The New York Mets brought in eight key players and lost 10, playing a large factor in ESPN's final offseason grade.
The New York Mets certainly took their time to make the bulk of their offseason moves, but once Christmas passed, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns went to work.
The Mets signed infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract in mid-January, setting off a domino effect. Next came the trade for Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. a few days later, followed by the trade for Milwaukee Brewers ace right-hander Freddy Peralta the next day.
Those weren’t the only additions that New York made. Among those players, the Mets also added infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco, second baseman Marcus Semien, right-handed relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver as well as utility pitcher Tobias Myers.
As long as the laundry list of key additions is, the key departures list is larger. New York lost star first baseman Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles, right-handed closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers, left fielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers, second baseman Jeff McNeil to the Athletics, right-handed starter Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee, outfielder Starling Marte to free agency, infielder Luisangel Acuna to Chicago, righty starter Griffin Canning to the San Diego Padres, right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek to the St. Louis Cardinals and submarine righty reliever Tyler Rogers to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mets got rid of several fan favorites but believe they improved their roster by revamping the pitching staff and tightening up the defense. Stearns referred to this as run prevention, and on paper, New York accomplished the goal they set out to accomplish heading into the offseason.
ESPN’s David Schoenfield gave the Mets a B+ grade for the offseason, as though the massive overhaul is impressive and brought in great players, there is some risk involved with the bullpen acquisitions.
“Will it all add up to a better Mets team? I believe so, although there is some risk here, particularly in the bullpen, where Williams and Weaver didn't exactly lock down the late innings last year for the Yankees,” Schoenfield wrote Wednesday. “Still, this Mets team will score plenty of runs while being more athletic and better on defense -- much more of a David Stearns-type team.”
The Mets are relying on Bichette being able to play third base and Polanco playing first base. Both players will not be at their natural positions, and it already appears that Bichette is having trouble fielding early in spring training. This is definitely something to keep an eye on. Polanco will probably be OK at first with enough practice, and I expect him to pick the ball well when he gets those opportunities.
The offense will have a great contact rate but could struggle to generate runs via the long ball.