Tag Archives: Scherzer

I thought it would be an appropriate time to comment on the state of the NY Mets heading into the 2022 baseball season. Our biggest nightmare has been realized- the Braves are great. Not good. Great. Despite the pull of societal pressure to re-sign a fan favorite at age 33 to a 6 year deal, the Braves decided to use their resources to trade for a younger version, heading into his prime, Matt Olson, from the Athletics to open a new window. They have both their star position players Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies signed through 2027 with Acuna having a club option in 2028 that unless something goes horrifyingly wrong will be picked up.

They have young pitching in the majors that won’t be FA’s until 2025 and young pitching in the minors ready to step in if necessary. They just added one of the best closers from a league rival that shocked the industry and they are more than just kicking tires on Carlos Correa. Alex Anthopolous has built the monster he wanted to build while in Toronto. Worse? He has a conglomerate behind him.

The Phillies are going to spend and that’s the nicest thing I can say about them. They signed Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos likely only watching highlights of them hitting. They join Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola and a bullpen that Mets fans will find has an awfully FAMILIA-r look to it.

The Marlins are rebuilding or something. Since they pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes twice in the span of a near decade and won two World Series, they have been in the desert looking for an oasis. Presumably the last 19 years since is the price you pay when you make a deal with the devil for two world series. Derek Jeter walked away when he realized the Marlins were just there for the check and not to win.

The Nationals are deferring the next few seasons so they can scrounge up enough scratch to convince Juan Soto to take their 10 year $500M offer with about $400M of it deferred. They have some prospects coming and traded away two of their most respected stars for an upgrade to their minor league system. I would’ve said shot in the arm but you know its a sore subject to folks in DC.

Which brings us to the beloved Mets. With Steve Cohen running things, the Mets have made zero doubts about whether they are in financially committed to the cause of winning. They more than likely will sport the league’s highest payroll- Freddie Freeman contracts be damned! With that comes the scorn of the industry who just tried to cry poo in dealings with the players association. Even naming a top luxury tax tier did nothing to phase Steve Cohen from his mission.

So where exactly are the Mets? Good question.

Pre-owner driven lockout (I’m saying it with my chest)- the Mets signed Max Scherzer to the richest contract ever for a pitcher. They then went and got wish versions for elite OF play in Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar. This is not to demean them but their contracts and price point suggest they are there to keep the seat warm for some youngsters on the way. They also hired an experienced manager in Buck Showalter and GM Billy Eppler. Both have experience winning in NY coming from the glory days of the Yankees.

Joel Sherman wrote a piece detailing how baseball is always better when it has a villain that they can actively root for. Nevermind that Joel doesn’t hide his pinstriped pom poms and has the Mets disappointed everybody article in his drafts at all times, however on this we agree.

What Steve Cohen has done for baseball and to the Mets is set them up for what most hope is their commeuppance. Mets fans won’t be surprised by anything that happens this season. In fact most already have complained that they haven’t done enough in light of the other teams in the division- notably the defending World Series champion Braves- doing stuff. But this season more than anything is the litmus test for Mets fans.

The owner has spent. We are on the clock for that window he wanted to win in. Pressure busts pipes but it can also create diamonds. In hopes of altering the makeup of this team the investment Cohen put into Showalter and Scherzer were also to recalibrate this team’s toughness and grit. Those two words we hear so much about but can’t quantify but we always point to the 90’s Yankees. Those teams didn’t have superstars- they just had guys who knew how to win and play the right way.

Every guy, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha included, were brought here with the specific intent to improve upon the clubhouse dynamic that led to clubhouse fights, thumbs down gimmics, and made up hitting coaches. There won’t be any of those shenanigans with Showalter in the clubhouse. But more than that, this core that Mets fans hold so dearly- they were put on notice. From now on, you either are part of the winning or youre the reason we’re losing. The decisions didn’t mince the intent.

This team is all-in on payroll with a chance to go up. This is not just about reaching the playoffs- its about winning in October. Trading for Chris Bassit on a one year deal is about right now. This team can and should think that they can compete with the Braves. They won a World Series on the hot bats of Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario after losing the best player on the team Ronald Acuna. That’s a talented team that decided they aren’t ready for the fun times to end.

The Mets hope is that alot of their players won’t suffer the same fate as last year. Dominic Smith, JD Davis and Jeff McNeil had years they wish they didn’t. It was learned earlier this week thanks to Pat Ragazzo of SI that Dom played the year with a torn labrum. He’s already hit two homers in live AB vs a working up to starting Max Scherzer and one in their first Spring Training game. So the results so far have been encouraging. JD Davis is penciled in at 3B and DH and shouldn’t touch a glove for all that is holy and my blood pressure.

Jeff McNeil has positional versatility at both 2b and 3b but its his relationship with Lindor that many will have their eyes on. No matter how much they did their lubby dubby PR Press tour, everybody could tell those smiles were faker than laughing at an awful joke because you were told by your parents to get along with that person. I expect McNeil to have a bounceback year because that guy can hit and Showalter has already done him a huge service by announcing that he will get the bulk of time at 2b. Sometimes its all it takes.

But nobody has more on his shoulders than the $341M man Francisco Lindor. A year ago the Mets traded for then signed him to a big extension- a sign to Mets fans that Steve Cohen meant business. His first year was filled with more downs than ups but there’s reason for hope that after returning from an oblique strain that Lindor has a greater handle on playing in NY than he did when he accepted the trade. Us Mets fans can simply look at Carlos Beltran as an example of what can happen when a superstar finally feels comfortable. His 2006 season may be the greatest season put together by a Mets position player in the club’s history. It just so happened that it was also his second season in NY.

We keep telling you out of towners- NY isn’t for everybody and we mean it.

Will Pete Alonso having endured a car crash that he walked away from be able to put that trauma behind him to hit 40+ homers? Brandon Nimmo is in his walk year and how will this front office value what he does? Will Jake DeGrom last a full season after suggesting he thinks he can continue throwing as hard as he did last year? What will we get from Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco? What even are we going to see from the bullpen this year? What are we even thinking we will get from Cano?

Can the Mets do it? In my opinion yes. But a 162 game season means some randomness can happen but the season will shake out the truth. That whether this grand experiment will work or not. Because if it doesn’t this team will look dramatically different. To me this is a 90+ win team. How many wins over 90 will be told by what happens. Buckle up.