Apparently, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wants NY Mets fans to suffer this offseason

Jim Bowden is one of those MLB insiders whose commentary is must-see. For better or worse, his baseball takes and information hits the entertainment endorphin. So when he put together a list of 12 free agent signings he’d like to see, the inclusion of the New York Mets was guaranteed to draw some attention.

What did he say for them? Well, here it is.

The first thought was “Oh no, he wants the Mets to sign Framber Valdez for that long and for that much?” Then came the second thought. Where are Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso in all of this?

His desire is for Diaz to land with the New York Yankees and Alonso to land with the Boston Red Sox. The Mets get no satisfying free agent lineup addition to replace Alonso (or even Brandon Nimmo) but they do get a starting pitcher many fans would prefer to avoid altogether at any cost, let alone for as long as he signs in this scenario while eating up such a large part of the payroll. Steve Cohen’s pockets are endless. They’re also sensible.

Jim Bowden’s free agent wish list might be the worst-case scenario for the Mets

This doesn’t include trades so maybe Bowden has the Mets adding Tarik Skubal and finding their desired power bat via trade. For the Yankees to end up with Diaz and Kyle Tucker, it’s crushing. The Mets don’t get Alonso, Alex Bregman, or Kyle Schwarber (who goes to the Cincinnati Reds!). Cody Bellinger somehow goes to the PIttsburgh Pirates and the whole top of the remaining free agent class fails to come to terms on a deal with the Mets.

There’s no singular Mets fan wish list, but to come away with only Valdez is frightening and not what anyone would wish upon their worst enemy, probably a Philadelphia Phillies fan.

Speaking of, the Phillies don’t have it easy here either. They lose Schwarber and Ranger Suarez. The Atlanta Braves gain Zac Gallen which could be viewed in a similar yet less terrifying way than we foresee a 7-year deal with Valdez trending.

The worst might still be the fact that the Mets don’t end up with Diaz or Robert Suarez, This means Devin Williams is their closer. Suddenly, we take off a few points on that signing.

Luckily, what we want is often not what reality becomes. Ask my son on Christmas morning when after months of asking for a Lightning McQueen toy he awakens to a Fightnin’ McWeen, the green-colored dollar store version who says “Ka-Choom!” with an Irish accent.

The Mets don’t need to sign Diaz and Alonso for a successful offseason. They can make up for putting their investment into Valdez with another major splash. What Bowden has put on his holiday wish list, however, seems to suggest Valdez is the big offseason move. Before he sends it off to Santa, misinform him that Saint Nick has moved to the South Pole. We can’t let this be the year when Bowden gets his wish.