NY Mets Monday Morning GM: Prepare to be underwhelmed

It’s not quite prepare for the worst, hope for the best. However, I do think New York Mets fans are once again falling into a trap of thinking this offseason is going to blow our minds.

Last winter, things were definitely different. The Wilpons would not have made the move to trade for Francisco Lindor and then sign him to the biggest contract in franchise history, more than doubling the biggest deal in franchise history. Under the leadership of Steve Cohen, the Mets are in an exponentially better situation than they ever would have been in the Wilpon Era.

With this in mind, things don’t seem to be trending toward an epic offseason for the team from Queens.

Prepare yourself to see the Mets come up short, lose free agent battles, and go to Plan-Bs

A 2021 Mets roster with Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto, and George Springer felt like a strong possibility at the start of last offseason. Obviously, this wouldn’t have been the greatest situation for the club, particularly with the first name on that list.

In year two under the new regime, things haven’t gotten off to the most perfect of starts. The team waved the white flag at hiring a President of Baseball Operations. This leaves Sandy Alderson with plenty of power yet again. They’ll still proceed with hiring a general manager, however, the position above him will remain vacant for now.

It’s not a complete disaster. As much as some people will want to make you believe it is, a President of Baseball Operations isn’t needed. Ultimately, does it matter who makes the decisions as long as they are the right ones? You may have your doubts about Alderson—who wouldn’t? That doesn’t mean with some smart and obvious maneuvering that the Mets are doomed to finish with another losing season.

It’s not all bad for the Mets

Expectations remain through the roof among many Mets fans. Even the perpetual downers have this desire to see more from the team. Is it the presence of Cohen? Is it in the nature of a New York sports fan to accept nothing less than winning? Whatever it is, nobody seems ready for the Mets to punt the 2022 campaign.

For whatever it’s worth, everyone making predictions for the offseason free agent market believes the Mets will pick up at least one star free agent. Whether it’s a reunion with Javier Baez, an introduction to Kris Bryant, or someone else available, none of the people “in the know” seem to have written off the Mets as non-contenders in the open market.

They might lose Baez, Michael Conforto, and Marcus Stroman but this isn’t a team poised to take a year off. Change is always good even if it means subtracting talent from your club. This is not the “same old Mets” vibe. As underwhelming as the moves the team makes this offseason may end up being, that’s only because what the team needs most is still out of reach.

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Maybe one winter from now things will be different. By then, maybe all they’ll need are the finishing touches to an already championship-caliber club.