The Mets have made some bold moves this winter. They started by hiring fledgling GM Brodie Van Wagenen, who dove into his new digs and retooled the roster. They added Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, Wilson Ramos, Edwin Diaz, and brought back Jeurys Familia.
They also addressed some depth issues by bringing in reliever Justin Wilson, outfielder Keon Broxton and infielder J.D. Davis.
A Feb 18 article from CBSSports.com declared the Mets had the second-best offseason in MLB. (This was before Philadelphia signed Bryce Harper, of course, which helped the Phillies leapfrog the Mets.) The Mets were prudent yet aggressive, arching a few eyebrows across Gotham. Oddsmakers have taken fair notice of the club's hot stove prowess. According to VegasInsider.com, the Mets are 20-1 to win the World Series, and their odds of making the playoffs are 3-to-1. Their over/under win total has peaked at 85.5 games.
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Vegas has the Nationals (88.5) and Phillies (89.5) winning more games. And those teams are 5-to-2 and 21-to-10, respectively, to win the division. The Braves are in the Mets' betting orbit (also 3-to-1 to win the NL East). But there's no clear pole position for the division, nor is there a titan team - like the Astros, Red Sox, or Yankees - slated to win up to triple-digit games this summer.
It makes you wonder if this puts the burden on Van Wagenen, who has never run an MLB club, or saddles sophomore manager Mickey Callaway with weighty expectations.
We've all had our fun with the Mets' manager. "Boomer & Gio" have satirized his goofy laugh. We all watched while Callaway sermonized a bit too much about loving his players. His maiden run managing the club didn't remind you of Billy Martin. But to hold the manager responsible for the lack of depth, big-league bats and laughable number of mangled limbs would be wholly unfair. Everyone seemed to suffer some form of malady except for that anomaly named Jacob deGrom.
Now the Mets are not only deeper, but they're looking healthier (for now). DeGrom is coming off perhaps the best season in a century, the runaway Cy Young winner with just ten wins. If Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler can pitch to their potential, the Mets will be formidable.
And it means that Callaway may get a mulligan for 2018, but he will be held to account in 2019. They are allowed - if not expected - to win more than 86 games, even if the Phillies spent like Kanye West this winter. Super teams, like the one Philadelphia is cobbling together, rarely work outside of the NBA. A good baseball club starts with homegrown studs - the Yankees have a gaggle of great young players - and seasons the club with seasoned players.
The Mets are not a juggernaut. We don't know how long their rotation (outside of deGrom) will keep their arms intact. We need to see their bullpen in meaningful games. It would be helpful if Yoenis Cespedes - who has played an average of 83.6 games in his three full seasons with the Mets - didn't park at the trainer's table 60 times this year. And we need to see if Cano is still great this late without PEDs.
We need to know if Syndergaard - who is arguably as talented as deGrom - can pitch in as many games as the Mets' ace. We need to see Matz and Wheeler (who's had a strong spring in Florida) flash the brilliance that made Mets fans so giddy when the two pitchers first landed on the mound.
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There are variables, but the Mets have talent. And now that Van Wagenen has lifted the fan base into a fair sense of excitement, it's time for Callaway to do his job. We better not hear about the manager not knowing the rules, or botching the bullpen, or have another lost day in Cincinnati where his club batted out of order (in the first inning!).
Callaway came here as a pitching guru. And pitching is what the Mets have. So he is on the clock starting March 28 in Washington, D.C. So hopefully the weirdest news as we inch toward opening day is the revelation that Peter Alonso turned into Pete Alonso.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @JasonKeidel
