With our local NFL teams already in deep-freeze storage for the winter, it helps that the Big Apple is one of America's last, true baseball towns.
So with the Jets and Giants in early hibernation, the hot stove league is here to warm our baseball hands. And while Big Blue and Gang Green grapple for headlines, they rarely pine for the same players. Fortunately, this hot stove season has the Mets and Yanks setting their sights on several of the same players.
Despite their disturbingly early exit from the playoffs, the Yankees are still a dangerous team that is sure to contend next year. They also have the prospects and paychecks to lure almost any player to the Bronx. But it's neither new nor compelling to watch the Bronx Bombers buy, sell, or trade for a few players that they want, but don't desperately need.
The Mets, on the other hand, need to make a splash this offseason. They still have good, young core players in their lineup. But if they truly care to contend, they need to add pitching to their starting staff and their bullpen. And with all the bold ink given to the bold purchase of the team by the bold hedge-fund guru, Steve Cohen, the Mets have a chance to cash in on their momentum and temporary place as the most interesting MLB club in NYC.
No one will be shocked if the Yanks moonwalk to 97 wins next year. But if the Mets can ride the Cohen wave and keep signing key players, they will battle for back-page supremacy beyond spring training. The first shot fired was by Marcus Stroman. The right hander who seemed to quit on the Mets last year was so giddy about Cohen's arrival he signed the club's qualifying offer, narrated by a glowing tweet about Cohen, clearly touched by his mojo, gushing over what an honor it will be to pitch for the new owner. With Stroman in the fold, Noah Syndergaard recovered from Tommy John surgery, and the best pitcher on earth, Jacob deGrom, leading the rotation, the Mets would be instantly more formidable. And downright dangerous with one more starter.
Enter Trevor Bauer, the mercurial pitcher who just steamrolled the NL while bagging the Cy Young with the Reds. Sure, Bauer has a temper, and you don't know if he will hand the manager the ball or hurl it over the center field wall. But he's pitching his best in his prime (age 29), and just led the NL with a 1.73 ERA, a microscopic WHIP (0.795), and hits per nine innings (5.1). He also posted a career-best 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He loves to talk smack and would not be burned by the bright lights of Broadway. Adding Bauer to the Mets rotation would make them instant contenders.
They could also go after Milwaukee's fireballing reliever, Josh Hader, though it would take a trade. Still, the Mets can't trust Edwin Diaz despite his marked improvement over his awful maiden season with the Mets. Plus, the Mets' bullpen ranked 18th in MLB with a 4.60 ERA and seven blown saves in 18 chances.
There is one part of the Mets business model Cohen can overhaul instantly - payroll. For too long, the Mets played in NYC but spent like they played in OKC. While some have said the Wilpons weren't afraid to spend money, history suggests they were. The Mets haven't reached the top 10 in MLB payrolls over a 162-game season since 2011. And for many years they kept the vault buried below the subway system. In 2013, they were 23rd in payroll. In 2014, they were 22nd. In 2015, they were 21st. In 2016, they were 19th.
So maybe the Mets drop a line in the water for DJ LeMahieu, or George Springer. Both are over 30, but both are also killing it on the field. LeMahieu just won a batting title and would fill the void left by the suspended Robinson Cano, who has given the Mets an extra $24 million in the budget. Springer, on the other hand, is a playoff-slugging machine, with 19 October homers. It would be nice to steal LeMahieu from the Yankees, and adding Springer - a three-time All-Star - brings another big bat to a lineup anchored by Pete Alonso.
Securing two fine players to mid-range deals sounds better than overpaying for one. Word is JT Realmuto, the apple of many MLB eyes, will ask for $200 million. He turns 30 before next season, has hit .300 only once, and has swatted at least 20 homers just twice. Yet the media and masses are acting like Johnny Bench just hit the market. If Cohen is smart, he should find a way to get Bauer, LeMahieu and Springer, and let Yankees, long sick of Gary Sanchez, overpay for Realmuto.
WIth just three moves, the Mets would improve the three pillars of any ball club —lineup, rotation and bullpen. And it would only take a slight flex of Cohen's bankroll, estimated by Forbes to be around $14 billion. It won't remold a .500 team into World Series champions. There's no magic or monetary wand that fixes an entire team with one wave. But with a few splashes, the Mets can return to prominence and their place a few fly balls from the kings of baseball, settling for now as princes of Gotham baseball, courtesy of a new wizard from Wall Street.
Twitter: @JasonKeidel
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