The Mets have been one of the busiest teams in baseball this offseason, making one of the biggest free agent splashes by signing Max Scherzer to a record contract in addition to signing Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha.
Of course, they also just introduced their new manager in Buck Showalter this week, as New York tries to take another step towards becoming a contender in the National League.
For that to happen, some other narratives need to unfold in the Mets’ favor, so let’s look at what fans should be wishing for this holiday season:
Return of superstar Francisco Lindor
Lindor was the big offseason acquisition of Steve Cohen’s first offseason as the team owner, and backed that move up with a $341 million contract extension for the four-time All-Star. But Lindor’s first season in New York was hardly what fans had hoped to see, as the shortstop hit a career-low .230 with a .734 OPS, battling an oblique injury along the way. Lindor heard boos in what was a continuation of another down year in 2020, when he hit .258 with a .750 OPS.
Lindor has five years of star-level performance before 2020, and at just 28 years old, he should be in the prime of his career. He showed flashes of his star power at times last season, and the Mets would love to see that over the course of a full season to justify that massive contract.
Healthy Jacob deGrom
The Mets committed record money to Scherzer, but deGrom is still the ace and the best pitcher in baseball. He just needs to be on the mound to wow the baseball world with his historic talent, and that was a challenge last season.
DeGrom pitched 92 innings last season and posted a ridiculous 1.08 ERA, striking out 146 batters along the way. He seemed on his way to a third Cy Young and a third straight year of leading the league in strikeouts, but instead, various minor injuries preceded a forearm injury that ended his season at the All-Star break, contributing to the team’s freefall in the second half of the season.
The tandem of Scherzer and a healthy deGrom would certainly be the best one-two punch in baseball, and it would be an absolute crime if health interfered with being able to enjoy that kind of brilliance on back-to-back nights in 2022.
Add to the starting rotation
The top of the Mets rotation is flat-out ridiculous with Scherzer and deGrom leading the way, but the rotation could use some depth, especially after Marcus Stroman signed with the Cubs just before the lockout.
Rich Hill also signed with another team, leaving New York with Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco and David Peterson as the likely internal candidates to fill out the rotation. But Walker fell off a cliff after an All-Star selection in 2021, posting a 7.13 ERA over the second half of the season, and Carrasco battled injury all year and is now 34 years old. There are a lot of question marks in the back end of the rotation, and there are some options still on the board, like Carlos Rodon, Yusei Kikuchi or Zack Greinke. Hey, even free agent Matt Harvey is an option (just kidding).
Adding the DH in the National League
Yes, I know this would likely mean less at-bats for deGrom, who is a delight to watch at the plate, but adding a DH could greatly help this Mets team in 2022. Robinson Cano is once again eligible after serving his season-long suspension, and at 39 years old, could benefit from some half days off during the grind of a 162-game season.
Don’t forget, Cano batted .316 with an .896 OPS over 49 games in 2020, and could still give the Mets a valuable bat if his health his preserved. Even beyond Cano, Dominic Smith could be a strong DH option, as could J.D. Davis, especially with Escobar likely taking the bulk of third base duties. The Mets could boast their depth if the DH was an option, not to mention it could also preserve the health of a deGrom, who said a shoulder issue that flared up last season was a result of taking a swing. So a DH would benefit New York on multiple levels.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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