Our first guest post from Frankie Paulino worked out so well (he correctly predicted that Michael Conforto would be drafted by the Mets … sort of), he wanted to try it again four months later. (I should pay him by the hour.) So here is his preliminary preliminary outlook on 2015:
As the final series of the year has ended, the Mets are entering a pivotal off-season that will determine whether or not they will make that next step in the Sandy Alderson/Terry Collins regime. First order of business was to extend Alderson for 3 more years through 2017, an announcement that came swiftly after the final game of the season. This was followed by the surgeries to d’Arnaud and Mejia respectively and more recently the re-assignment of hitting coach Lamar Johnson and assistant hitting coach Luis Natera. Justified as the Mets didn’t totally underperform but sat in the middle of the order in runs per game and batting average. With all of these moves it’s refreshing to feel this sense of urgency from the front office even though no dramatic change in payroll is expected. Alderson recently admitted that to compete next season would be difficult to do from within.
When looking ahead the most glaring holes on the team are in left field and at shortstop, positions that had no stability all season. With that being said the outfield free agents this upcoming winter (with the exception of Nelson Cruz) don’t exactly jump out at you either. Cuddyer seems to be the odds on favorite, former batting champion (2013) and childhood friend of David Wright’s – makes all the sense in the world. Nick Markakis is also worth serious consideration. Looking at the free agent shortstop options there’s not much there either. Hanley leads the way as far as pure talent is concerned, although he’s only a shell of his former self. With his range and arm diminished and being on the wrong side of thirty he’s not a logical solution for the Mets. The other stand out would have been Gold Glover J.J. Hardy, a guy who could have stabilized the left side of the infield with David Wright, but alas Baltimore broke hearts at the announcement of his 3-year contract extension.
With that being said, the trade market appears to have a little more fluidity this year than in recent memory. With the stash of good, young pitching the Mets have they will more than likely be involved in plenty of trade rumors through next July. Not to put any added pressure but 2015 should be is the most important season for Collins as it should be the tipping point to a winning season where the thought of contention isn’t be too farfetched, very similar to the 85-win 2013 Royals who are now competing for a world championship. If this series is any proof all you need to do is get in and anything can happen. No one except baseball guru supreme Jon Heyman pegged Kansas City to make it this far and participate in the worst World Series ever – but hey they’ll take that moniker as long as it comes with a pennant. This is what the Mets need to do – just get in. That will start with the maturity of a young bullpen, consistency from the rotation and an offense that (up to this point) will have to come mostly from Duda and Murph – dimension changes aside they’re going to need some help. It could be from via trade or from within but the bottom line is they’re going to need some gamers.
(Editor’s note, Frankie sent this to me on October 23rd. It’s me that’s just getting around to presenting this to you now. I’m lazy, slow, and injured. And I’m also crying because of the distinct possibility that Michael Cuddyer is going to be in left field in 2015. I need more painkillers.)
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