SAVAGE VIEWS – Then and Now

  

SAVAGE VIEWS - Then and Now

Those who have followed my posts over the past few years know that I can be somewhat of a contrarian, willing to go against the grain.  Before the 2023 season began, I went on record as saying the Mets were not a playoff contender.  This was based on several observations:

1.    The Mets had a disappointing 101-win season as they stumbled across the finish line.  This was a warning of things to come.

2.    The 2022 success was a result of very good offensive output from the likes of Alonso, McNeil, Lindor, Marte and Nimmo.  Also, our rotation was solid with Scherzer, Bassett, Walker, Carrasco and Peterson regularly providing quality starts.  Also, having Diaz in the bullpen certainly helped.  It was unrealistic to expect to duplicate those numbers in 2023.

3.    While it was hard to argue bringing in Verlander to replace deGrom was a bad move, other decisions left me scratching my head.

-       Letting Walker and Bassett leave and bringing in Quintana as a replacement.

-       Not taking adequate steps to shore up the bullpen.  While signing Robertson made sense, nothing else was done to shore up the bullpen.  An aging rotation requires a strong bullpen.

-       Instead of signing someone to complement Canha, we brought Pham in to compete with him for playing time.

-       Nido and Narvaez were signed to two-year deals giving the impression that Alvarez would not get significant playing time until 2025.  In fact, it was clear during spring training that Alvarez would be farmed out.  Funny, how things work out sometimes.

4.    The Braves and Phillies both have stronger line-ups and the Marlins have a young and excellent pitching staff.

5.    Historically, Buck Showalter’s teams have followed a good year by having a down year.

In 2023, we have seen the likes of Nimmo, Lindor, McNeil, Marte and Alonso all having poor statistical years.  The starting rotation has been a disaster most of the year.  The bullpen is due for a major overhaul.

As the season progresses, Mets fans are hoping we lose enough games to qualify for a draft lottery pick.  At the very least the deals made up to the trade deadline have refurbished the farm system.  It appears that we have had three productive drafts in a row.  We now have quality prospects throughout the system.  Hopefully, more than a few turn out to be stars.

I am going to predict that most of today’s core players will be gone by the start of the 2026 season.  Nimmo will be replaced by either by Gilbert or Williams, McNeil by Acuna, Lindor by one of the many ss prospects and Marte’s contract will have expired.  In fact, I will not be surprised to see both Nimmo and McNeil gone at the next trade deadline.   Alonso is a keeper because he and Alvarez are the only two power threats on the team.

I strongly believe the Mets will have a very competitive team in 2024.   It’s hard to imagine the core group having another down year.  And we should expect growth from Alvarez and Baty.  I also think Maurcio and Vientos will be productive major leaguers. The biggest concern will be putting together a quality starting rotation and bullpen.

While Showalter’s contract does not expire until next year, I expect a younger manager will be brought in to take charge of the roster reset.

Gosh, I wish I was 20 years younger to witness the re-birth of the franchise.

 

Ray