Mets Monday Morning GM: A little bit of history repeated with latest shopping frenzy

There are two periods of New York Mets baseball under Steve Cohen when the gloves came off. Last November, prior to the lockout, the Mets added three position players in one day then went ahead and added an ace not long after.

This year, the Mets did something similar. The only difference was the ace joined the ball club first followed by three more players. Each period had fans excited for what’s next for this ball club.

Both the 2021 shopping spree and the 2022 spending frenzy have a lot in common. We can even assign some roles and match up players from last year to this one.

NY Mets were spurned by Steven Matz in 2021, they lost Jacob deGrom in 2022

A major trigger of both events was the loss of a starting pitcher. Steven Matz was close to returning to the Mets then ended up signing with the St. Louis Cardinals. Jacob deGrom might not have been quite as near to rejoining the Mets. The role of these two from one year to the next match up perfectly with a vengeful Cohen going out and approving moves soon after.

NY Mets changed history with Max Scherzer, added further with Justin Verlander

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are old teammates who ended up replacing the Matz and then deGrom in consecutive years. Each is in a rare class of MLB pitchers. Both agreed to massive short-term deals. That’s not déjà vu you’re experiencing. The Mets really are repeating history.

NY Mets secured Starling Marte for multiple years, they did the same with Brandon Nimmo

Starling Marte signed with the Mets and many of us thought he’d be the starting center fielder. Brandon Nimmo, his free agent equivalent this offseason, ended up keeping the job instead. We can all agree both contracts will probably feel burdensome near the end even with Marte signed for half as many years. Nevertheless, each was a necessary and strong move.

NY Mets added Mark Canha for lineup depth, Jose Quintana gives them the same in the rotation

Mark Canha was one of the three starting position players the Mets added to last year’s roster. A bit lost in the lineup, Jose Quintana represents something similar in 2023. Canha has already contributed in big ways for the Mets. We’re hopeful Quintana does the same as a non-start yet important member of the ball club.

NY Mets signed Eduardo Escobar after a productive year, they did the same with David Robertson

These comparisons have gotten less similar as we’ve gone on, but you can see where I’m going with this. Eduardo Escobar was the biggest disappointment of the major free agent signings by the Amazins last year. Will David Robertson do the same for them in 2023? Robertson is also coming off of an impressive campaign. While Escobar looks to keep his starting gig at third base, Robertson will try to make the most of his single season in Flushing.

I'll also mention Kodai Senga who doesn't have a close equivalent to last year. His deal came after the shopping spree was over anyway. He's the product we forgot to pick up from the store.