Paul Articulates – Offseason work is far from done

It has been a very busy offseason for the New York Mets. There have been some big name signings during free agency, there have been some small name signings during the same period, there have been several roster moves up and down, and there have been negotiations with arbitration-eligible players. 

In conversations with fellow Mets fans, I have found that it is very easy to criticize each little tidbit of information that comes out. I found myself falling into the same trap, getting some partial information on a news leak and whining about what didn’t happen. So this post is about what the Mets front office has done and what is left to do – certainly a work in progress but it is only January right now. 

October: Once the season was done and the playoffs ended prematurely, the front office got busy right away, reworking the MLB 40-man roster plus the rosters of the three minor league franchises. 

November: Fifteen Mets players elected free agency, including some of the biggest names and a substantial chunk of the pitching staff. First things first, the Mets prioritized signing Edwin Diaz to the most lucrative closer contract in baseball. He earned it, and the Mets knew they needed him back. Job done. On to the staff, where they began by grabbing pitchers William Woods, Eliesner Hernandez, Jeff Brigham, Denyi Reyes, and Zach Muckenhirn. 

December: The month began with the somber news that the Texas Rangers had signed Jacob deGrom. After a moment of silence, work began in earnest, signing some minor free agents and then reeling in a pretty big fish: Justin Verlander! Then it was David Robertson; then Jose Quintana; then Brooks Raley and Zach Greene. Back to the outfield it was a Brandon Nimmo signing that gave us a sigh of relief. Then Kodai Senga – are you kidding me? This Steve Cohen owned team was serious about building a winner! McCann went to the Orioles, Omar Navarez came to the Mets, and they finished the month by re-acquiring Adam Ottavino. Intense negotiations continued with Carlos Correa and Scott Boras. Whew! 

January: In the first half of January, the Mets signed no less than 29 free agents to minor league contracts. I hope they have enough fields in the St. Lucie complex! Six of seven players eligible for arbitration settled with the Mets, including Pete Alonso with a $14.5M deal. Jeff McNeil was the lone disagreement. Nido signed a 2-year deal. Word is that a Tommy Pham contract has been offered and agreed pending a physical. Got that fourth outfielder. 

If those brief synopses of the last four month doesn’t make your head spin, then you have a good mind for complexity. I am excited about the level of organization and strategy that must exist in the front office to process that many transactions, including some very difficult value judgements on risk vs reward on the deGrom and Correa deals. This is not the old Mets where there would be one signing of a big name that was well past their prime – this is big time build-and-conquer strategy games. 

So I’ll give them a pass for not signing Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil to multi-year extensions. They have probably been working those deals for a long time and have not closed with their agents. I’ll give them a pass for not bringing in a big bat DH, because they may not have been able to get one for a reasonable deal given that they are tens of millions of dollars over the top luxury tax threshold. I have no doubt that they are still working some deals that will have us talking for a while. Then there is spring training and a heck of a lot of personnel evaluations. 

Yes, there is still much to do before the 2023 New York Mets hit the field on March 30th in Miami. I have a feeling that we will be pleased with the result.