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4 Mets redemption stories we should all root to see take place this year
From Bob Marley’s Redemption Song to Lloyd Christmas totally redeeming himself by trading the van for a minibike or whatever that contraption was, tales of redemption are always fun to watch. This year, the New York Mets have a couple waiting for them to occur.
On different scales, it’s these four Mets redemption stories I’ve picked as the best ones we should all sign up to see.
1) NY Mets redemption story: Carlos Beltran making a front office impact
Carlos Beltran is back with the Mets as the Assistant General Manager. While his impact on the franchise may not be felt directly or even this year, his return to the organization is huge.
The last time we saw Beltran with the Mets was in early 2020. He was going to manage the team until whispers of the Houston Astros cheating in 2017 grew louder. Beltran was an alleged mastermind of the controversy. The Mets fired him before he ever got to manage a single game.
It looked like Beltran would never work for the Mets again. Time healed these wounds. After working for the New York Yankees last year, he has come back to the Mets where he’ll take on a different yet still important role.
Beltran’s return to the Mets is the start of a huge hero arc. We saw him punished earlier this year on the Hall of Fame ballot. A guy with all the makings of a future resident of Cooperstown, the only reason to not vote for him is to give him a “tisk, tisk” for his involvement with the Astros and their cheating a few years ago.
The longest redemption story on this list, it’s one every Mets fan is unified in hoping to see come true.
2) NY Mets redemption story: Darin Ruf actually does something good
From one Mets legend to another, we land on the redemption story of Darin Ruf. It feels like an oxymoron after last year’s performance. But if Ruf can give the Mets anything at all this season, good luck finding someone who isn’t happy to see it happen.
Ruf has yet to completely earn his Opening Day roster spot. A DFA candidate for sure, the Mets have guys like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos as obvious replacements ready to help send him elsewhere.
Injuries or some good faith from management could lead to Ruf staying with the team into the start of the year. He was already held out of early action with one of his own. It’s the first bump in the road toward the redemption story very few believe will take place.
One other way Ruf could contribute to the Mets would be to get traded. Bashing some baseballs in the spring could make him tempting enough for another club to send a low-level prospect or some cash to Queens. Imagine if that prospect turns out to be something. What if the cash helps buy a free agent pinch runner?
I’m far from sold that we’ll see any sort of redemption from Ruf. Lucky for him, all it will take is a single home run. It’s hard to believe no one has ever seen him trot around the bases after a home run during a regular season game while wearing a Mets uniform.
3) NY Mets redemption story: Joey Lucchesi arrives and is a multi-inning force in the bullpen
Do you know who is most sick of hearing about Endy Rodriguez? It’s Joey Lucchesi. The guy the Mets acquired from the San Diego Padres in the three-team deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Lucchesi has a nice shot at becoming a feel-good story in 2023.
Back from Tommy John Surgery, Lucchesi’s best contribution could end up as a lefty reliever and occasional long-man out of the bullpen. He may even get a shot to start although I think most Mets fans would prefer Tylor Megill or David Peterson as much as possible. Lucchesi can handle the starts in more of an opener role with three innings to help get the Mets through the first third of any game.
When Lucchesi first came to the Mets in 2021 there was a thought he could eventually slot into the back of the rotation. The same feelings have gone down the drain in recent years. Missing the entire 2022 season will do that for a guy.
Rodriguez can become the next Pirates superstar they end up having to trade six years into his career for all we care. Lucchesi’s redemption story, if it leads to the Mets winning the 2023 World Series, will be worth it. Steve Cohen can just go out and buy Rodriguez when he becomes a free agent.
4) NY Mets redemption story: Max Scherzer goes on a dominant playoff run
Max Scherzer has some redeeming to do. His poor postseason start against the Padres should have us all hoping it was nothing more than a glitch in the matrix. He wins that game and the whole series changes with Jacob deGrom taking the victory the very next day.
Scherzer was brilliant throughout the 2022 regular season. The only thing he was missing was health. Scherzer made just 23 starts for the Mets but the 11-5, 2.29 ERA performance was exactly what they needed. Despite all of the missed time, he came close to matching the number of innings Taijuan Walker (157.1) and Carlos Carrasco (152) offered the club in 29 starts each.
For those who chose to forget, Scherzer got rocked for 7 earned runs in only 4.2 innings of work in his lone postseason start. The Mets never stood a chance in the 7-1 loss. Yu Darvish was masterful. The first inning two-run home run from Josh Bell immediately put New York in a hole they could never recover from.
There is only one way for the Scherzer redemption arc to end. A hot run through a couple of weeks in October culminating in an “all hands on deck” finale in the World Series with the Mets coming away winners is the conclusion.
Next. Mets third base plans after the Manny Machado extension. dark