Power ranking the Mets 2021-22 big offseason acquistions

The New York Mets are playing at a high level right now, and they have a firm command on the National League East. But let’s face it. The Mets offseason acquisitions have played a major role in the team’s success, and the team is reaping the benefits of having an aggressive and smart offseason, filling in needs with legitimate players. And there are six of them that deserve recognition today.

7. AMets free agent signing Adam Ottavino

Ottavino has been a boom or bust pitcher his entire career. For years, he was a dominant reliever for Colorado, then the walks became an issue, and so has the roller coaster of earned run averages from season to season.

The Mets signed him to a 1-year contract to add depth to a bullpen that let Aaron Loup and Brad Hand walk this offseason in an attempt to shore the unit up before the season started.

And he has been a boom and bust player. His first seven relief outings were really good, allowing just a single run in seven innings, and since then, it has not been a fun stretch for the 36-year-old righty, allowing six runs in 2.2 innings in his last four outings, seeing his ERA balloon to 6.52. Now, it didn’t help that he was used three days in a row against the same Braves team this week, but there is not really a sign of consistency when it comes to Ottavino.

But that’s been the reality of his career past the age of 30. Ottavino has a filthy arsenal of pitches, but he has had trouble throwing strikes in the second half of his career and Mets fans should be nervous when Ottavino comes into games.

6. Mets free agent signing Travis Jankowski

A lost element in baseball the last several years has been a purpose of speed. And the Mets envisioned Jankowski to be the team’s speedster that can come off the bench to pinch run or be a defensive replacement in the outfield late in games.

His speed on the basepaths has been part of the realignment of feelings fans have had toward the team. He’s getting on base via infield hits (he’s got six of them already).

But did you know he is batting .321 in 28 at-bats? He has already drawn four walks and has only struck out twice. Jankowski’s tough and productive at-bats have been part of the game plans Buck Showalter and his staff have envisioned with him on the active roster.

Jankowski’s speed has impacted games everywhere he has gone. He had a 30-stolen base season with the Padres in 2016, went 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts with the Phillies in 2021 before he came over to the Mets.

And speaking of the Phillies, he scored the tying run as a pinch runner in the Mets’ historic 9th inning comeback on May 5 and was yet another important role player the Phillies let get away. The Mets must be glad that they took a chance on him, while Mets fans are happy that he played well enough to survive last week’s roster cut.

5. Mets free agent signing Mark Canha

The Mets invested in Canha for $26.5 million on a two-year contract to be a reliable defender and someone that could get on base. So far, he’s been that, although I argued recently that his averages will probably not stand for much longer.

But let’s give the organization credit for identifying a veteran with a good knowledge of the strike zone as someone who can contribute to the team. Canha is batting .333 and has a .397 on base percentage, both would be personal bests if the season ended now (it doesn’t).

Canha’s approach to the season has been working in troves has been consistently hitting the ball to all directions, beating special defensive positioning, and is putting the ball in play, making opposing defenders’ lives tougher and applying pressure.

What Canha has also done is lengthen an already deep lineup that already has a lot of players who can contribute in their own separate ways. He’s allowed guys that usually bat around him like Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, and Brandon Nimmo to get extra plate appearances, and some of those have proven to be fruitful and difference making in-game.

What also helps with the Canha signing is that it finally stabilized left field for the Mets, which was a revolving door after Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t stay on the field in 2018 and 2019. Many of the Mets’ ideas for everyday left fielder were players who just were never natural fits in the outfield, such as Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, and J.D. Davis, who are now primarily infielders when they play defense. So Canha’s presence solved two lingering problems immediately.

4. Mets free agent signing Eduardo Escobar

The Mets also have stability at third base with an everyday player such as Eduardo Escobar. The Mets had an issue getting runners in scoring position home last year and that’s what Escobar was signed to do when the two sides agreed to a two-year pact before the lockout.

Six of Escobar’s seven RBI’s this season have come with men in scoring position, and that’s how he was successful in 2019 (when he drove in 118 runs with the Diamondbacks) and in 2021 (90 runs driven in between the Diamondbacks and Brewers).

Like Canha, Escobar’s value has increased with a new sense of patience at the plate, as he has drawn 16 walks, which was tied for fourth in the National League when play began on Friday.

The Mets initially did not have a clear idea on where he would play, but he eventually found an everyday position at third base, and he has only committed one error in 39 total chances, making his .974 fielding percentage good for third among National League third basemen.

What should impress Mets fans most about Escobar has been his team leadership off the field. He gathered all the Mets’ prospects for a motivational speech in spring training to spread the culture Buck Showalter is trying to institute to the big league team, and turn it into an organizational culture of winning.

He and Francisco Lindor picked up the tab for reliever Yoan Lopez after he was fined for throwing at Nolan Arenado on April 27, which incited a benches clearing incident.

2. Mets trade acquisition Chris Bassitt

Look at Chris Bassitt’s numbers the past two years with the Oakland A’s (17-6, with a 2.90 ERA in 220.1 innings), the team that dealt him to New York in a blockbuster move in March. They are pretty darn good if you ask me. The Mets needed depth more than anything else in their starting rotation after Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, and that was exactly what they sought when checking in on Oakland’s fire sale after the lockout.

This trade that brought Bassitt to Queens and sent J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller out west became meaningful when deGrom went down with his shoulder issue before the season began, and Bassitt has stepped up and given the Mets quality innings. His numbers have gotten even better.

Bassitt currently sports a 2.61 ERA in five starts with the team with 34 strikeouts against eight walks, and an opponents’ batting average of just .193. He’s done his part in formulating a three-man punch atop the rotation with Max Scherzer and Tylor Megill.

He has been deceiving hitters all season with his large arsenal of pitches, with his breaking ball pitches seemingly difficult to hit against.

I’d bet that Bassitt is going to get a lot of money next year when he becomes a free agent, and he is reportedly open to a contract extension with the Mets, and the Mets should do their part to keep this dude around, because he is just that.

1. Mets free agent signing Max Scherzer

The Mets signing future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer was so important because this was one of the things that signaled a seismic shift in baseball operations the franchise has undertaken under Steve Cohen.

The Mets brought in the best free agent of the offseason, and his attitude, demeanor, and thirst for winning was exactly the type of energy that the franchise desperately needed. This was the moment where everyone began to take the Mets seriously as a perennial contender and it is more proof that Cohen values winning much more than the money (maybe he could teach the Cincinnati Reds a lesson).

The Mets made Scherzer the highest paid player this season with a salary of over $43 million this season, and Mad Max has provided results immediately. Scherzer is 4-0 in five starts, with a 2.61 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched.

Also, in the two starts he has made at Citi Field, there was a certain buzz and electricity going around the ballpark, particularly in his home debut, where a paid crowd of 27,490 sounded like 40,000 were in the stadium. That’s the type of excitement he brings as a three-time Cy Young Award winner.

Oh, and how about this moment earlier this week where he was ejected in a game he did not pitch for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. That shows he is willing to stand up on behalf of his teammates.

And that’s what makes Mets fans feel like their team is championship caliber.