Wilmer FloresWith the 2014-2015 offseason about to begin, the Mets begin their quest to make a playoff appearance in the 2015 season. In order to make the postseason, there are a few questions the Mets should think over, and decide which decision would be the best for them. Here are some of those questions:

1. How much payroll flexibility is needed to make a splash?

With Lucas Duda, Jenrry Mejia and Daniel Murphy set to get raises; the Mets’ payroll will increase a decent amount next year. An increase in payroll will leave Sandy Alderson with less money to spend on free agents, which is why there have been talks about non-tendering Ruben Tejada and Eric Young Jr., giving the Mets about $3 million dollars.

If Alderson plans to shed some payroll, in order to spend money on free agents, he can non-tender arbitration-eligible players, and trade Bartolo Colon (due $11 million next season) and Murphy (due an estimated $8.3 million, according to MLBTradeRumors.com) to create even more cap space. Will the Mets part ways with veterans to acquire bigger bats?

It makes sense for the Mets to keep Murphy if they want to win now, as the replacement for him would most likely be Dilson Herrera, who showed promising potential, but he would not provide the same offensive production that Murphy has. Also, non-tendering players such as Tejada and Young Jr. make sense because the Mets have Wilmer Flores and Matt den Dekker to replace them. Colon too can be replaced, as the Mets have a plethora of starting pitching, which leads us to our next question.

2. Are there any starting pitchers available to trade?

Colon, Jacob deGrom, Dillon Gee, Matt Harvey, Rafael Montero, Jon Niese, Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler all have a possibility of being apart of the 2015 starting rotation. Eight players and five spots mean the Mets may be able to move a pitcher for a hitter. Alderson needs to decide which players are available in order to decide which ones can be traded. As previously stated, Colon is the pitcher most likely to get moved, but is that all the Mets do? Are they unwilling to trade one of their young power arms? If the right deal presents itself, it is doubtful that the Mets say no to parting ways with a promising arm.

3. Which outfielder available would help the most?

If the Mets make their power arms available, they may be able to net a big return from the trade market. Brian Joura of Mets360.com proposed the idea of Daniel Murphy and Jon Niese for B.J. Upton and Justin Upton. Justin Upton would be a great acquisition for the Mets’ outfielder, but he does become a free agent after the 2015 season.

Other outfielders that may be available at the right price (through trade) are Jay Bruce or Yasiel Puig. Both players may be a stretch to acquire, however the Reds have Johnny Cueto approaching free agency, Mat Latos’ contract expires after the 2015 season, and Aroldis Chapman becoming eligible for arbitration, trading away Jay Bruce for young players can help save money, and possibly retain two or three of these players.

In regard to Yasiel Puig, it is no secret that the Dodgers need to trade an outfielder, as they have Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson and Puig for those spots. It would make sense for the team to trade Crawford or Ethier, but if newly appointed President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman can net a bunch of prospects for an All-Star outfielder, it would be tough to imagine Friedman saying no.

Puig was benched in the playoffs, and has been benched by Don Mattingly at certain points throughout the season. It still is a stretch for the Mets to acquire Puig, but why not make the call and see how high his price is?

The Mets can also go the way of free agency, as Michael Cuddyer seems to be the player most fans are wanting. Norichika Aoki, Melkey Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, and Nick Markakis also make sense for the Mets to acquire, although Cabrera and Cruz may return to their 2014 teams.

4. Is Wilmer Flores the everyday shortstop?

If the Mets non-tender Tejada, that guarantees Flores enters the 2015 season as the starting shortstop. The free agency market does not provide the Mets with realistic options, as Hanley Ramirez will be too expensive, and Flores can produce just about the same offensively as other shortstops on the market. Alderson will have to turn to the trade market, and may have to commence trade talks with Colorado for their dissatisfied shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki. We dreamed about it last season, but is this the time when Colorado parts with their face of the franchise? If the Mets do not make any moves to acquire a shortstop, Flores looks to be the starting shortstop entering next year.

These are some of the questions that the Mets must answer throughout this offseason. No matter what decision is made, there needs to be an urge to make the smart decision, as the Mets should not make a deal or signing with the intentions of sacrificing the future for one year. We saw it in the mid-2000’s, but the farm system has players to offer, and the team has young pieces that can help the team compete for years to come.

5 comments on “Offseason questions facing the Mets

  • Dave

    The Mets must keep Murphy, period!!!!

  • pete

    James you only listed 5 players for arbitration. the Mets have how many eligible for arbitration? 10. 11? Colon’s ERA went up by over a run even though he moved to the NL where just about every opponent has 2 automatic outs at the bottom of the order and he pitches in a pitcher friendly ball park! So what GM is going to take on 11 million dollars for an inning eater who bombs out every 6 starts? I know the Mets! There’s so much more I could add but I’ve already done so in other blogs posted by other writers here on Mets 360 so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see

  • Patrick Albanesius

    I wouldn’t want Puig on the Mets. I understand his physical gifts, but with a 10 cent head on top of it all. I don’t want to trade young, controllable pieces away, just to sit a stud because he has behavioral problems or shows up late to games. And I certainly don’t want Terry Collins getting caught up in that situation.

  • Mike

    What about kole calhoun? He had a break out year and is above avg to plus defensively, he’s a less risky version of Jay Bruce because apparently 7.5 million a year is too much for the big babies that run this team

  • Sean Flattery

    I think Sandy will be kicking tires everywhere. I think Murph is here next yr, but can’t see both Gee and Niese. I think Colon will be difficult to move, got a feeling he’ll be here next yr too

    Tejada and EY non-tender possibility will be interesting to keep an eye on. 50/50 chance on both would be my guess.

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