New York Mets: Unwrapping the ultimate fan’s Christmas wish list

New York Mets Small Gifts

We now turn our attention from the stocking stuffers to the smaller gifts that lay wrapped underneath the Christmas tree. These smaller gifts that are on many Mets fans Christmas lists have more to do with the on-field product, rather than the off-field product that we had in our stockings.

First and foremost we would like to see some starting rotation depth. Last year the Mets struggled with depth issues in the starting rotation and that should be an area the front office will look to target this winter.

The Mets recently signed former Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff to a minor league deal and they surely will add a few more arms on minor league deals before heading to Port St Lucie. The Mets need to have some more palatable options available in Syracuse should a starter go down, as last season seemed to be an unmitigated disaster in terms of depth. It’s also that much more important of a need due to the fact that former General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen depleted much of the pitching in the upper levels of the minors to trades.

Another smaller gift that many Mets fans would love to unwrap under the Christmas tree would be a splash during the international signing period. The Mets have the opportunity to sign one of the top talents from Cuba in Yoelqui Cespedes or Oscar Colas, which would add a tremendous boost to their light farm system. It would also give the organization a potential impact player that could be Major League ready in a year or two, which the Mets don’t currently have in the upper echelon of their pipeline.

We have one final small gift we would like to unwrap before making our way to the bigger gifts that await us on our Christmas list. Our final small gift is a left-handed reliever. The Mets recently signed former reliever Jerry Blevins but after he did not throw a pitch during the 2020 season, it’s not realistic to put all of their chips in on the 37-year old southpaw.

It remains to be seen if the Mets get involved in the bidding on Brad Hand or if they make a play to re-sign Justin Wilson. There is also a possibility the Mets make a trade for a left-handed reliever if they aren’t impressed with the options on the free-agent market. But it’s abundantly clear that the organization needs to add at least one more left-hander to the bullpen this offseason.