Reese Kaplan -- Time to Get Back to Work - Now in 2023

OK, OK...the new year has started, people are back in their offices and resuming their regular work schedules. 

For those of us who toil at a desk or on an assembling line or lecturing from a podium, that return to normalcy is a double edged sword where we feel good to have structure return to our lives yet at the same time there's an annoyance about giving up the freedom, time with family and indulgence in our personal hobbies that we too often neglect due to the stress of our work schedule.

For Mets fans, the return to work has a somewhat singular focus for the newly begun year 2023. What is the resolution to matters with Carlos Correa? There's still no contract, lots of pointless rumors floating around, and media speculation regarding everything from dollars to term to health conditions. 

Everyone is well aware of the fibula injury that was corrected in 2014. Now there's even been some language concerning the Mets taking a harder line about players getting proper COVID protection due to others missing time (while being fully paid) when they could have done something probably more likely to keep them on the field. No one knows, of course, whether this latter health concern is indeed real, but it's something for us all to talk about incessantly.

The bigger fear for Mets fans in general shouldn't be about the Correa never ending soap opera, but instead what it means for the rest of the Mets team agenda for needs that have not yet been addressed. There's nothing new here, of course. 

They need a better bench. They need outfield help. They need to figure out the DH. They need to determine what to do with the youngsters aiming to begin the year at Citifield. They need another experienced arm in the bullpen.

The anxiety people should be addressing is why none of these things are seemingly getting done while awaiting the end of the latest Correa chapter to come to a close. Now it's entirely possible that the front office has been actively pursuing some or all of these matters, making decisions about whether to keep or trade prospects and determining how to shoehorn various players onto the roster and into the starting lineup. 

Of course, it's equally possible that everything is truly on hold in the event that people don't wind up seeing Carlos Correa in some combination of orange and blue.

Take a moment and reflect on that last sentence. What if...?

Without Carlos Correa the Mets bring back essentially the same team that won 101 games without a productive DH, without much home run power, with a large number of long term pitching injuries and without much of a bench. If they don't spend $28 million per year on another long term deal for a third baseman who renders Eduardo Escobar, Bruce Baty and Mark Vientos unnecessary, what would they do next?

Some would advocate that they go all-rookie and find playing spots for Baty, Vientos and Francisco Alvarez with Eduardo Escobar either proving he was better than shown last season or not. Mark Canha right now would be the left fielder unless they magically transform one of the surplus of infielders into a second baseman and move Jeff McNeil out there.

Of course, they could go external and look at free agents still available:

• Brandon Belt
• Eric Hosmer
• A.J. Pollock
• Nelson Cruz
• Adam Duvall
• Andrew McCutchen
• Trey Mancini
• Yuli Gurriel
• Tommy Pham
• Luke Voit

On the pitching side there are some reputable (on the ballfield) relievers still looking for work:

• Aroldis Chapman
• Brad Hand
• Will Smith
• Zach Britton
• Andrew Chafin
• Michael Fulmer
• Trevor Rosenthal
• Alex Colome
• Darren O'Day

The little used trade market is wide open, of course. Some clubs look to dump salary, some seek to get younger and others simply want to infuse new blood into their organization to improve productivity and attitude. The public message has been that the Mets would not seek to peddle their hot young players but how much others are willing to give for the likes of Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar or (ahem) Darin Ruf is very much a mystery. Still, you would think that the trade market for improving the roster would heat up considerably if Correa collects his 2023 paycheck elsewhere.