3 signs the NY Mets are punting in 2024, 2 signs they aren't

1 of 5

The 2023 season did not play out the way any New York Mets fan envisioned. The team entered the season expecting to compete for the NL East and hopefully win the World Series. A June collapse forced the Mets into being sellers at the trade deadline, and might have changed the direction of the franchise. Instead of being a win-now team, the Mets are a franchise in limbo.

It's been a very slow offseason in Flushing while other big market teams have been extremely active. The Dodgers got Shohei Ohtani and appear to be nowhere close to stopping. The Yankees got Juan Soto. The Phillies re-signed Aaron Nola. Even small market teams like the Diamondbacks have been active as they traded for Eugenio Suarez and signed Eduardo Rodriguez.

The biggest move the Mets have made thus far is signing Luis Severino. Yes, the same Severino who had an ERA approaching 7.00 last season. There's still plenty of time left in the offseason and several big names available both in free agency and on the trade market. Still, it's hard not to think about the Mets potentially punting in 2024 and playing for 2025 and beyond.

The NY Mets are punting in 2024 because they don't appear to be interested in any big-name player not named Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The top priority for this Mets team seems to be Yoshinobu Yamamoto and for good reason. He looks like a frontline starter who'd fill a major need for this Mets team and is just 25 years old. There's a reason half the league is in on this guy. The problem is Yamamoto is the only guy the Mets seem to be connected to.

Even if the Mets land Yamamoto, they're still not a team many would pick to make the postseason. They'd still need to find another starter to add to the rotation. They'd need several relievers. They'd need at least one or two hitters.

It's possible the Mets pivot to another big-name starting pitcher if Yamamoto does sign elsewhere like Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, but the Mets have not been connected much, if at all, with either starting pitcher.

This Yamamoto or bust attitude makes sense, but also shows that the Mets aren't quite focused on winning in 2024.

The NY Mets are not punting on 2024 because they seem to be unwilling to trade their players on expiring deals

The Mets have made is known that they're willing to listen on Pete Alonso trades, but are not the ones making the calls and are fully expect their slugger to be their first baseman on Opening Day.

If the Mets were truly not planning on competing in 2024, they could easily trade Alonso for a monster haul right now. Sure, they could get a ton at the deadline too, but they'd get more for a player with a full year of control instead of just a couple of months, and are also risking an injury. Alonso has been durable, but did miss some time last season after getting hit by a pitch. Freak injuries happen all the time.

You can make the argument that the Mets holding onto Alonso is a play for the future as if they traded him now, they'd probably have no shot at re-signing him. While that's true, he's not the only expiring contract they have. Jose Quintana is an established mid-rotation arm that would make so many teams better. Brooks Raley is a late-game left-handed reliever who can help out any bullpen.

The Mets holding onto these guys suggests they're not punting. They might not be aggressively trying to win, but punting is different.

The NY Mets are punting in 2024 because they have only signed reclamation projects

Yes, the offseason is still young, but the Mets so far have not acted like a team interested in competing. Every move they made has been bringing on a reclamation project of some sort on a one-year deal.

Luis Severino, the biggest acquisition of the offseason thus far, was horrific in 2023, decimating his value to the point where he got just a one-year prove-it deal with the Mets. It's possible Severino will be good and durable for the Mets, but it's a clear risk they're taking here. They hope he can show signs of being the pitcher he once was, but it's hard to rely on him to be both healthy and productive.

The biggest addition the Mets have made in regards to their bullpen is Jorge Lopez, a pitcher who was elite in the first half of 2022 but has been atrocious since. This past season, he had a combined ERA of 5.95 while making appearances for three different teams. This is a fine gamble to take on Lopez who has good stuff and has been good in the past, but he's far from a sure thing.

Austin Adams was an effective reliever in 2019 and 2021, but made just two appearances in 2022 and struggled mightily in his 24 outings in 2023. Sure, he can be good, but it's another risk. The Mets spent tons of money last offseason on guys like David Robertson, Adam Ottavino, Edwin Diaz, and Brooks Raley. This offseason, their most expensive relief addition has been Lopez so far. I expect them to do more, but the way things have gone it's hard to see them being in on any of the big-name relievers.

The NY Mets are not punting on 2024 because they've shown a willingness to be in on one of the most expensive free agents

The Mets simply being in on Yamamoto can be a sign that they're not punting. Yes, it does look like it's Yamamoto or bust right now, but teams don't consider spending around or even over the $300 million Yamamoto is going to get only to then do nothing.

If they get Yamamoto, the Mets will presumably be ultra-aggressive as they try and improve the ballclub. A lot of work has to be done, hopefully David Stearns is up to the task.

If they don't get him, it's hard to know what'll happen because the Mets haven't really been connected to anybody else. Still, it's hard to expect the Mets to put up roughly $300 million in a Yamamoto bid and then just put the money in their pockets if they miss out on him.

The Mets are going to improve the roster. How far they intend to go when it comes to improvements remains to be seen, but some sort of moves will be made. It'd be shocking if they sat on their hands if they missed out on Yamamoto.

The NY Mets are punting on 2024 because they appear to be committed to playing the young guys regularly

Playing young prospects consistently is not a bad thing for certain teams. The way these prospects improve is by getting as many reps as possible. For the Mets, however, it's a sign they're not quite playing for 2024.

New York gave several of their top prospects chances to perform in 2023, but they mostly underwhelmed. Francisco Alvarez had a great rookie year, but he had his ups and downs. Brett Baty got a chance to play everyday for months at third and he was so bad to the point where he was sent down. Mark Vientos performed well down the stretch, but his .620 OPS was far from inspiring for a player who looks like a DH. Ronny Mauricio got off to a hot start before cooling down as the league adjusted to him.

The way things are looking right now, it looks like Baty is going to be the everyday third baseman. This isn't a bad thing as the Mets are giving their former top prospect another chance to prove himself, but it doesn't show that they're trying to win in 2024. Mauricio was going to play just about everyday as well before he got hurt. Vientos could get plenty of at-bats at DH and as Baty's back-up.

Relying on Alvarez to start makes sense, obviously, but giving some of the other youngsters who did not look like they belonged chances to play just about everyday doesn't inspire much hope when it comes to winning baseball games. It lets us know who can be part of the future plans, but when it comes to 2024, the Mets might be taking a year off from trying to be true contenders.

manual

Home / New York Mets News