Three reasons the Mets will be good, and three reasons that may not be the case
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga during a spring training workout at Clover Field in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
WHY THE METS WILL BE GOOD
1. The talent of the rotation: Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer have a combined six Cy Young Awards (including Verlander’s with the Astros in 2022), nearly 6,000 innings, almost 6,400 strikeouts and 445 wins. That pair plus rookie Kodai Senga, an ace in Japan, is a good place to start. And it helps that the likes of David Peterson and Tylor Megill entered camp as high-quality depth.
2. Nimmo is back: Centerfielder Brandon Nimmo was the most important of the Mets’ many free agents, so credit to them for doing what they had to do by retaining him for eight years and $162M. He was a key last season and will be important again this year.
3. Prospects are coming: Followers of the farm system have heard about this group for years. Now they might actually impact the big-league club, if not from the outset. Look out for Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio. And the overall improved system means the Mets have trade chips for major midseason upgrades if they want.
WHY THEY MAY DISAPPOINT
1. An aging rotation: Verlander is 40, Scherzer is turning 39, Jose Quintana is 34 (and already out for the first half with an injury) and Carlos Carrasco is 35. They ranged from good to excellent last year, though, and the Mets are betting that inevitable age-related declines won’t happen this year (or next).
2. Open at closer: Edwin Diaz’s season probably ended before it began, as he had mid-March surgery on the patellar tendon tear in his right knee. That injury usually requires an eight-month rehabilitation. So the Mets have major questions at closer. David Robertson and Adam Ottavino are the most likely answers, but either way, Diaz’s absence weakens the overall late-innings approach.
3. Power outage: The Mets scored plenty but were a mediocre homer-hitting team last season. Pete Alonso is their only real power threat. They passed on supplementing the offense over the offseason for the sake of buying more pitchers. They didn’t quite need Carlos Correa, but they could’ve used somebody. The DH spot especially is a question mark.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
