Written by The Hammer
Fan reaction to the Mets’ 2023 sell-a-thon is understandably mixed. There are those who feel the sell-off was necessary, based on the poor team production, and those that feel this team still had a chance to compete for a playoff spot. I tend to fall in the latter category, but it’s also nice to see which of the Mets’ core, upcoming prospects, and Quad-A players have some value moving forward.
I just enjoy watching crisp, well-executed baseball played, and the taste Mets fans received last year was certainly sweet. Here are my crib notes of the Mets under new ownership.
In his first year as Mets owner, Steve Cohen did what any smart business man would do: let his baseball people handle things while observing the less-than-stellar front office and administration assembled.
In Year 2, with the hiring of Billy Eppler as GM, a flurry of FA signings kick started a buying spree, and Cohen’s influence was strongly felt in Scherzer’s record-breaking signing. After a stellar season, the team just couldn’t win the big game when it counted, with several horses in the rotation faltering at inopportune moments. The Charmin factor. Backed by unlimited financial clout in Year 3, the Mets vaulted to the most expensive ball club in MLB history, taking on yet another $43 million pitching contract in Justin Verlander, while signing a number of “core” players to multi-year extensions. With an offer to Correa on the table, it felt like Steinbrenner in orange and blue.
But with the devastating loss of Diaz, and Quintana’s issues, the Mets spaghetti-at-the-wall approach with arms became woefully exposed. In combination with a lack of production from the offense (across the board), the Mets made the fateful decision to tear it down and re-build at the trade deadline. When Robertson was dealt, the Mets had little shot at a division title, and were seven games back from a Wild Card spot. Must be nice to build the most expensive team in MLB history, then tear it all down, essentially “buying” a number of hit-or-miss top prospects. That’s Fred Wilpon on steroids.
Fast forward to today, one wonders what could have been. With several young, Wild Card contenders stumbling (Cincinnati, Arizona, Miami, etc.), combined with the Mets’ hot-and-cold post-deadline performance, the Mets are miraculously still only seven games back of a postseason berth—and still battling. This is somewhat positive news, but one wonders where the team would be today had they stayed pat, or were buyers, picking up a few bullpen arms and some bench depth. Getting swept by Kansas City and Baltimore certainly put the kibosh on any “shill” outlooks, but hypothetically, if the Mets had garnered five more wins in August, the playoff race would look very different today.
This owner promised Mets fans he would put the best team on the field to compete, yet here we are, watching the remnants of a team stripped of its bling. It’s only natural that many of us are left wondering what could have been. Not one to dwell in the past, I guess the silver linings are the prospects acquired (bought) seem somewhat promising, the trashings of Buck Showalter have subsided, and the potential of hiring a competent, trade-savvy POBO, who can hopefully right the Mets ship into perennial contention, will put Cohen back at his desk to write the checks.
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