Noah Zimmerman
noah@queensledger.com
Not many saw this trajectory coming for the Mets’ offseason, but nevertheless the core of the team has been torn apart. In the span of just weeks, New York traded their longest-tenured player in Brandon Nimmo, saw star closer Edwin Diaz sign with the back-to-back champion Dodgers, and didn’t even present a contract offer to franchise HR leader Pete Alonso, who signed in Baltimore.
It’s a complete restructuring of the team in the wake of a brutal failure last season, where they missed the postseason despite boasting MLBís second-highest payroll.
Now it’s evident that Steve Cohen and David Stearns won’t be paying more than they’re comfortable for key players, and that includes long contract terms and deferred money that ultimately led to Diaz and Alonso signing elsewhere.
“In the years that I’ve been with the Mets, I have not seen this much moving in a new direction,” said all-time great Met Kieth Hernandez.
Former manager Terry Collins shared insight on the shakeup, saying “this core has not won. Maybe it’s time to go with a different core.”
Ultimately, the bulk of the Mets’ failure last season came down to their pitching staff, one that’s only gotten weaker in recent weeks. While the offense certainly came up short more than a few times, starting pitchers consistently failed to last and the bullpen was ineffective far too often.
Now those problems are exacerbated by the loss of Diaz, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Rodgers. Additionally New York missed out on Padres reliever Robert Suarez (now with Atlanta), and still have holes to fill in their rotation.
The core certainly did not get it done, but it’s hard to see the Mets bouncing back and making the playoffs with this much upheaval in the offseason.
