Reese Kaplan -- Are Mets Facing A Pete Crow-Armstrong Sequel?

One of the story lines coming out of this visit by the Chicago Cubs is the performance of former Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.  Everyone knew about his defensive acumen but no one knew how well his bat would play as he continued to develop his skills.  Right now PCA is hitting a respectable .265 with 9 HRs, 27 RBIs and 13 SBs.  By comparison superstar Francisco Lindor is hitting .296 with 8 HRs, 25 RBIs and 6 SBs.  Somehow the numbers suggest that the Cubs got one over on the Mets in a big way.

As a result, there are going to be a number of fans and media types who now will run scared when it comes to dealing away significant prospects in proposed baseball trades to improve the roster.  Timing is perfect for this conflict between fear and selling high based upon Saturday night’s 2 HR and 5 RBI game by former star minor leaguer Brett Baty.  For awhile during the game on Saturday night you’d think this was not a contest taking place at Citifield but rather one in a Spring Training game in Port St. Lucie when Baty was absolutely on fire.

So now if you’re David Stearns what does a few hot games from Baty do with your future plans for the young man?  He’s struggled in the majors during extended trials in the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and earlier this season in 2025.  Now 25 years old, has Baty found what was missing from his major league game or are people simply getting overly excited about a few good games?

Going into the 2025 season, Baty had pretty much cemented his reputation as a failed top level prospect.  He’d never done anything consistent in the majors and even last year while the power numbers were good after being returned to Syracuse, his batting average wasn’t terrific and people wondered whether or not he was still in the team’s plans.

Fast foward to the February through late March period in Florida and the forgotten man (particularly after Mark Vientos’ breakout 2024 effort) was seen as at best filler material.  Going into the regular season it appeared as if Baty would again be slated for Syracuse until Nick Madrigal suffered his shoulder injury wiping out the 2025 season.  While not a shortstop, it still opened up a roster spot for a spare infielder and Baty certainly rose to the challenge offensively.

Fast forward one more time to May of 2025 and you find that in half as many ABs Baty now has matched Vientos’ run production.  The batting averages are both unimpressive under .230 but both have been on a rise lately.  With the loss of Jose Siri and now left handed hitting Jesse Winker, it would seem that the need is there for a replacement hitter.  In an ideal world you would insert Baty into the 3rd base position and convert the defensively inconsistent Mark Vientos into a DH, but he hits from the right side as does Starling Marte. 

So the question going forward to consider is what do you do with Brett Baty?  Does he become a regular part of the offense, a spare part off the bench or does he return to Syracuse?  None of these options are ideal but all are available.

Another possibility (which brings us back to Pete Crow-Armstrong) is what has Baty done to his value and attractiveness as trade bait?  Would another team in need of help at 3rd base or DH consider the appeal of the very reasonably priced lefty swinging Baty as fair value for someone on their roster who could help the Mets in the outfield, in the pen or elsewhere? 

Many naysayers will be reaching for antacids right now seeing in their minds a repeated of the Billy Eppler trade (while ignoring the offense provided by Javier Baez and the pitching output of Trevor Williams).  Is selling high the right way to go, or do you instead swallow hard, keep Brett Baty at 3rd base and sell low on Mark Vientos? 

Decisions, decisions...

Reese Kaplan -- Bargain Priced Ace Perhaps Available to the Mets

Well, Spring Training got off with a bang with a home run from new rightfielder Juan Soto along with three send ‘em up and shut ‘em down innings from reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the Mets haven’t really addressed the need to cover the innings Frankie Montas will miss due to injury.  Yes, there’s Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Max Kranick as in-house options.  With neither Canning nor Blackburn having options to go to the minors and Kranick somewhat deep among the spare starters it leaves Megill as the front runner who could lose out considering he has a minor league option remaining. 

Now to hear the Mets tell the story, the month of April is filled with a lot of off-days and rainouts, so they really don’t need that extra starter until May.  Given the initial news regarding when Montas can resume normal baseball activity, you’re perhaps looking at some 4-6 turns of the rotation as the weather warms up.

Of course, that proclamation could simply be marketing hype to hold down the desperation the club feels given that high lat injuries are not known to be something that goes away quickly for a pitcher.  Many here (myself included) have wondered why signing Jose Quintana to an inexpensive deal this late into the upcoming season hasn’t materialized.

Yes, there is the infamous Steve Cohen payroll tax which will convert any new expansion of the payroll into a number double what it says on paper for agreed-upon salary.  Consequently a modest $5 million contract really costs the club $10 million.  While Cohen most certainly has deep pockets, you have to wonder how willing he is to reach inside them that way for a 36 year old starter towards the end of his career.

Others have suggested that the long rumored trade for someone like Luis Castillo might be a smart move but again the long term deal in place costs way more than the team might like to accept.  Consequently a buy low candidate with longer term options might make more sense.

Enter stage left Sandy Alcantara currently not playing for the Marlins.  He signed a 5-year deal back in 2021 before succumbing to TJS which cost him part of the 2023 season and all of 2024.  His playing numbers actually exceed those of Castillo.  For his young career he owns a 3.32 career ERA. 

Go back to the 2022 full season to see what he’s really capable of doing.  Then he pitched to a 14-9 record with a 2.28 ERA and won the NLCy Young Award when he earned an 8.0 WAR metric for being essentially unhittable.  For a period of four full years from 2019 through 2022 he has a 3.07 ERA and earned 4.1 WAR per season. 

Yes, he did regress to a 4.14 ERA before the injury was revealed in 2023.  Then he missed all of 2024.  He’s currently earning $17.3 million as a 29 year old in 2025.  Then he repeats that number as a 30 year old in 2026.  An option exists for a return at age 31 in 2027 for $21 million vs. a $2 million buyout.

Given that he had a poor 2023 and has been down and out for a long, long time, the cost to acquire him should be significantly lower than what it would take to land Castillo, he earns quite a bit less and could be here for three seasons without extending his deal.  It’s food for thought, Montas injury or not.  

Reese Kaplan -- Mets Have the Elements to Succeed If All Goes Well

When it comes to strategy to win ballgames there is power, small ball, pitching, defense and in-game decision making.  No single element will triumph every time but combinations of them can baffle opponents when executed with aplomb.

On the question of power, the Mets have a pair of 40 home run hitters in newcomer Juan Soto and returner Pete Alonso.  Both have demonstrated the ability to put the ball out of any stadium with ease when the need arises and together they will rival the Aaron Judge/Juan Soto pairing enjoyed in the Bronx in 2024.

However, there is more power in the Mets lineup than this elite pair.  Late addition third baseman Mark Vientos was on a pace for nearly 40 home runs and if you add in his post season bombs he was at 33 in less than a full season’s worth of ABs.  Now pitchers will adjust and Vientos needs to do the same, but he demonstrated elite power hitting ability as well.

Then there was the odd season produced by Brandon Nimmo.  His batting average was way down as he fought plantar fasciitis but his home run and RBI numbers hit all time highs.  Most folks would probably accept a return to the .270 or thereabout batting average in exchange for some run production, but if Francisco Lindor is going to be leading off then Nimmo is more necessary as a guy who drives baserunners across home plate.

Speaking of Lindor, let’s not forget his 30+ home run power.  Not too many shortstops in the game can deliver that kind of offense.  His RBI numbers will be down as a leadoff hitter, but the power is for real and must be factored into this aspect of home run hitting.

The big missing slugging bat from 2024 was catcher Francisco Alvarez.  When pressed into emergency duty in 2023 as a 21 year old rookie he clubbed 25 home runs with a batting average barely north of the Mendoza line.  Last year he gained almost 30 points in that metric but the home runs for the entire season dropped to 11.  Obviously he has more raw power than that and it’s important to realize he played 2024 at a meter 22 years of age while also fighting through injuries.  He claims to have gotten some tips from J.D. Martinez so it’s an open issue what kind of power hitter he will become for 2025 and beyond.

When it comes to small ball, the Mets have the aforementioned Nimmo whose previous best asset was his OBP.  In addition, you have Jeff McNeil who is a contact hitter.  The DH combo is more contact on the Starling Marte side than on the Jesse Winker side, but there are indeed a trio of folks who can help move the ball around.  

Pitching is going to make or break this club.  Last season they got unexpected good performance from now departed Luis Severino and expected competency from now departed Jose Quintana.  They received amazing pitching from David Peterson and better than expected results from Sean Manaea.  They lasted the entire year without Kodai Senga yet somehow survived.  This year they have Clay Holmes joining Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga and David Peterson.  That’s four out of five.  Frankie Montas was envisioned as the 5th of that group but his lat injury makes a substitute necessary.  

The bullpen should be a bit better when A.J. Minter is fully healed and joining the rest of the relief arms.  The first five slots are already taken with anyone’s guess as to who gets the next 2-3.  

Defense has been reinforced with the return of Tyrone Taylor in center field and the addition of defensive magician Jose Siri.  Brandon Nimmo is a competent outfielder in left if he isn’t moving to DH due to his foot and, well, Juan Soto earns his pay with his bat not with his glove.  The rest of the defense is pretty much the same as it was last year.

The in-game decisions from Carlos Mendoza in his rookie managerial campaign were mostly sound with few examples of choices he made that were questionable.  With more experience under his belt and likely a bit more confidence than he had in his prove-it year as a rookie it would seem that the club is in good shape here as well.

Reese Kaplan -- Saving Money While Bolstering the Infield for 2025

Any long term Mets fan remembers some less than spectacular players the Mets trotted out to 2nd base and in particular to 3rd base during their 62 year history in the National League.  I won’t cause you any gastric distress nor the need to reach for blotto-inducing alcohol or banned substances of choice.  You know the names and you know how hard it’s been to see All Stars across town and around all of baseball while the club for which we give our devotion and enthusiasm instead trot out the likes of guys like Roy Staiger (oops, sorry, I did cite someone but he is long enough ago that it shouldn’t cause too much of a disturbance for anyone's day). 

Nowadays the Mets are in a much different position given the unreal season produced by Mark Vientos and the fact that former NL batting champ Jeff McNeil are on the roster.  Of course, with the impending free agency departure of Pete Alonso the club may very well shift Mark Vientos across the diamond to take over for him.  Jeff McNeil on most folks’ radar is part of the outfield mix rather than at second base.  Consider for a moment that if these current veteran moves and the Vientos transition take place it opens up both the positions to the left and to the right of Francisco Lindor.

Now the conventional wisdom of how best to use Steve Cohen’s fortune is simply to look for the best of the best available in free agency and pad the roster that way.  For third base the big name is Alex Bregman formerly of the Astros.  For first base it would include Paul Goldschmidt who apparently has worn out his welcome in St. Louis.  Then there are trade rumors out there for third baseman Nolan Arenado also of the Cardinals and contract year ending players like Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. from Toronto. 

However, bear in mind if you get 30+ HR power from Vientos at close to minimum wage, picking out a new first baseman and keeping him struggling defensively at third makes little sense.  You could move Vientos into a DH role in place of the thus far coterie of less than stellar folks assigned to this role (including J.D. Martinez).  That still would leave the infield vacancies unfulfilled.

It’s not new to consider who the Mets have on the farm who could help in Queens.  The obvious one is Ronny Mauricio who missed the entire year with injury and recovery.  For now folks want to see how he’s progressed with a return to on-the-field action in winter ball.  He has a combination of power and speed to suggest he would be a solid major league player.  Whether he can transition to star is still a great unknown, but he’s shown enough in the minors to suggest he is ready.  If Vientos is at 1B or DH then 3B would likely belong to Mauricio if he’s fully healthy and not too rusty.

The much more surprising development is petite Luisangel Acuna obtained during the midyear fire sale in 2023.  His numbers in the minors are pretty impressive.  Even with a poor 2024 in Syracuse, he still produces a .280 batting average, 10 HRs and 50 stolen bases per season.  Last year’s promotion was out of reluctant necessity when Francisco Lindor went on the IL.  It wasn’t based upon his AAA performance. 

So how did he do? 

Well, in very limited action he had 39 big league at-bats during which he hit 3 HRs (one every 13 ABs) and hit .308.  Granted, you can’t assume that a switch flipped and he suddently morphed into a top prospect after finishing 2024 with just a .258 average.

Until...

Much to no one’s surprise Acuna is playing winter ball and thus far is putting on quite a show.  His latest numbers include a .388 batting average over his first 17 games down there, while also contributing four extra base hits and nine stolen bases. 

The question that arises now to media, fans and the Mets front office is whether or not what we’re all seeing is indicative of the type of player Acuna will be.  If so, then he gains a very strong foothold into the second base position giving the Mets a fantastic and speedy middle infield.  Or does the hot September and winter instead transform Acuna into a heavyweight trade chip to land someone else from another team?

Either way, it’s a very nice problem to have.

Reese Kaplan -- Still Lots of Space on the 40-Man Roster

The Mets still stand with several vacancies on the 40-man roster along with some who are there that face tenuous holds at best.  Bear in mind there will be some movements made once the 2025 season approaches as players get cut, traded or move onto the 60-day IL.  Given those facts, David Stearns has quite a task ahead of him trying to figure out how to build out the remainder of the top 40 players to be a part of the New York Mets organization.  Please bear in mind that Stearns inherited both the major and minor league rosters.  Yes, he’s made some additions already, but as witnessed by the fates of several players he picked last year, he’s not blindly loyal to what his thinking was at the time the newcomers arrived.

Let’s take a look at a the possible fate of a rocky eight:

Players on the Trade Bubble

Brett Baty — What can you say about the job done by Mark Vientos last year and the 2023 season produced by Ronny Mauricio which make Baty’s best efforts look fairly weak by comparison?  Yes, he was a high draft pick but as evidenced by countless examples all over baseball the most highly regarded players don’t necessarily pan out as anticipated.  Baty’s has enough impressive performance in the minors prior to 2024 that a club seeking a change of venue type of trade might want to give him a shot to play right away.

Starling Marte — It’s really hard to look at Marte as the same fragile but solid all around player who performed upon his arrival in 2022.  The following year was a lost one due to more injuries and despite strong base running in 2024, it would appear he plays older than he looks.  His fielding which had been very strong has deteriorated as well. The availability of him being in the lineup is inconsistent yet if the Mets pay down his final year of his deal they might likely find a taker. 

Jeff McNeil — How many chances do you keep giving the guy who earned his current contract after securing an NL batting title?  Between injuries and uneven hitting he’s made his positional versatility his best attribute rather than his previous command of the bat.  He’s another one who would need a buy-down on his remaining contract unless the Mets were engaged in a similarly expensive player from another club which would not require creative accounting. 

Tylor Megill — The key things to remember about Megill is that he’s out of options.  That means he’s on the roster or becomes a free agent at the end of Spring Training.  Given the Mets’ collective dearth of both starting and relief pitching you would think he’s more secure than the others on this list, but the fact is that like Brett Baty he’s never put together the major league consistency the club hoped he’d deliver.  He could be a piece of a package deal and allow another club to cross its fingers regarding which Megill is taking the mound for them each day.

Players on the “See Ya Later” Bubble

Dylan Covey — None of us in the baseball media can hope to claim the same level of expertise as the team’s front office and scouting departments, but a look at Covey’s numbers really make you wonder what the club was thinking.  He has a batting average against over .280 and his WHIP is atrocious.  Yes, he was a Stearns selection, but the experience during his front office era is how you play is whether or not you stay.

Luis De Los Santos — Here’s another player young enough to be a AAA stash in the event injury forces a replacement level player to make it to Citifield, yet his output doesn’t shine in any aspect.  There’s some power and some speed but the batting average has not been outstanding and he’s on an uphill right now to prove to the organization that he belongs.

Players on the Long Term Healing Bubble

Paul Blackburn — The midyear acquisition had a few good starts before his health started failing which eventually required time in an operating room to try to get him ready to play again midway into the 2025 season.  For his career he’s a more expensive version of Tylor Megill with a career ERA of 4.85 to accompany a losing 22-28 record, a .279 BAA and a WHIP of 1.41.  By comparison the one year younger Megill has a career ERA of 4.60, a .500 record, a .260 BAA and a career WHIP of 1.39.  The difference here is salary where Blackburn must be paid $3.45 million for his 2024 effort whereas Megill earned under $800K.  He’s not four times the pitcher but being injured meant the Mets would DFA him or keep paying him while he heals.  They opted for the latter.

Christian Scott — He was cruising through the minors with a career ERA of just 3.19 when he made it as a callup to the Mets in 2024.  He was off and on with good games and bad games before being diagnosed as needing Tommy John Surgery.  He’d shown good control and a solid WHIP though the ERA crept up to 4.56 as an NL rookie.  He’ll likely miss all of 2025 in rehab.

There are a great many other fringe players who likely will hang around like Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban who likely won’t be in danger of losing roster spots but are not being counted upon to be difference makers.  Anyone you feel will be gone?

Reese Kaplan -- Who Bet Blake Snell As the First Prime FA Signed?

If someone asked you to make a bet which top tier free agent would be the first to land, how many of you would have said Blake Snell?  Anyone?  Bueller? 

Much to everyone’s surprise the highly desired Snell just inked a five year deal with the (surprise, surprise) Los Angeles Dodgers to the tune of $182 million.  By my calculator that’s an average annual value (AAV) of $36.4 million per season for his age 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 seasons.  While the magnitude of the contract is a little surprising, diving a little deeper you have to wonder if this contract was a good decision.

There’s no question Snell is one of the very top pitchers in the game.  Between the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018 and the San Diego Padres in 2023 he secured the Cy Young Award, one in each league.  With a career ERA of just 3.19 over a 9 year career is spectacular. 

Dig a little deeper, however, and you will see some major red flags.  Considering 9 full seasons (well, 8 if you leave out the COVID-shortened one), he has eclipsed 30 starts just twice.  That means of the 8 full season opportunities 6 times he did not.  Ummm...that’s a bit concerning. 

As a southpaw, it’s fairly common in major league baseball for development to occur a bit later rather than straight out of the gate as a rookie in 2016.  His first two seasons in Florida saw him go 11-15 over 43 starts with a combined 3.83 ERA, a WHIP close to 1.500 and he was walking way too many people.

In 2018, of course, all things came together and Snell went 21-5 with a sparkling ERA of just 1.89 while keeping his WHIP under 1.000 and he got the walks under control for the first time in the majors.  All was good and the future’s so bright you gotta wear shades...

Or not. 

As a follow up to that terrific award winning season he only appeared in 23 games, he held a losing record, the ERA jumped to 4.29 and the WHIP increased by over 25%.

As his career progressed you had to get accustomed to good games and bad games, lots of time off the field with injuries, but an ever expanding paycheck.  For a quick point of comparison, one Jacob deGrom has a career ERA of just 2.52, a 30-game over .500 record and similarly a lot of time on the IL. 

My point here isn’t to criticize the Dodgers for snagging one of the truly best pitchers available right now, but to question if he was the best available option.  By contrast, fellow free agent Corbin Burnes is a few years younger, pitches to a similar 3.19 ERA and has started 30 games every season but 2020 save for the year he did 28.  His control is stellar and his WHIP for his career is hovering right around 1.000.

It would seem to me that the youth, control and equal availability via free agency would have made Burnes the better choice between these two hurlers.  Of course, just as the Mets and Yankees often try to outdo one another, the Dodgers seemingly have a stronger similar relationship with the Giants as opposed to the nearer Angels or Padres.  Snagging the best pitcher who last played for San Francisco is a double gotcha for the folks in Chavez Ravine. 

Anyway, congrats to Blake Snell and the Dodgers for making the first major contract of the offseason.  I don’t consider the Yusei Kikuchi deal anywhere near the same magnitude. Oh yeah, there’s also that guy named Soto...

Reese Kaplan -- Let's Not Forget Trades To Improve the Team

While there has been quite a bit of chatter regarding free agency, not nearly as much attention has been paid to the trade market.  Part of the reason is that we are not all as intimately familiar with 29 other clubs’ positional needs and budgetary constraints.  

Another part is that we do not live inside the heads of David Stearns and Steve Cohen to know what their taste is for giving up major league and/or minor league assets to acquire new members of the New York Mets.

We can list many players rumored to be available for the right asking price.  In no particular order there are Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert, Jr. of the White Sox, Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals, Cody Bellinger of the Cubs and pretty much any player earning too much money for what he provides to his current employer.

Now there are three ways to approach these types of deals.  You can offer up players who no longer fit your blueprint for building a sustained competitive team.  Names here could include the likes of Starling Marte or Jeff McNeil.  

The problem is that unless you’re taking over another team’s overpriced player you’d likely have to pay down the payroll responsibility for these high priced solid but underperforming stars. 

The second approach is to move a currently seemingly entrenched piece to another team in exchange for multiple pieces of theirs that could include major league ballplayers and top level prospects.  In this case you may not have to pay down the contract value but in addition to whatever you receive you would then have to replace that skill set as well which would come at a separate price in another deal elsewhere.  

Consider for a moment what closer Edwin Diaz could land in this type of deal.  Your return would be solid but then you’re left with the who’s our closer question that would now be wide open.

This third approach is kind of a mirror image of the starting rotation housecleaning done during 2023.  In this case you identify the top prospects who you hope will be formidable and inexpensive parts of your future.  To land them you need to give up something of substantial value like Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander.  In this case, however, what might work best for the Mets is for them to play the role of the Rangers and the Astros.

Consider the list of prospective players above.  Rather than list one or two specifically, let’s consider how the Mets could use their suddenly more interesting farm system to help a club rebuild for their future in exchange for some immediate help for the big league Mets. 

Suppose you put together solid top 25 prospects like Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, Luisangel Acuna, Ronny Mauricio, Jonah Tong, Brett Baty and another one or two highly regarded players.  That return to the other club should net those big names. 

However, instead of looking for a 1-2 year solution, what would be even more appealing is obtaining younger highly regarded players who would not break the payroll bank for a couple of years while you see how they fit into Citifield. 

Now many will squawk that giving way the farm system puts the club right back where it was prior to reinforcing it.  I see it differently.  The idea was that the incoming youngsters were going to become solid major leaguers always came with an element of risk.  

Take Brett Baty as an example.  He made minor league headlines with his bat but it didn’t translate to the majors.  Maybe Jett Williams is the next Rickey Henderson.  Maybe he’s the next Roger Cedeno.  

What you’re doing in this kind of deal is transferring that gamble to his new employer and in exchange you’re picking up proven big league talent which was the point to improving the farm system in the first place.  You need to give to get and if giving is unproven players for proven ones then you need to keep an open mind.   

Reese Kaplan -- Mets Cogs Who Emerged After 2024 Opening Day

Some of the players responsible for the Mets’ revitalization and surge towards the postseason were not even a part of the Opening Day roster thoughts.  Some were big time contributors, some were filler-in cogs, but whatever the quantity was, the quality is what helped rookie Manager Carlos Mendoza and newly minted POBO David Stearns achieve a highly improbable dream of playing October baseball.  Let’s take a look.

Luisangel Acuna was a prime chip during the 2023 sell-off of Hall of Fame bound starting pitchers.  He showed remarkable speed and a strong batting average in AA.  Unfortunately his 2024 season in AAA was not nearly as impressive but when summoned to help tide the team over in September when Francisco Lindor was injured, he responded in a big way with his bat, his glove and his legs.  No one’s sure what his role will be in 2025 (or if he will be part of a trade to land players needed at other positions) but the brief glimpse was good.

Jose Iglesias could always hit as evidenced by his .280+ career batting average yet he was struggling to find a role on any team before accepting to start in the Mets minors.  He came up relatively early and OMG was he ever a part of the club’s success.  He finished the season hitting well over .300 and his energy was contagious and infected nearly everyone on the roster.

Dedniel Nunez was never much of a prospect but the newly opened pitching lab went to work on him and the 28 year old rookie put together a 2.31 ERA working effectively out of the bullpen before an injury ended his season early.  He’s avoided feared surgery and the hope is he will return to solid middle innings in 2025.

Sean Reid-Foley has had his ups and downs for several years, pitching well at times but always fighting injuries.  Welcome to 2024 and again Reid-Foley was nearly unhittable when he was available.  You always felt confident when he entered the game. It’s hard to bank on him in 2025 given his health history but when he was available he was a key support member of the pen.  Let's bring him back.

Luis Torrens came over from the Yankees and started out like a house on fire when Francisco Alvarez was injured.  He remained with the club for the rest of the year and while his bat cooled off considerably he was a solid defender and likely will be coming back to serve as Alvarez’s once or twice a week relief.

Mark Vientos was even a bigger contributor than Jose Iglesias, threatening to eclipse 30 HRs and working on a 40 HR pace given the number of ABs he received once the team gave up on other third base options.  His glove is nowhere near where his bat is, but he’s most certainly going to be a middle-of-the-order hitter in 2025 and beyond.  Whether he plays 3rd base, 1st base or DH, the fact is he knows what to do with his bat and it's been quite awhile since the club was energized by a newcomer to the team with this kind of production -- not since ROY Pete Alonso.  His departure makes Vientos that much more valuable to the club.

There were others who gave bits here and there but they are no longer in the picture, leaving as free agents.  I’m not counting David Peterson as he was here long before his late start to 2024.  I’m also not counting the free agent pitchers who have since departed. 

Is there anyone who surprised you?  

Reese Kaplan -- 2024 Mets as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Way back when I was a mere child Sergio Leone directed what was the creme de la creme of Italian made so-called spaghetti westerns entitled, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.”  In it Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef starred as a bounty hunter, a Mexican bandit and a fairly ruthless killer who would stop at nothing to ensure his job was done. 

What does this reminiscence have to do with Mets baseball?  Well, in their own way the Mets gave us their own Citifield version of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  The challenge for David Stearns and Steve Cohen is separating the wheat from the chaff and deciding how to capitalize on the good, minimize the bad and expunge the ugly.  Let’s have a look.

The Good

I’m not going to wax poetic over people who are no longer on the team, but part of the good was the starting pitching.  Part of where things got a little rickety was when that starting pitching did not dominate the opposition and it fed into the overworked bullpen sooner rather than later.  To continue down this path the leadership needs to reinforce the extremely thin starting rotation as well as engaging in the seemingly annual bullpen rebuild.  Kodai Senga will hopefully be healthy.  David Peterson will hopefully repeat what he did this past year.  After that it’s the sound of mostly crickets.

On the offensive side, you got a near MVP season out of Francisco Lindor.  Brandon Nimmo stayed healthy and his power numbers were up a little but his batting average was way off.  Mark Vientos practically put on a one-man-show and the hope is that he can repeat it.  Who you promote from the minors that could possibly be a 2025 version is a great mystery, but the long injured Ronny Mauricio may be a candidate who can respond at the major league level with power, speed and hopefully better defense.  This scenario becomes more real if they choose not to extend Pete Alonso an offer he deems worthy of his run production.

I will offer up three more names in this section — David Stearns, Carlos Mendoze and Jeremy Hefner. 

The Bad

Well, where do you start here?  There is Jeff McNeil downhill in 2024 from where he descended in 2023.  Hoping the late .270-hitting McNeil is more like the guy the club has come to know and love is a bit more of a hope than something you can pencil in as a certainty.  Nowadays people talk less about his hitting than his positional versatility.  When you consider the outfield is unsettled and there are a multitude of infield options in Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and eventually Jett Williams, it may be time to sell a year too early than a year too late on the former All Star.

The same situation holds true with Starling Marte.  He proved to be mostly healthy this year and his base running was as good as it ever was.  Unfortunately his power was mostly gone and finishing the year with a batting average nearly 20 points off his career average makes you wonder if he was playing as an old 35.  You may need to pay down his salary big time to get someone to swallow him for what would have been his final year with the Mets.

Tylor Megill always seems to end up on one of these lists.  I’ll summarize it his way.  He’s not as bad as he looks on his worst days but he’s also not as good as he appears when he’s manhandling the opposition.  The end result for him was a tick over the 4.00 ERA mark for the season which is actually good for him given his career numbers and only slightly worse than Luis Severino’s ending ERA of 3.91.  Hopefully he is the sixth starter and not in the top five.

The Ugly

Well, where do you begin?  There’s Paul Blackburn and his injury, Dedniel Nunez and his injury, Christian Scott and his injury, Sean Reid-Foley and his injury and nearly everyone in the bullpen other than Edwin Diaz, Jose Butto and perhaps Reed Garrett. 

Then there are some long gone ineffective hitters as well as some who might have looked good to see again.  There are more holes in the roster than Swiss cheese but shoehorning in out-of-place hitters that can’t field or fielders than can’t hit is not the way to go.  There’s a lot of ugly to be pushed out the door if it hasn’t already volunteered for free agency.

The worst part of this section was the April, May, June start to the season, but if anyone told you around high school and college graduation days that the Mets would play for the NLCS people would have outfitted you with a well protected straight jacket.