New York Mets: Bold predictions for the three big newcomers

New York Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen was a busy man this offseason in his first at the helm of the team. Although they didn’t land either of the top two free agents, they did manage to get some quality players who could have big years.

The New York Mets roster was in need of an overhaul this offseason after finishing the 2018 campaign with a 77-85 record, good for fourth in the National League East. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen prioritized depth throughout the roster through both trades and free agency in order to strengthen the team.

Among the additions, the Mets added two bats and an arm I’m very excited to see. Before they take the field for the regular season, it’s time to declare some bold predictions for each of these men.

Edwin Diaz

Armed with an electrifying arm and a 100 MPH fastball, Edwin Diaz presents the highest upside arm the team has at in their bullpen in a long time. Diaz is coming off a truly sensational 2018 season in which he finished 8th in the American League Cy Young voting, posted a fantastic 1.96 ERA, and struck out a ridiculous 124 batters in 74.1 innings pitched equating to a monster 44.3% strikeout rate.

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It will be hard for Diaz to replicate the 3.5 WAR he posted. However, there is little evidence to suggest that Diaz shouldn’t be in line for another big season.

Bold Prediction: Diaz breaks the single-season saves record held by teammate and new set up man Jeurys Familia.

Wilson Ramos

Wilson Ramos projects to be a significant upgrade over the Met catching situation from a year ago. Of the five different catchers the team used in 2018 they totaled a combined .188/.263/.323 slash line.

The group also combined for a pitiful WAR of 0.4. Ramos posted a WAR of 2.4 and compiled a slash line of .306/.358/.487 which would have been a major upgrade offensively.

Much was made early in the winter if Van Wagenen would pull the trigger on a trade for J.T. Realmuto. The Mets are surely thrilled they snagged the catcher who had the highest OPS at the position in the game last year at .815 on a two-year deal.

Bold Prediction: Wilson Ramos finishes 2019 with a high WAR than J.T. Realmuto.

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano also came in the blockbuster trade with Edwin Diaz back in early December giving the Mets are a strong bat to anchor the top of their lineup. While there is a stigma surrounding Cano due to the suspension mid-season for PED’s it is worth noting he crushed the ball when he was on the field which has had him picked by some to be a sleeper MVP candidate.

It will be interesting to see how Cano adjusts to the National League, mostly because he is now 36 years of age in a league (currently) without the designated hitter.

Cano is still a good defender at his advanced age, good for 4 defensive runs saved last season, so he is not a total write off in the field. I’m not sure we are looking at a potential darkhorse MVP candidate but a really strong season in his return to the big apple.

Bold Prediction: Robinson Cano is the starting second baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game.

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What bold predictions do you have for these new Mets?