have not shown the ability to handle 140+ games at the big league level.  That leaves free agents and trade possibilities to fill the vacancy back there to wear the tools of ignorance.  A lot has been written about the pursuit of James McCann while fans are holding their breath awaiting a negotiation with the J.T. Realmuto team.

 

Of course, no matter who the team winds up putting back there to catch the ball, they’re still hurting badly in the realm of who will take the mound to throw it.  Right now the Mets have Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson and a lot of question marks.  Many want to see the poor starter named Seth Lugo put back into the bullpen where he shines.  Few wanted to see Steven Matz pick up a ball for the Mets ever again, but the team made the decision to keep him.  Ditto Robert Gsellman who many feel will be stretched out to be a starter candidate. 

 

The bullpen is crowded but full of question marks.  After Edwin Diaz, the team added Trevor May on a two-year deal.  They’re on the last year of a miscast Jeurys Familia.  Then it gets murky.  Plenty of guys are there who have had moments of success and moments of failure.  Seth Lugo would be a huge addition in this regard, but someone needs to convince both him and his agent that this move makes sense. 

The next major hurdle is the outfield.  Let’s be upfront and admit that J.D. Davis is not a major league caliber glove out there.  Dominic Smith is somewhat better but probably at the barely passable level.  Brandon Nimmo was rated defensively as the worst centerfielder in the game, though he is acceptable in the corners.  Michael Conforto is the only one with both the bat and the glove to ensure his name be penciled into the lineup every day.  It’s a mess and solving things internally or picking up castoffs from other clubs does not seem like a good long-term strategy.  Here is where free agency could help with guys like George Springer, Jackie Bradley,Jr. and others available for the right price.

 

The infield is somewhat less urgent with Jeff McNeil taking over either 2^nd base for Robinson Cano or 3^rd base where frankly he was not very good defensively last year.  It’s possible that he mans second and J.D. Davis handles third, but if improving the defense is part of the plan, then that approach will not work. 

 

Some folks are hot and heavy to bring in a D.J. LeMahieu to cover one of these open positions, but a strategy for sustained success usually doesn’t involve multi-year deals for guys turning 33 during the upcoming season.  Don’t get me wrong.  The man can hit.  He’s a .305 career hitter though much of it will be Coors-influenced.  He had one outlier year with 26 HRs and over 100 RBIs, but his batting average actually got BETTER when he went to the Bronx.  I think of him more or less as a right handed version of McNeil.  That’s certainly not a bad thing to have, but it’s probably not a $20 million per year level of productivity. 

 

There are other options out there both via free agency and trade, but there hasn’t been a clear path forged in the rumor mill.  The Cubs did hold onto Kris Bryant and the Rockies have the very capable (and exceedingly expensive) Nolan Arenado.  If they offered to pay down some of his ridiculous contract, I’d consider him, but he’s not a $35 million per year player.  Bryant’s problem is impending free agency, so there’s risk there as well.  That leaves you folks like Kolten Wong who is decent but not exceptional or others in free agency whose risk/reward quotient won’t have you shooting off fireworks.

 

Yes, the Mets have a big job ahead for the 2021 season.  Steve Cohen has money to spend.  Sandy Alderson is not accustomed to that option.  It will be interesting to see how this pair work together during the planning and execution of a winning team.