IT’S TIME TO GET REAL
Brodie promises big things for Mets, but big names will go elsewhere
With the Mets having brought in Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager on Tuesday, it’s time for the team to start looking at how it can back up his bold introductory promises. Van Wagenen said the Mets will win in 2019, but to do that, there have to be some significant roster changes.
While Van Wagenen is organizing his front office brain trust before heading out to the GM Meetings next week in California, the Mets really need to start getting their plan together on how exactly they will upgrade a team that won just 77 games last season.
Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and Van Wagenen would not put a number on their payroll heading into 2019, but Wilpon said his new GM will have money — and room — to make changes.
Last year, the Mets spent just over $150 million and already have about $144 committed, including expected arbitration raises, to the 2019 payroll, according to Cots Contracts.
FREE AGENTS
With the conclusion of the World Series on Sunday, Mets left-handed pitcher Jerry Blevins, right-handed pitcher A.J. Ramos, outfielder Austin Jackson, shortstop Jose Reyes and catchers Jose Lobaton and Devin Mesoraco all became free agents on Monday morning. None will get a qualifying offer from the team.
Austin Jackson could be an economic choice to solidify their lineup up the middle, something Van Wagenen has said he hopes to do this winter.
GOALS FOR FILLING THE HOLES
If the Mets are going to compete, they are going to have to make significant upgrades. If they want to signal that they are going to make good on Van Wagenen’s promises to be “fearless and relentless,” and win now and win in the future, they are going to have to make a big, bold move.
DREAMING
While Van Wagenen stated that the Mets would be in on all free agents, industry sources said they do not expect them to be in the race for the top two players on the market this winter — Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. While going after Machado (and not just an attempt to be mentioned as “in the mix”) makes sense for the Mets roster, no one in baseball expects the Mets really to chase him or Harper this winter.
BULLPEN HELP
First and foremost, the Mets need to find back-end of the bullpen arms after trading closer Jeurys Familia in July.
This is another place they can show their fans that they are truly investing to win in 2019. They need to bring in one of the bigger relievers on the market. Zach Britton is available after finishing the
season strong in a season in which he was coming off surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. He would also give the Mets a dangerous lefty in the bullpen. Craig Kimbrel is coming off a World Series run with the Red Sox. Shaky this year, Kimbrel is still among the best bullpen arms available
The Mets could also find some more economical help for the bullpen with Adam Ottavino, Familia and possibly Andrew Miller, coming off a tough year.
BEHIND THE PLATE
The Mets have a big decision to make about adding a bat, the first spot that they would obviously try to upgrade is catcher.
The consensus is Kevin Plawecki has not developed into a starting catcher and Travis d’Arnaud, coming off Tommy John surgery, has been injured every season and is a pretty obvious candidate to be non-tendered in December. The Mets also have Tomas Nido on their 40man roster.
The position is weak across baseball, however.
Aside for a trade for a J.T. Realmuto, which is unlikely with the Mets’ top prospects so far away from the big leagues, the offerings are slim and there will be lots of teams buying.
Yasmani Grandal, who was so disastrous behind the plate in the playoffs he was benched during the Dodgers’ run to the World Series, and Wilson Ramos are the big-ticket catchers that will be available via free agency.
Also available on the market and likely more affordable will be Robinson Chirinos, A.J. Ellis, Martin Maldonado, Rene Rivera, Kurt Suzuki, Mesoraco and Jonathan Lucroy, who the Mets have passed on the past two seasons.
CENTER FIELD
With Juan Lagares never having lived up to his 2014 Gold Glove potential and due $9 million this season and a $500,000 buyout for 2020, he could also be a candidate to be replaced. A.J. Pollock, the 30-yearold center fielder who was with the Diamondbacks last season is a possibility. Pollock is coming off a down 2018, missing a month and a half with a broken thumb. He’s been injury-prone, averaging just 94 games a season for the past five years and playing past 113 just once. It’s hard to tell if he will ever return to his 2015 All-Star form. There is a slight chance the Diamondbacks could make Pollock a qualifying offer, making the cost too much for his potential production.
Bringing Jackson back would be a more economic option for the Mets and he clearly fits in with the clubhouse well.
METS READY TO WALK
If the Mets fail to compete, they have some players in their final year of team control they could look to trade at the deadline. Zack Wheeler, d’Arnaud and Wilmer Flores will be free agents after the season as will Todd Frazier and Anthony Swarzak. Jason Vargas has a $2 million buyout
for 2020.
ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE PLAYERS
This is going to be a big part of the Mets payroll budget this winter. If Jacob deGrom wins the Cy Young — or not — he is due a big raise in his third year of arbitration. Will the Mets try to buy out his last two year of arbitration and the beginning of his free agency? It certainly sounded like they wanted to, but deGrom will be expensive, especially if he wins the award.
The Mets have had two players, Zack Wheeler and Wilmer Flores, go to arbitration over the last two years and will look to avoid it again.
Noah Syndergaard will be in his second year of arbitration, while Wheeler, d’Arnaud and Flores are in their third year. Michael Conforto, Steven Matz, Plawecki and Rafael Montero have reached arbitration for the first time.
PRE-ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE
The Mets have a lot of young players who lack the required service time to reach arbitration and are still under team control heading into the winter, particularly those young arms they used in the bullpen. Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario are the key players on the 40-man roster who will be making the major-league minimum next season. Also pre-arbitration eligible are T.J. Rivera, Phillip Evans, Paul Sewald, Jacob Rhame, Jeff McNeil, Tomas Nido, Corey Oswald and Luis Guillorme.