Sayonara Mets Free Agents: Are there any worth keeping for 2021?

Sayonara, au revoir, bon voyage; it’s doesn’t matter how you say it. The New York Mets free agent class is probably leaving Flushing and we’re not too upset about it.

If there’s one consistent element of the 2020 New York Mets it’s how poorly many of their upcoming free agents have performed. Starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha come to mind first. The pair have failed to step up under the harsh circumstances of losing Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman for the year.

Porcello and Wacha are, however, not the only upcoming free agents we can say sayonara to. Justin Wilson hasn’t been as good as last year and even Dellin Betances took a while before finding success.

Although there are still a few weeks left in this weird and abbreviated season, it’s becoming painfully obvious that we won’t remember many of the upcoming Mets free agents too fondly.

The Mets free agent class includes plenty of familiar names even just beyond the newer additions. Yoenis Cespedes will finally part ways with the organization after what was one of the more dramatic stints with the club.

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Far less productive yet with enough strangeness mixed in, Jed Lowrie will also receive walking papers at the conclusion of 2020.

Then there’s Wilson Ramos. While not exactly a free agent, the team has the option to pick up his contract for a third year.

Based on his performance and the increased salary he would receive if they do, I’m guessing they are ready to ask those fans that volunteered to drive him to the airport if they could make good on their tweets.

Heading into this season, Stroman was the number one player I think many fans wanted to see receive an extension. This may still be the case, but his decision to opt-out at such a late date may have sealed his destiny. That’s just an assumption on my part. Either way, odds were always slim that he’d be back in orange and blue for 2021.

The Mets are entering an interesting offseason. Next year, many more core members of the franchise enter their final years. Syndergaard, Michael Conforto, and Steven Matz are all free agents after the 2021 campaign as are several others.

With new ownership possibly setting up shop, we might see the club put any big additions on hold.

The timing works out perfectly for this. From 2020-2021, the Mets can expel payroll. They already have the built-in excuse as to why they won’t re-sign many of their pending free agents this upcoming winter: they’ve stunk.

This won’t excuse the club from reinvesting in other players many of us would prefer to see stick around. An extension, an addition, or maybe even a trade for a guy making some good baseball cash is something they could afford. But do we really believe they’ll spend more than they have to?

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For the Mets headed to free agency this winter, there won’t be much sorrow from your parting. The 2020 Mets were just a placeholder team with many mercenaries brought in on one-year deals. Both they and others on expiring contracts this year have not lived up to the expectations. Soon, we’ll say goodbye.