The Mets were blanked by the Braves in a rain-shortened series opener on Friday night, and for Sal Licata, it was a confirmation of what he already knows: the Braves are better, and New York is worse than the 2022 version of themselves.
"The Mets have already done things that they hadn't done at all last season," Sal said. "The Mets didn't lose their first series last year until mid-May. The Mets lost their second series this year. The Mets didn't get swept in a series last year until September. The Mets got swept in their second series this year.
"It doesn't mean the Mets can't get into the postseason and go on a run, and I think they will get into the postseason…I just said I don't think they're on the same level as the Braves. I don't know how you can dispute that. If you're looking at this team and thinking it's the same as last year, you are sadly mistaken. They're not as good."
The Mets made big moves this past winter, but offensively, their lone play was re-signing Brandon Nimmo. On the rotation side, New York brought in Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, and Jose Quintana to replace, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker. Senga has shown plenty of promise with his trademark ghost fork, but has one of the highest walk rates in baseball, while Verlander and Quintana have yet to pitch this season.
"Not to mention, Edwin Diaz, losing him for the year," Sal added. "The best closer in baseball, gone. Out for the year.
"I don't believe the Mets are as good as they were a year ago, and there are facts to back that up. This isn't just an opinion."
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