It's clear the Mets and president of baseball operations David Stearns were intent on breaking up the 30-something "core" of the team this offseason in favor of more dynamic and defense-oriented players, and while many fans got into their feelings, there were a number of compelling reasons:
- Brandon Nimmo's agent has helped turned him into a high-strikeout, medium-power guy, and he's devolved into a bad outfielder with perhaps the worst throwing arm in MLB.
- Jeff McNeil is a utility guy who was a progress stopper for a backlog of younger infielders in the system.
- Pete Alonso's bat didn't offset his age enough to justify a lengthy deal -- which just wasn't in the cards after contract talks got a bit contentious last year -- and he wasn't willing to move to a permanent DH role yet
Now, replacing those guys with Marcus Semien (35 years old, strong fielder, good clubhouse guy), Jorge Polanco (32, never played first base in a game), and Bo Bichette (great hitter, never played third base in a game, can opt out after one season) was questionable at best. In the process, New York also took third base away from Brett Baty -- who earned the gig -- and added another infielder to a roster that already had entirely too many.
In addition, closer Edwin "Sugar" Diaz -- the team's most popular player in some quarters of the fanbase -- inked with the Dodgers, despite the Mets offering slightly more money. The New York beat seemed to think that "Sugar" just preferred Los Angeles at this point in his career, and it's hard to blame him for that.
At that point, I was among those looking for any hints at the larger plan. But then Stearns really went to work.
First, he landed center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox in exchange for infielder LuisAngel Acuna and an A-ball pitching prospect. While Robert hasn't been able to replicate a 2023 season that saw him crush 38 homers and earn down-ballot MVP votes, he is a stellar defensive player with a ton of athleticism and a chance to overcome his injury history.
Prior to the Robert trade, one could argue the Mets only had one everyday outfielder on the roster, and that was Juan Soto, a weak fielder. Tyrone Taylor is a fourth outfielder/defensive replacement and Baty has a handful of minor-league appearances in left field. I know they want Carson Benge to win the left field job out of spring training, but that's extremely, um, hopeful thinking.
Next, Stearns dealt for pitchers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers, sending righty starter Brandon Sproat and top prospect Jett Williams to the Brewers in return. Peralta is an All-Star entering a contract year, but one has to think that the Mets have a plan to extend him at some point before he hits free agency. Losing Sproat was a hit to future rotations, but Williams seemed to be caught in the middle of a logjam of infield prospects.
After this dizzying series of transactions, the positional lineup looks like:
- Catcher: Francisco Alvarez
- 1B: Jorge Polanco
- 2B: Marcus Simien
- 3B: Bo Bichette
- SS: Francisco Lindor
- LF: Carson Benge or Brett Baty
- CF: Luis Robert
- RF: Juan Soto
- DH: Mark Vientos or Brett Baty
- PR/IF: Vidal Brujan
- PH/OF: Tyrone Taylor
The rotation looks like:
- Righty Freddy Peralta
- Righty Nolan McLean
- Righty Kodai Senga
- Lefty David Peterson
- Lefty Sean Manaea
- Righty Clay Holmes
The rotation looks more established, the bullpen looks deeper (Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Tobias Myers, Huascar Brazoban, Luis Garcia, others), the lineup looks capable of more consistent contact, and the defense looks more polished.
Does that add up to a better overall team? Maybe. But keep in mind that the Mets were 10 games under .500 (47-57) in the final four months of 2025. So was that rapidly aging core really worth keeping in place anyway?
For better or worse, Stearns has put his stamp on the franchise in a big way now. We'll find out soon whether his seismic late moves will pay off in 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment