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NY Mets: Grading each of the major moves made last offseason

By Zachary Rotman

Oct 2, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after flying out to center field against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after flying out to center field against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 26, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) and shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) walk on to the field before his game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 26, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) and shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) walk on to the field before his game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Francisco Lindor & Carlos Carrasco

The biggest move the Mets made was trading Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf, and Isaiah Greene to the Indians for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. After the trade, the Mets extended Lindor for 10 years $341 million dollars.

The Mets found their new face of the franchise in Lindor, and added what was supposed to be a reliable number two or three starter in Carrasco.

Lindor’s first season was up and down. He got off to a brutal start, slashing .182/.293/.266 from Opening Day through May 27 with just three home runs and nine RBI.

After that awful start, Lindor was the Lindor the Mets thought they were getting. He slashed .258/.341/.492 the rest of the way with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. His .833 OPS during that stretch is higher than his career mark of .821.

He finished with a 103 WRC+ this season which is 3% above average. While the Mets certainly should expect better, once Lindor got accustomed to New York and the National League he played very well for the most part. I expect the Lindor of old to appear in 2022 for a full season.

While Lindor’s bat took a hit, his glove did not. He was in the 100th percentile in outs above average according to baseball savant. Being one of the best defensive infielders in the game was quite valuable for the Mets.

The revitalized bat along with an unbelievable glove gives the Mets the player they thought they were getting.

The other player the Mets got in this trade was Carlos Carrasco. He tore his hamstring in Spring Training and missed the first four months of the season because of it.

In the two months he played, he was not good. Carrasco went 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA overall.

A big chunk of Carrasco’s struggles stemmed from the first inning. In that inning, Carrasco allowed 18 earned runs in 12 innings. That put the Mets down early and made those games very hard for the team to win, which is why they were 5-7 in his starts. He had only two starts in which he threw a scoreless first inning.

Hopefully, with a normal offseason and Carrasco presumably being healthy through Spring Training he can bounce back and be that reliable rotation arm the Mets really need.

Both Lindor and Carrasco had down years and I expect them to be better next season.

Grade: C

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