The New York Mets have gone through this offseason with goals of improving the pitching staff and defense after a devastating collapse down the stretch of the second half.
That has become such a priority for president of baseball operations/general manager David Stearns that the club didn’t want to re-sign slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who is considered a below-average defender, despite his offensive impact.
How was Alonso replaced? By signing a middle infielder to play a position he has only played for one inning in his Major League Baseball career. Jorge Polanco is a great player and solid defensively, however, this move is a head-scratcher.
That isn’t the only interesting move the team has made thus far. New York also let star closer Edwin Diaz walk and wasn’t interested in matching what the Los Angeles Dodgers signed him for, albeit a record-breaking reliever deal. The Mets chose New York Yankees relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver instead; Weaver had a decent season, while Williams had his worst.
MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince listed the Mets as a team that has been busy while raising eyebrows at the same time.
“Speaking of teams seemingly leery of long-term commitments, you have the [New York] Mets. Now, obviously, they’ve made long-term commitments in the recent past, including, notably, the BIGGEST PACT OF ALL-TIME with Juan Soto.
“But this winter, they weren’t willing to go beyond three years with Pete Alonso and got slightly outbid by the Dodgers for Edwin Díaz,” Castrovince wrote Wednesday. “The deals with Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver were all three years or fewer. So, there is some bit of David Stearns’ Milwaukee mentality seeping in here. While the Mets will go all-in on generational talents, they’re clearly trying to not be too top-heavy long-term.
“Trading for a short-term solution like Freddy Peralta would sure qualify within those parameters and address their starting need. But with the Mets linked to Cody Bellinger, could we still see them do one of those mega-deals we had become accustomed to in Queens?”
While the Mets have done exactly what they set out to do, improve their pitching staff and defense, the offense is in a much worse position than it was. If you remember correctly, the offense went cold last year during the most important stretch of the season even with Alonso in the lineup.
Signing outfielder Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker would help fill Alonso’s void in the middle of the order and solidify themselves as contenders in the National League once again.