Three Mets offseason predictions for the month of January

It’s a new year and a new month to make some predictions for the New York Mets. What will this team do in January 2020?

January marks the start of a new year. For baseball fans, it means the season is yet another month closer. For me, it means a chance to make some new predictions about the New York Mets for the month.

My predictions all came true in November, but in December, I went just one for three. Sure, this puts me in the Hall of Fame if I was a position player. As far as predictions go, it’s not such a good look.

I still do think the Mets will trade Dominic Smith and believe they’ll upgrade the backup catcher spot. I thought December was the month to make it happen. I guess we’ll just have to wait.

For the sake of just not repeating myself, I’ll go out on a limb and head in a different direction with my January Mets predictions. The ones I missed last month are off the board. Along with those, these are three things I expect the Mets to do in January.

Mets make an unexpected trade

Last January, the Mets made a pair of trades I’m not sure anyone saw coming. Keon Broxton came over from the Milwaukee Brewers and J.D. Davis landed in Flushing through a deal with the Houston Astros.

The outcome of these two trades couldn’t have varied more. Broxton was designated for assignment in the first half while Davis became an everyday player and folk hero.

There are a variety of positions the Mets could still upgrade. They could use another bullpen arm, a backup catcher, and even a starting center fielder. Since this is an unexpected trade, I would disqualify any deal for Starling Marte here.

The magnitude of the trade may not be great. Let’s think it may be closer to this offseason’s Jake Marisnick trade than anything else.

Brodie Van Wagenen made a lot of moves in January of 2019. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe he will rest this year.

If he really wants to shock us, Steven Matz or Marcus Stroman ends up in a new uniform.

Mets add a veteran starting pitcher on a minor league deal

The Mets have some serious starting pitching depth on the major league roster. Beyond this, there’s not much help in the minor leagues.

It’s not unusual to see teams add a plethora of guys with starting pitching experience to their Triple-A roster. The Mets need to add at least one guy and I think January is the time when they find whoever this year’s version of Hector Santiago may be.

There are tons of options for the Mets to explore. And as the offseason grows older, more men are willing to accept a minor league pact with the hope of eventually landing in the big leagues again.

Men coming off of injuries, bad years, or nearing the end of their playing days are great candidates here. Then there are those journeymen who always seem to end up with a new organization every season. Edwin Jackson hasn’t been a member of the Mets yet, has he?

Beyond the guys we expect to be in the starting five plus Michael Wacha, the Mets have only two places to really turn. One of them is Robert Gsellman and the other is Seth Lugo. I’m not so sure pulling either from the bullpen is the best option.

The Mets should have David Peterson knocking on the big league door at some point this year. I’m not so sure how confident they would be to put a rookie in the rotation in a year where they’re serious about competing. It has worked before, but this front office seems to have a different philosophy.

As for who ends up with the Syracuse Mets as a starting pitcher waiting for his chance, check out former clients of Van Wagenen. They’re definitely the betting favorites.

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What do you expect the Mets to do this month?