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Contender or Transitioner?

batmagadanleadoff Jul 30 2023 11:57 AM

Looking ahead to next season, what kind of Mets team does Steve Cohen assemble for 2024, at least on paper --- a contender or a team in transition? Given Cohen's wealth and propensity to spend, and judging by his past actions and statements, I'm going with contender. That means he'll have to rebuild the soon to be totally depleted starting pitching staff. With no top pitching talent on the immediate horizon from down below, look for the Mets to try and make a big splash in free agency. Hopefully, the return of Edwin Diaz will more than make up for the Robertson trade on the reliever front. I think the hitting's more than adequate and that several position players are simply having somewhat down years - but simultaneously. That's the luck and randomness of it all. I think that the big downside to the Mets present situation is that they've all but blown any chance to land Ohtani for 2024. TBD

Lefty Specialist Jul 30 2023 12:27 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

I don't think Ohtani is coming but they've already cleared some salary and could clear more in Verlander. I think they'll reload; and money won't be the object for Big O, it's whether he wants to stay on the west coast. As long as Cohen is willing to spend, they'll always be a contender.

batmagadanleadoff Jul 30 2023 12:39 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Lefty Specialist wrote: ... but they've already cleared some salary and could clear more in Verlander.... I'm not sure what that even means with an owner like Steve Cohen. And he's practically paying Scherzer's 2024 salary.

Frayed Knot Jul 30 2023 05:04 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner? Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 30 2023 07:55 PM

The one thing we know for sure is that, for the third season in a row, the Mets will need to revamp almost their entire starting rotation and a good chunk of the bullpen by hitting the open market and hoping for the best. That after paying the price -- sometimes in dollars, sometimes in bodies -- for Bassitt, Taijuan, Carrasco, Quintana, Scherzer, Verlander, Senga, Ottavino, Robertson, Raley, plus various other more minor figures, they'll likely have four or fewer of that group by the time OD 2024 comes around.

ashie62 Jul 30 2023 06:35 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Get younger players

batmagadanleadoff Jul 30 2023 07:08 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Maybe Jake deGrom was right all along and Chris Young's vision was better than the Mets' FO's vision.

Frayed Knot Jul 30 2023 07:25 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

I just wonder if this season winds up chastening Cohen's penchant for making the 'splashy' move simply because he can not because it's necessarily the best idea. Because while most of the '22 moves worked out almost without exception [Bassitt, Ottavino, Robertson, Marte, Canha, Carrasco, Escobar, Scherzer] the '23 moves had a much lower success rate and now he's eating a bunch of money to make some of them go away. It's like he sees the shiny baubles [Velander, Scherzer, Baez, Correa] and decides he wants one of each only to find out that maybe they weren't the best moves after all. And while I'm not going to mimic a former poster and demand the the team 'SHOW US THE PLAN', it would be nice just to know that they actually have one as opposed to just employing a scatter-shot approach based on what looks best in the candy aisle while you happen to be passing it.

metirish Jul 30 2023 07:43 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Agree FK Hopefully the incoming President of baseball ( if that happens) takes control

nymr83 Jul 30 2023 10:32 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=133363 time=1690765703 user_id=68] Maybe Jake deGrom was right all along and Chris Young's vision was better than the Mets' FO's vision.

Ironic considering that the Mets' judgment about deGrom's future health (or their presumed judgment as evidenced by not re-signing him) was probably the part of their vision that appears 20/20 in hindsight from last offseason.

Lefty Specialist Jul 31 2023 05:52 AM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

=ashie62 post_id=133360 time=1690763710 user_id=90] Get younger players

Yeah, no more 40-year-olds.



There's a lot of pitching on the market this off-season, so replenishment may not be too hard. But it'd be nice to develop some young home-grown arms.

Edgy MD Jul 31 2023 08:18 AM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

The Mets have shown through Harvey, Syndergaard, Wheeler, and deGrom that young pitchers can break too if you try hard enough, and they can also pitch brilliantly but spend extended periods getting pulled after short workdays in futile attempts to keep them from re-breaking. I think a philosophical shift or two are needed. Yes, youth is a great asset, but it'll take a more nuanced approach than that.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 31 2023 08:32 AM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

I hope they keep Verlander and Quintana. Along with Senga, that will give them three starters. I don't know where they go after that; they'll need another four options, maybe including Peterson and Megill, but I hope those two aren't in the Top Five. I agree that a mix of youth and experience is best. One of the things that concerned me about 2023 was two guys in the 40 years old/$40 million neighborhood. Let's not do that again.

metirish Jul 31 2023 09:11 AM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Free agent pitchers Julio Urias (27) Aaron Nola (30) Luis Severino (29) Blake Snell (31) Clayton Kershaw (35) Lucas Giolito (29) Frankie Montas Jack Flaherty Jordan Montgomery Martin Pérez Cookie https://sportsnaut.com/mlb-free-agents-2024/

batmagadanleadoff Aug 02 2023 04:07 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Boy, did the opinions in this thread age very badly. And in just a few days.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 03 2023 08:49 AM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

Maybe we should switch this thread question to whether or not Pete Alonso's gonna be a Met on opening day, 2024?

ashie62 Aug 03 2023 01:56 PM Re: Contender or Transitioner?

I had thought that Pete would sign an extension and be happily ever after With the events of the last two weeks it feels more like a tossup