Mets Monday Morning GM: Same plan, new faces, great results

The 2022 New York Mets were built to win mostly because of their starting pitching. A business plan they didn’t even need help from Nathan Fielder to get, it was an easy formula that has worked out real well for the Mets.

Sure, it took some starting pitching depth to get through the season. Jacob deGrom has only just returned. Max Scherzer missed an extended period of time, too. But throughout the year, this ball club hasn’t strayed from the original mission.

There may be some new faces yet the results are exactly what was needed.

The Mets recipe for winning includes the same ingredients, different brands

The most impactful moves the Mets made at the trade deadline were upgrades to roles the team already had. Dominic Smith became Daniel Vogelbach. Travis Jankowski morphed into Tyler Naquin. Then finally, J.D. Davis transformed into Darin Ruf.

Somewhat lesser yet important additions who have so far played well in their limited time with the Mets, it shows us that Steve Cohen, Billy Eppler, and Sandy Alderson weren’t interested in trying to change the recipe. It was always about the team they built in the offseason. They’ve continued to put their faith in those core pieces while also looking to add players they believed could fit in well.

It’s a different strategy from past trade deadlines. They didn’t acquire a star player like Javier Baez this summer nor did they bring in another big personality like Marcus Stroman. The players the Mets did add are in the background. Mychal Givens included, the front office hasn’t swayed.

The players on the field get the credit for this. For the most part, they’ve performed at the level they needed to. In doing so, the front office has had the luxury of sticking with the plan only changing up the crew to sail them to the postseason.