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New York Mets Receive High Mark For Offseason Grade

By Kenneth Teape

May 27, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson talks to the media before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson talks to the media before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Mets received strong marks for their offseason, as Jim Bowden at ESPN gave them one of the better grades in the MLB.

The New York Mets made a surprise run to the World Series in 2015, winning the National League East in the process. The Mets were not expected yet to be contenders, but their window was jarred open behind a dominant starting rotation that boosts four dominant, young starting pitchers in Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. A fifth will be coming in July as well, as Zack Wheeler will be returning from Tommy John surgery.

With expectations now quickly rising, the Mets needed to have a strong offseason to help ensure they would be in position to contend once again. In a division with the Washington Nationals, who have a massive chip on their shoulder, nothing is guaranteed for the Mets.

The Mets came into the offseason with a couple of areas in need of improvement, knowing they couldn’t get complacent because of their success last season. The offseason was slow at times for the Mets, but they certainly got stronger as it went on and ended it with a bang.

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They first addressed their middle infield, trading away Jon Niese to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Neil Walker. Walker will step right into the hole left by Daniel Murphy at second base, who signed with the rival Nationals. He will have a new double play partner in Asdrubal Cabrera, whom the Mets signed two days after agreeing to the Walker trade.

The Mets then got working on their pitching rotation. They re-signed Bartolo Colon, who will fill a role in the starting rotation until Wheeler is healthy enough to return. Once he does, he can slide into the bullpen, where he showed he is capable of pitching well during the postseason last year. The Mets also retained left-handed specialist Jerry Blevins, who broke his forearm twice last season and was someone the Mets were never able to replace.

Another area the Mets needed to address was finding a platoon partner for Juan Lagares. They were able to do that with Alejandro De Aza, as he would split time with Lagares in center field. They also added another arm to their bullpen, adding lefty Antonio Bastardo. He will give them another option against lefties and for late game situations they didn’t have at all times last season.

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Despite adding some depth in needed areas, the Mets offseason would be categorized as rather tame to that point. They were not able to add many impact players, but they certainly ended the offseason with a bang when they agreed to a contract to bring back outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespdes was a huge reason that the Mets made the postseason run that they did last season, and losing him would have been tough to recover from. The early reports from the offseason was that Cespedes had no chance of returning to the Mets, but they opened up their check book to bring back the powerful outfielder.

The Cespedes signing made the Mets offseason a successful one, giving them one of the better ones overall. They received a high grade from ESPN Senior Writer Jim Bowden, as he gave the Mets’ offseason an A-.

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That is a worthy grade for the Mets, who did everything they needed to cement their status as a contender in the National League. They have an excellent chance of repeating as NL East Champs, and challenging for the pennant and World Series once again.

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