The third team in my NL East preview are the Mets. New York is coming off a last place finish, tying the Nationals with a 26-34 record. Last year was a bit disappointing for the Mets because they should’ve been contenders, but they weren’t. The players who were standouts in 2019, just didn’t show up in 2020. Now, that has all changed because the culture is being changed with the new owner, Steve Cohen. Cohen has said that he doesn’t care about a luxury tax because he wants to build a winner. Now, people may say, “oh but they didn’t sign any big name free agents this offseason”. I say, he brought in one of, if not the best shortstop in Francisco Lindor, and he didn’t overpay anyone and is still able to pay home-grown talent like Pete Alonso, Dom Smith, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, etc. Now, let’s get into the breakdown.
| Additions | Departures |
| RHP Carlos Carrasco | LHP Steven Matz |
| RHP Marcus Stroman (Re-Signed) | RHP Rick Porcello |
| RHP Taijuan Walker | RHP Michael Wacha |
| LHP Aaron Loup | C Wilson Ramos |
| LHP Joey Lucchesi | SS Amed Rosario |
| RHP Trevor May | Infielder Andres Gimenez |
| C James McCann | Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes |
| SS Francisco Lindor | |
| Outfielder Kevin Pillar |
The Mets, on paper, are definitely a better team going into this year than they were last year. The Achilles heal for the Mets the past several years has been their bullpen and starting pitching. Yes, the Mets’ “strength” has been portrayed to be the starting rotation, but in reality, the pitching outside of Jacob DeGrom has been disappointing. New owner, Steven Cohen has put his money where his mouth is, and made them a strength. I mention Cohen because the day he had his press conference, Marcus Stroman who was set to become a free agent, called his agent and said “accept the qualifying offer” because of how Cohen was in the press conference. The next name that stands out, is the catcher they signed this year. Instead of overpaying for a catcher, in J.T. Realmuto, they went with a cheaper option who may just have as big of an upside in James McCann. This is a smart move, because signing anyone, let alone a catcher, to a big money contract is a big risk. Lastly, how can we not talk about Lindor. Although, as of this writing, they haven’t signed Lindor to an extension, they got past step 1. Now, in order for this trade to be a win, Cohen has to sign Lindor to an extension and make him one of the faces of the Mets.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Jacob DeGrom |
| 2 | Carlos Carrasco |
| 3 | Marcus Stroman |
| 4 | David Peterson |
| 5 | Taijuan Walker |
The Mets have a deep rotation, on paper. To start things off, they have the best pitcher in baseball as their ace, Jacob DeGrom. He is going to give be on the mound every 5th day, and will most likely be in contention for the NL Cy Young award again. A name that gets forgotten about, is Carlos Carrasco. Cookie came over in the Lindor deal, and he is someone who will help the Mets succeed. Not only, does the Cookie help the Mets not worry about not having Noah Syndergaard due to Tommy John Surgery, but he also gives them a veteran presence in the rotation. Lastly, Stroman bit the bait that Cohen was tossing out there. He liked what Cohen had to say and how he saw the future, now Stroman has to walk the walk and show he’s capable of being one of the Mets’ “Big 3”.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | 2B Jeff McNeil | L |
| 2 | SS Francisco Lindor | S |
| 3 | 1B Pete Alonso | R |
| 4 | RF Michael Conforto | L |
| 5 | LF Dominic Smith | L |
| 6 | C James McCann | R |
| 7 | 3B J.D. Davis | R |
| 8 | CF Brandon Nimmo | L |
| 9 | P Pitcher’s Spot | – |
The line-up has to be the biggest strength of the Mets. Now, some people may be saying that the suspension of Robinson Cano is a big lost. I’m here to say it’s really not. Let me explain; Cano’s production has declined consistently year after year. Now they let their best hitter play everyday at his normal position, without worry of whether or not he has to worry about not being in the line-up. Jeff McNeil will probably have his best year because he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder. Next, Pete Alonso has to have a better year than he did last year. He struggled last year and in order for the Mets to make a playoff push, Alonso has to be better. I will say this, the Mets are one of many teams that are at a disadvantage because of the no universal DH. They have two productive 1st basemen with only 1 spot for them. With the no DH in the NL, they have to sacrifice defense for production with putting Dominic Smith in left in order to have his bat in the line-up everyday. Lastly, Michael Conforto, is playing for an extension. He is part of the young core of the Mets, and they need to show him their appreciation for him. Now, the question is how much and how long will the extension be for.
2021 PECOTA NL East Projections
As seen above, PECOTA also bit the bait Cohen tossed out, having the Mets win the NL East. yes, I believe the Mets will be a contender this year, certainly they have the talent to make a deep run in the playoffs. For me, I believe the Mets will not finish 1st and win the NL East. Rather, I think they will finish 2nd and be the second wild card team. So, I have them making the playoffs and being better than they were last year, just not as good as everyone thinks they will be.
