After a disappointing season in which they participated in a historic trade deadline firesale and finished fourth in the National League East, the Mets have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason.
David Stearns, the recently appointed President of Baseball Operations, kicked things off recently by acquiring veteran utility man Joey Wendle and free agent right-hander Luis Severino.
A portion of the work that needs to be done to keep this club growing can be done this week at the Winter Meetings.
During his Monday night meeting with reporters, Stearns went over some of the positions he hopes to fill before spring training begins.
One or more starting pitchers
Enhancing and expanding their starting rotation has been a top priority for the Mets going into the offseason.
As it stands, Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and Severino are the only three locks projected for the Opening Day rotation. Then, in order to bolster the backend, New York would look to depth players like Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, and Jose Butto.
In light of this, Stearns says the team intends to add one or two more arms, if not more, to the starting rotation during the upcoming few months.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a top free agent right-hander, has drawn interest from a number of teams, including the Mets. In addition, lefties Blake Snell, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Jordan Montgomery have all been connected to them.
Senga will undoubtedly be paired with a top rotation arm from New York, but they also plan to add more depth options via shorter-term contracts, similar to what they did with Severino.
Bullpen support
Bullpen arms are yet another obvious need for Stearns and the Mets at this stage of the offseason.
Star closer Edwin Diaz is fully healthy and should be ready to handle a regular workload by the time spring training rolls around, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters earlier on Monday.
With only Drew Smith and Brooks Raley as the other two locks, the Mets bullpen appears somewhat empty without him.
Right-hander Kyle Crick, Austin Adams, and Cole Sulser are among the intriguing depth options they’ve added on minor league deals, but Stearns is aware that much more work needs to be done.
“At the moment, our bullpen is fairly open,” he declared. “It’s likely going to take a lot of different kinds of transactions to get us there, but I do think we need to give ourselves some options there. By opening day, we will fill out a quality bullpen.”
Among many others, David Robertson, Hector Neris, Matt Moore, Andrew Chafin, and Phil Maton are a few of the best choices available.
An outfielder of starting caliber
Stearns and the Mets also hope to add another outfielder who can play at a starting level, which could happen in a number of ways.
It might be someone we consider to be a more bat-first player, or it might be someone who is more defensively minded. We are considering options related to free agency and trade, and we will keep assessing them.
Starling Marte, DJ Stewart, and Brandon Nimmo are New York’s starting outfielders as of right now.
After an injury-plagued season, you still don’t know what to expect from the seasoned Marte, who is under team control through the 2025 campaign. Stewart did have some success towards the end of the previous season, but you can’t be sure if he will be a reliable starter.
Although Jeff McNeil might be able to play in the corner outfield position, Stearns stated that given the current configuration of the roster, he anticipates seeing a lot of action at second base.
Going forward, expect Stearns and the Mets to be involved in the outfield trade.
Andy Martino of SNY stated earlier on Monday that they had a conversation with defensive mastermind Michael A. Taylor. Teoscar Hernandez, Kevin Kiermaier, and KBO fighter Jung Hoo Lee are a few more names to take into account.
External DH?
Without a doubt, the Mets could use some assistance this offseason in the offensive department. One of the many ways they could do that is by acquiring a respectable designated hitter.
According to Stearns, the group “wouldn’t close the door” to hiring a third-party DH, but it all depends on how the role is filled.
The ideal addition would be someone who could provide some versatility on the field as well, but Teoscar Hernandez, JD Martinez, and Jorge Soler are some of the best sluggers available.
Internal competition for third base
While Stearns isn’t ready to declare a starter just yet, he made it clear that the Mets won’t be adding any more third basemen to the mix during the remainder of the offseason.
Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Brett Baty will all be in camp hoping to challenge the seasoned Wendle for the hot corner spot on a daily basis.
“I think it’s important for us organizationally to lean about our younger players, to provide them with the opportunity at the major-league level,” he stated. “That doesn’t have to be on opening day, but over the course of the year, we’ve gotta learn about these guys.”
Mauricio, who made an impact at bat in his first big-league call-up, is anticipated to play a large portion of the Dominican Winter League season at third base as he attempts to improve defensively.
Throughout his big-league career, Wendle has been known for being a reliable and adaptable defender, but during his final two seasons with the Miami Marlins, his bat has declined significantly.