For the New York Mets, the Future Has to Begin Now

There are still games to be played, but the 2017 season is all but over for the New York Mets. With an eye towards 2018, the Mets have called up their top two prospects and need to continue building towards the future.

With the New York Mets calling up top prospects Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith, they have clearly taken a turn towards the future. Although there will be some bumps and bruises along the way, ultimately the Mets have made the right decision.

In a season full of injuries, mainly to the pitching staff, and poor play from veterans, the bright spot is Rosario and Smith. Currently, the Mets stand at 55-71, good for 4th place in the NL East, with little-to-no chance of making the postseason.

The National League is clearly dominated by the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers right now, so the task at hand for Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson is to figure out what he can do to improve this team for the future. New York showed so much promise just two years ago by winning the National League East and cruising to the World Series only to fall short to the Kansas City Royals.

Although the starting rotation has been hit hard by the injury bug, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, and Steven Matz, when healthy, provide the firepower to put the franchise back in playoff contention. The key this offseason will be to figure out what value, if any, Matt Harvey holds and try to move on from him. With the injuries and the off-field issues, it’s time for both sides to break up amicably and do what’s best for each side.

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The Mets can try to get some prospects from a team that’s willing to take a chance on Harvey, who, when healthy, has a scorching 98 mph fastball, an incredible hard slider that hovers around 90 mph, and an unhittable changeup.

A change of scenery on a team with lesser expectations and less off-field activities than New York City may help revive Matt Harvey’s career.

Another key offseason decision will be really going all in on a youth movement. The Mets have already moved on from aging veterans like Curtis Granderson, Rene Rivera, and Neil Walker. They should try to do the same with Asdrubal Cabrera soon.

Fan favorite Jose Reyes is a tough decision because he could be retained for a cheap veteran deal that would keep him in New York where he loves to play and continue to help mentor Amed Rosario. Another option would be to have Reyes man second base for part of the season and keep a close eye on Triple-A prospect Gavin Cecchini until he shows he’s ready to be called up and take over second base for years to come alongside Rosario and Smith.

David Wright is too injury-prone and it may be wise for the Mets to start looking for a replacement. That replacement could very well be upcoming free agent Mike Moustakas, who is having a career year with a .281 batting average, 35 home runs, and 77 runs batted in. Granted, the Mets have invested a ton of money into David Wright, but the time to act is now.

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The lack of production since Wright’s absence is staggering and Moustakas could help provide a good glove and a big bat that is much-needed in the middle of the Amazins’ order to go along with Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto.

This offseason shall be an interesting one for the New York Mets. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the preview of the future from Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith.

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