Reese Kaplan -- A Short Term Fix Vs. a Long Term Answer

During this David Stearns rookie Mets campaign's off season there have been quite a few changes made to the club's roster yet none that seemed to reflect all that positively with the fan base while they watched competing clubs inking superstar players while instead the Mets seemed to embrace the old Wilpon method of scrap heap picking or overpaying for oft-injured players who theoretically will somehow keep themselves off the IL.

Most people have come to accept the financial realities of the 2024 season being the result of the free spending ways of Steve Cohen's first few years of ownership which pushed them into payroll tax levels never before experienced and lingering for players no longer wearing Mets uniforms.  While no one is tremendously happy with the transition year between the buy-a-pennant of 2023 and the build-a-pennant of 2025.  No one knows for sure what to expect for 2024 but the post season is likely at best a long shot result unlikely to happen.

The opportunities being given to younger players to get at least a half season's worth of steady play will help the front office make determinations about what to do with the roster when the earnest effort to play October baseball begins when this season ends.  Towards that end people are holding out hope that Francisco Alvarez will continue to progress and that the pair of Brett Baty and Mark Vientos will demonstrate in the major leagues what caught everyone's eyes as they worked their ways up through the minors.

Imagine, therefore, the surprise and contradiction of the Mets now theoretically reaching out to talk to DH extraordinaire J.D. Martinez who, with less than a week until spring training begins, finds himself without a job despite hitting .271 with 33 HRs and 103 RBIs for the Dodgers in 2023.  At that time he was paid a relatively modest $10 million for that level of production and with the older Justin Turner having just signed a $13 million deal (with incentives possibly bringing it up to $14.5 million) would now suggest that the younger and more productive Martinez is going to get at least that much.

In and of itself, there is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing strong protection to the middle of the Mets batting order.  Despite their poor pitching last year, it seemed that their inability to score runs stood out even more.  Having Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez 3-4-5 in the batting order with solid bats like Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez and a recovering Starling Marte complementing them suggests that the team could indeed be putting a solid lineup on the field with only the third base position somewhat of a question.

Therein lies the rub.  Do you honestly believe in the combine offense and defense of Brett Baty, writing off what he did in 2023?  Is it possible that Mark Vientos' bat more than makes up for his suspect glove to enable him to play regularly alongside Lindor?  Or are the Mets willing to capitulate to the naysayers and bring in the 36 year old veteran Martinez to fortify the attack and remove one of two variables from the mix?

Personally, there seem to be issues with uncertainty in the starting rotation and while they've finally done some efforts to shoring up the heretofore leaky bullpen, the pitching in general is not of the shutdown variety.  Consequently aiding what could be a struggle on the mound by enhancing the offense can make some sense.  

The question is what that temporary change for 2024 will do for the trade value or game potential of Brett Baty and/or Mark Vientos in 2025 and the future if they both don't get to play?

Personally, I'm off the J.D. Martinez bandwagon.  If he was again available at $10 million I might get lured back on board, but an extra $3 to $4.5 million to match Justin Turner would seem to be money ill spent as the team is not simply one bat away from October baseball.