Stars depart, leaving Mets questioning their future. Passan describes the team's moves as a "bloodletting," sparking concern for their playoff hopes.
The New York Mets saw Edwin Diaz sign a three-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, they watched Pete Alonso leave Queens and agree to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
Suddenly, the Mets are wondering what's next, and they had also traded fan favorite Brandon Nimmo earlier in the offseason.
With the Winter Meetings over, Jeff Passan of ESPN had the Mets in his category of teams that had everyone scratching their heads.
And, Passan didn't mince his words about the Mets' moves as of late.
"What the New York Mets did over a 24-hour period to end the meetings -- miss out on slugger Schwarber, lose closer Díaz to the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers and lose Alonso, their franchise home run leader, to the Orioles -- felt like a bloodletting," Passan said.
Right now, it's a stunning turn of events for the Mets, and something needs to happen quickly.
"Collapses like the Mets' have consequences, and president of baseball operations David Stearns is reshaping them to his liking. Defensive liabilities are a no-no. Record-setting deals for relief pitchers are verboten. How the Mets proceed is anyone's guess, but let's not forget: Steve Cohen is still the richest owner in baseball, and that opens a world of possibilities. But if this period of inaction isn't remedied through decisive moves -- an influx of talent either through free agency or trades -- the Mets' playoff hopes will end before they've begun."
Entering the offseason, the Mets were expected to be in on several big names, and bringing back Diaz and Alonso was always thought of as a realistic option.
They did bring in reliever Devin Williams, but paying Diaz just a bit more money probably would've been a smarter move over all.
Right now, there are more questions than answers for the Mets, and it will be interesting to see how the front office responds.