NY Mets: Setting some clear expectations for the 2021 season

After a rough 2020 season, the New York Mets have a new owner and newfound hope. Anything short of the playoffs would be a huge disappointment in the first year of  Steve Cohen’s reign.

The 2020  season was such a disappointing year for the New York Mets. It was a year full of disappointing games, horrible luck with injuries, and more frustration for Mets fans. However, there is a lot of optimism now in Mets land.

Steve Cohen, a man thought of by many Mets fans to be this team’s savior, is now the owner of this franchise. The Mets are going from owners in the Wilpons who refused to spend big market money, to an owner who is worth more than the second, third, and fourth richest owners in baseball combined. With that in mind, I expect this team to compete in 2021.

I don’t expect Steve Cohen to spend “like a drunken sailor” and sign every top free agent on the market. However, I do expect him to land at least one of George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, or Trevor Bauer. I expect the Mets to improve in many different ways. They need a lot of starting pitching help, a catcher, a center fielder, and to improve their team defense.

Last season, the club led all of baseball with a .272 team batting average. They were second in all of baseball with a .348 OBP and were ninth with 86 home runs. Yet, the Mets finished only 13th in runs per game at 4.77 and dead last with runners left in scoring position per game at 3.77. All year, they just couldn’t buy a big hit.

I expect hitting coach Chili Davis to be with the team next season, he spent this season at his home in Arizona due to the pandemic. I attribute some of the Mets’ struggles to not having their hitting coach present. He might be able to help with their approach with runners in scoring position.

The Mets had a ton of other flaws as well. Their team defense has been awful for years. The Wilpons prioritized offense over defense, and it showed. They never spent the money to get a complete player. It was either someone who can only hit who doesn’t really have a position like J.D. Davis, or it was someone who was really only there to be a defensive specialist like Juan Lagares or Keon Broxton.

This offseason, there are multiple players available that the Mets can get who are excellent at the plate and in the field. Names like George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, and Francisco Lindor come to mind. The Mets have holes at catcher and center field. Brandon Nimmo is not a center fielder, and will likely be moved to a corner outfield spot. Wilson Ramos’ $10 million-dollar team option was declined, so the Mets are without a catcher.

J.T. Realmuto and James McCann are the two best options available in free agency, I expect the Mets to sign one of the two. And Francsico Lindor, one of the league’s 10 best players, in my opinion, is going to be traded as the Indians won’t spend the money to extend him. While the Mets have Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez on their roster, I expect the Amazins to make a push for Lindor and maybe land him.

With all of that being said, the team’s biggest hole was starting pitching. The rotation should be a lot better in 2021. Last season, there was Jacob deGrom and then nothing. Noah Syndergaard was hurt. Marcus Stroman was hurt and then opted out.

Syndergaard should be back at some point this season and Stroman accepted the qualifying offer so he will be back for 2021. I expect the Mets to sign a big name for the rotation whether that is Trevor Bauer or someone else.

Overall, this team already has a core in place. There are just some holes to fill. With an owner taking over with the willingness to spend money and compete right away, I expect the Mets to be contenders in 2021. Do I expect them to beat the Dodgers? No. I don’t think anyone can. But I do expect them to be in a rather tight division race with the Braves.

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And to me, anything short of the playoffs with the roster the Mets have currently, and with the improvements, I expect them to make, would be a huge disappointment.