Let’s attempt to meet the 2023 Mets, shall we? Well, it may look like a whole new team.
Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Edwin Diaz, Chris Bassitt, Trevor May, Taijuan Walker, Brandon Nimmo, Tyler Naquin, Mychal Givens, Adam Ottovino, Seth Lugo, Tommy Hunter, and Trevor Williams are the 13 biggest players testing the markets.
Those players’ names are the entire rotation (except Max Scherzer), majority of the bullpen, starting outfielder, and half of the bench.
How will the Mets regroup after winning more than 100 games for the first time since 1988? As of today, the Mets have $195 million committed in payroll in 2023, according to Baseball Reference.
Let’s take a look at the main free agents this offseason for the Mets:
Jacob deGrom
The word is out that Jacob deGrom wants to see what else is out there for him, maybe go to another team? Do I think the Mets will attempt to keep him? Without a doubt. Do I think they will be successful? It may be ill-fated from the start.
It’s a team that needed him more then he needed them in the 2nd half of the season.
“He knows how we feel and I know how he feels,” Billy Eppler, Mets’ GM, told reporters on Friday. “It was a good conversation and we had a good amount of dialogue over the course of this season. I think we have a sense of what makes the other one tick. Things are positive and the relationship is positive and we’ll see where it ultimately goes, but he knows how we feel.”
Jacob deGrom has only pitched in 224 innings since the start of the 2020 season. In 2019 alone? He pitched in 204 innings. The other concern with deGrom is his HR9 increased to 1.3 this year, tying his career high from 2017.
Prediction: The Atlanta Braves.
Edwin Diaz
Sound the trumpets!
Baseball’s best closer is on the market, and if the Mets don’t offer him a contract he agrees to, 29 other MLB teams will be lining up to get him to say yes to them. 32 saves with a 1.31 ERA in 61 games is never a player you can pass up on. I’ve said many times, if Aaron Judge isn’t a Yankee next year, it’s a huge mistake. Same goes for across the river.
With more than five bullpen arms from the ‘22 Mets team on the free agent market, why would you not at least spend the money to get the best one back?
Prediction: The New York Mets
Brandon Nimmo
Consistency is key, and that is what Nimmo provides. Not only does he provide a bat in the lineup you can rely on, it’s the above-average defense that makes him worth the asking price.
This past season Nimmo had a 134 wRC+ and 5.4 fWAR, which will set up a nice pay day, but again worth it with a weak outfielder free agent class.
Nimmo spoke with reporters after the Mets season came to an end. “Sometimes, that experience and getting your young guys that experience can help out in the long run,” Nimmo said of the Mets.
“But I think it’s going to be looked back on as a steppingstone in the right direction for this organization. I think they’re in a great spot heading forward. They’ve got an owner that really wants to win and will do whatever it takes to win. And that’s more than half the battle right there. This organization is heading in the right direction.”
Prediction: The New York Mets
Carlos Carrasco
When Carrasco returned from the injured
list in September, he struggled to find his groove, resulting in him being left off of the Wild Card roster for the Mets.
He has been a solid 4 in the Mets rotation since coming from Cleveland, but the 35-year-old may have to find another team.
The Mets have a club option worth $14 million this upcoming season, but with all of the uncertainty surrounding the rotation, nothing is guaranteed.
Carrasco against teams with at least a .500 record, is 4-5 with a 6.84 ERA. Hitters from those clubs have a .300/.365/.486 slash line against him.
Prediction: The Cleveland Guardians
Chris Bassitt
Has Bassitt worn out his welcome in New York after his poor starts to finish the 2022 season?
The Mets are in need of pitchers who can perform when the lights are bright, and Bassitt was not that this year.
But, like mentioned earlier with Carrasco, the Mets have 4 of their 5 starters from this season on the free agent market.
They are in desperate need of stability, and well, that is what sir Bassitt provides after making the most starts and pitching in the most innings on this team.
He finished the season with a 3.42 ERA and 2.7 fWAR over 30 starts.
Prediction: The New York Mets
