Mets Have Already Spent Over $60 Million, Obtained Francisco Lindor, And Are Not Done
This wasn’t the best week for the New New York Mets regime. Jared Porter’s text messages surfaced, and he had to be fired.
George Springer signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Brad Hand signed with the Washington Nationals. The New York Yankees obtained Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates without having to part with a huge prospect cost.
Believe it or not, these has actually caused some anxiety and consternation amongst Mets fans.
https://twitter.com/sal_licata/status/1353504813468839936?s=21
Brutal…Mets needed to sign him https://t.co/oRIsNtgBZV
— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) January 25, 2021
Seeing Mets fans beginning to lose their minds, it’s clear they’re forgetting just how vastly improved this Mets team is.
After all, the Mets obtained Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Indians. With that, in one fell swoop the Mets got the best player and pitcher any team will obtain this offseason.
The Mets have also signed Marcus Stroman, Trevor May, and James McCann. With those players, this is a vastly significant Mets team.
Keep in mind, many thought the 2020 Mets were a postseason team, and this team has made major upgrades:
- SP Rick Porcello -> Carlos Carrasco
- SP Michael Wacha -> Marcus Stroman
- RP Jared Hughes -> Trevor May
- C Wilson Ramos -> James McCann
- Andres Gimenez/Amed Rosario -> Francisco Lindor
That’s nothing to say of adding players like Jose Martinez and Joey Lucchesi. Already, this team is much deeper and stronger than the one the Mets put on the field in 2020, and for that matter, 2019.
Also, for the all the claims the Mets aren’t spending, people are ignoring just how much the Mets have already invested in the 2021 team. To date, the Mets have already added $61.3 million to the payroll.
Are people going to claim the Mets are being cheap when they’ve added what amounts to the Tampa Bay Rays entire payroll already? Consider that’s before the Mets are even done.
At the time no one say the Lindor trade happening. It went from rumored to confirmed in about an hour. Who knows what else is on the horizon.
Before jumping the gun and lambasting this front office like it’s one which has been run by the Wilpons, look at what they’re already done. Take time to realize they’re not done building this team.
There may come a time to criticize them, but it’s not today. It’s not when the Blue Jays gave Springer a way over the top contract, the Nationals had a closer job to offer the Mets didn’t, and the Yankees rolled the dice on a pitcher who has had two Tommy John surgeries.
Things have already improved immensely under Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson, and they will continue to get better.
My biggest complaint with the Wilpons is they would make a splash but then never finish the job. My fear is that despite the deeper pockets the Nets are doing it again. Loved the signings/trades but there is work to be done.
Springer would have balanced the lineup and improved the defense at 2 positions. Check
Hand would have given us a top left handed reliever to balance the bullpen and increased the quality depth. Check
Those additions would have significantly moved the Mets toward being a well rounded team able to challenge the Braves.
Adding a guy like Bauer doesn’t. Winning a Cy Young on 37 percent of a season after putting up numbers equivalent to being a 3-4 starter the rest of your career and then getting paid like you are a number 1 at ridiculous money is stupid.
There is definitely work to be done, but unlike the Wilpons, we can have faith the Mets will actually do it.
Hand wanted a closing position guaranteed. The Nats could offer him that opportunity; the Mets could not. According to rumor, Steve Cohen offered about the same money as the Nats did.
Can we blame Cohen for that? If anything, Van Wagonen gets the blame. The Cano/Diaz trade comes back to haunt the Mets even when Cano is not on the books (for 2021). Outside of trading Nolan Ryan, the Cano/Diaz trade was the worst deal that the Mets have ever made!
Cano deal was worse
Cano deal was worse. It’ll be known as the Kelenic deal by the end of 2021. Bet that.
To MD & GK,
The Ryan deal was awful. But if you feel that the Cano deal was worse, I will not argue with you!
One of the overlooked aspects of the Ryan deal wasn’t that great with the Mets, and the Angels initially wanted Gentry, who was arguably more promising at the time.