2 truths and 1 lie about David Stearns’ first offseason as Mets POBO

Mets Truth: The roster is better than it was at the end of last season

Technically, if we’re going to compare rosters, it wouldn’t be fair to size up the team now in comparison to how it looked at the end of 2023. Weeks of Rafael Ortega, Jonathan Arrauz, and others didn’t exactly strike fear into anyone the Mets invited to Citi Field. It’s still true to see how they have improved.

The starting rotation is significantly better than it was through the final days of 2024. Even if you lack faith in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Adrian Houser, they are upgrades over what the Mets were putting on the mound every fifth or sixth day. Many of those players are still there with only Carlos Carrasco most notably out of the picture.

Compare the Mets now to what they looked like at the start of last year and there’s more of a debate. The Mets looked good on paper. In actuality, they were a bit more broken. Max Scherzer wasn’t himself. Starling Marte was about to embark on an injury-filled season. Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar were a step or two below what they were one season prior. Brett Baty was clearly outmatched.

There is no fair comparison to make between the Mets last season and now because of how far below expectations they reached. It’s actually probably more of a draw than anything. The lineup is relatively the same. The highs of what the starting pitching staff can reach match the lows of what Scherzer and Justin Verlander did last year. The tie-breaker will come from the bullpen where it’s not clear at all what will happen with this ragtag assemblance.