Mets: Three burning questions that need answering this spring

The New York Mets are arguably coming off of one of their best offseasons in team history, which has heightened the expectations for this ballclub unlike any we have seen since probably the 2006 season.

The front office has made quite the transformation of the organization by turning over around half of their 40-man roster with additions such as shortstop Francisco Lindor, catcher James McCann, starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, among others. The collective amount of depth that also has been acquired this winter by the front office can not be understated in any sense.

The Mets have been treated as the media darling of the National League East in large part due to their triumphant winter, and as evidence by PECOTA’s projections of the Mets finishing in first place in the National League East with over 90 wins. MLB.com has also ranked the Mets as the number five team in baseball in their initial Power Rankings for 2021.

Despite the rather strong offseason for the New York Mets this winter, there are still some questions on the roster that need answers this spring.

But there are still a few questions that surround the team as we approach Opening Day. Make no mistake the questions that remain are not a knock in any sense of how well this team has been put together by the front office this offseason.

There is no team currently in Major League Baseball that is without flaws this spring. We also should remember that baseball is a marathon and not a sprint, which allows the Mets time to figure out the answers to the questions that remain over the course of the next month.
Let’s now dive into the top three burning questions that face the Mets this spring and evaluating all of the factors that could play into the answers to these questions.

1) Who will be playing third base for the New York Mets?

One of the biggest questions that have followed the Mets since the acquisition of shortstop Francisco Lindor has been who will be playing third base beside him on the left side of the infield? Many had speculated the Mets front office getting involved in the Nolan Arenado bidding, or when that opportunity passed potentially making a play for Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.

To this point in the offseason, there has not been a blockbuster acquisition for a third baseman and many would presume the favorite to this point would be incumbent third baseman J.D. Davis. While I’m aware that Davis is not the most defensively sound or the “sexiest” third base option compared to the names above, Davis can still be a competent option for the Mets at third.

While Davis had a bit of a down season offensively in 2020 with his .247/.371/.389 slash line after his breakout 2019 campaign, it’s unfair to solely judge an abbreviated sample size in 2020 where many players struggled offensively. Among all third basemen in 2019, Davis would’ve placed among the top ten third basemen in all of baseball with his .895 OPS which signifies his offensive potential that still exists despite a rough shortened season.

However, the front office and Manager Luis Rojas have given mixed signals at various times on Davis being the Mets starting third baseman, especially with the signing of utility man Jonathan Villar who may see some starts at third base. There is also the option of Rojas moving Jeff McNeil to third base on some days or having Luis Guillorme make starts as well.

This is one of the more interesting areas to monitor during Spring Training, as the Mets could potentially still make a potential additional move at third base should the front office not like what they see on the field. It’s vital for J.D. Davis to have a great spring or he may become even more of an afterthought as a Major League caliber third baseman in the current regime’s eyes.

3) How will the center field situation shake out for the New York Mets?

All offseason we had heard how the Mets wanted to upgrade defensively in center field heading into the 2021 season. There was serious interest in George Springer that never materialized, and with the designated hitter not being in play for the National League in 2021, it all but removed the Mets’ chances at signing free agent Jackie Bradley Jr.

Unfortunately, the Mets did not come away with one of the top two center fielders on the free-agent market, which could be viewed as the only legitimate disappointment of the front office’s winter if you were to nitpick due to the need.

The Mets pivoted and signed a low-risk high-upside player in Albert Almora and a proven commodity in center field in Kevin Pillar. While neither player was the splash addition in center field that many Mets fans expected, it certainly provides the Mets with solid defensive options in their crowded outfield, especially late in games with a potential lead.

While we should all expect Brandon Nimmo to make the majority of starts in center field this season barring something unforeseen, such as Nimmo’s defense regressing or an injury, it is worth monitoring how the Mets utilize the center field position late in games.

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While we may not see it displayed early in Spring Training, I fully expect by the end of the spring we should have some sort of idea of how the outfield configuration will be set up late in games, especially with who is manning the center field position in the most critical moments.