2 Mets offseason decisions that will pay off, 1 that will backfire

We know the New York Mets probably won’t win 101 games again. This doesn’t mean they can’t be a better team even if the record says differently. Championship rosters are built over 365 days. The offseason is a time to make some of the biggest changes all at once.

Fans are mostly happy with what the team has done this winter, as they should be. The Mets look good. At least two of their offseason decisions look like they will have a payoff. Unfortunately, it’s easy to see how another will backfire.

NY Mets offseason decision that will payoff: Loading up on starting pitcher depth

Rather than turn to Tylor Megill or David Peterson for one of the starting rotation spots, the Mets went out and replaced all three of their key pitching free agents. Justin Verlander replaces Jacob deGrom. In whatever way you want to match them up, Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga replace Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker.

There is a case to say the Mets rotation isn’t quite as good as it would have been at the start of last season with a healthy deGrom. Senga has some questions about durability. Quintana, before last year, had been sputtering in the major leagues. Eventually, Verlander is going to slow down.

Nevertheless, we should give props to the Mets front office for not settling for less. The ability to stash Megill and Peterson in the bullpen or minor leagues is valuable for a 162-game season. It takes more than five starters to get through a year. The Mets should be fine in this department.

It all began by picking up on the option on Carlos Carrasco. Yet another Mets pitcher whose performance in 2023 can vary greatly, at least the team has options.