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3 offseason Mets moves the rest of the NL East should be jealous of
Hey jealousy. The other teams in the NL East have it, too. And you can’t trust them not to think. And not to look around. And if you don’t expect much from the New York Mets, you might be let down.
The Mets had an amazing offseason, successfully replacing all of their free agents. The rest of the NL East did well, too, but a couple of the moves made by the Amazins should have fans of their biggest rivals wondering if they should have attacked a little more aggressively in making the additions instead.
These three specific deals should have the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves fans turning green.
1) NY Mets should make the Marlins fans jealous of the Brandon Nimmo deal
The Marlins will have Jazz Chisholm in center field this year. This sounds a bit preposterous. After an offseason of being able to address the position, they chose to move their starting second baseman somewhere new.
Chisholm is an up-and-coming future star whose 2022 season was derailed by injury. He hasn’t quite gotten to the level many believe he can reach. Nonetheless, it should scare Marlins fans to see the club playing a guy out of position. It feels like Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes together on the roster all over again.
Imagine if the Marlins had one of the best overall center fielders in the game like Brandon Nimmo. Take the contract out of the equation. They were never going to pay him to come to Miami. The talent, on the other hand, is at a different level than many players on the Miami roster. The Mets are counting on Nimmo for topnotch offense and defense this season and beyond. The Marlins shouldn’t feel too overconfident in their center field decision.
2) NY Mets should make the Phillies fans jealous of the Edwin Diaz contract extension
If there’s one thing the Phillies fans should envy about the Mets, it’s the new Edwin Diaz contract extension. The Phillies had one of the better offseasons around the league. They should, however, still have some doubts about the closer spot.
Philadelphia brought in Craig Kimbrel to possibly get a couple of saves. Homegrown reliever Seranthony Dominguez is the less experienced arm they’re hoping becomes anything close to Diaz one day. Gregory Soto is a fine fit for their bullpen and yet he is prone to implosions at times, too.
The Phillies don’t have any sure answers in the ninth inning. Occam’s razor could get Phillies manager Rob Thomson into some trouble. Having more choices sets a manager up for failure. Meanwhile, Buck Showalter only has one guy he would turn to when available. It’s Diaz on the priciest contract a relief pitcher has ever received.
Building trust with a closer is something that takes time. Diaz earned his with a dominating performance on the mound last season. He has come a long way from his disastrous 2019 campaign. The last three seasons have been excellent. The same cannot be said about anyone in the Phillies bullpen over the last few seasons.
Diaz, or anyone like him, would be a dream come true for the Phillies. He’s the ultimate security blanket for the final three outs. Too often, the Phillies have been lefty without a blankie, sucking their own thumbs as a late-game lead was blown.
3) NY Mets should make the Braves fans jealous of the Justin Verlander signing
The Braves, jealous of the Mets? How could that be? The team has won a whole lot of division titles over the last 30 years—coming away with only two actual championships. You’d think the Braves were the New York Yankees the way some fans seem to boast. There must be enough satisfaction in seeing your team lose in October. If you’re going to go out, mine as well ruin your Halloween.
There aren’t too many Mets moves for Braves fans to be too jealous of. The addition of Justin Verlander is one of them.
As superb as the Braves rotation is, they saw Ian Anderson collapse in 2022 after a strong showing in 2021. Max Fried looks like he’s bound to leave Atlanta sooner rather than later. Atlanta loves to sign extensions early, but once a player reaches a certain age, they prepare for life without them.
Mets fans can be envious of the young starting staff the Braves have. Together, they look great. Alone, they seem beatable.
Braves fans can deny their desire to have Verlander on the roster. References to his age or underwhelming playoff success will be the norm in 2023 as they try to defend how disinterested they’d be in having him on their roster. It’s a tactic of denial. Who wouldn’t want the reigning American League Cy Young winner in their rotation? On a short-term deal, it’s a risk worth taking. We can only hope it’s Verlander on the mound in October when the Braves see their team lose out again.
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