We’ve seen a little bit of clarity with the moves that the Mets have made so far. The rotation got a needed boost when Marcus Stroman accepted the Qualifying Offer and the team addressed the catching situation with the signing of James McCann. But there are still several positions or areas to address. You could make a case for needing two starting pitchers, a third baseman and a center fielder. And if Dellin Betances, Brad Brach, Jeurys Familia and Drew Smith don’t fill you with optimism – you could add a relief pitcher, too. It feels odd to have a solid one-two punch at the head of the rotation, a closer with elite stuff – if not always elite results – and a potent offense and still feel like there are so many question marks.
The question has been asked many times about which guy you want the team to acquire. But as we saw with J.T. Realmuto, sometimes the issue gets solved without getting the best guy on the market. Which brings us to today’s poll question.
Which scenario would you find most disappointing on Opening Day?
- Steven Matz in the rotation (42%, 20 Votes)
- Brandon Nimmo starting in CF (42%, 20 Votes)
- J.D. Davis starting at 3B (17%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 48
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This isn’t a fair poll. Right now, the only starters on the roster are JDG, Stro, Matz, Luggs, and Peterson. Is Lugo a lock? I wouldn’t have a problem letting Matz get first dibs, but their biggest need right now is a starting pitcher, more than any other position.
I would disagree with your statement that the poll isn’t fair.
If Chris gets his way, the Mets could sign two SP and still break camp with Matz in the rotation, as he thinks Peterson should start the year in the minors. Or, the Mets could sign one SP, one closer and keep Lugo and Peterson in the rotation. There are different ways this could play out but it’s next to impossible to imagine that they don’t sign another pitcher. Regardless of the other moves made – either for the rotation or for the lineup – would you rather see Matz as one of the team’s five starters?
It’s a legitimate question.
Brian, the poll doesn’t ask if the Mets don’t add any starting pitchers or if they add more than one. There’s only one third baseman and one center fielder, so if the incumbents are there in April, then obviously the Mets didn’t get someone new or the new player got hurt. But, the Mets can still get one or two starters and still have Matz in the rotation because Lugo is in the bullpen and Peterson is in AAA or one or the other. It’s not a fair question because the reference to Matz specifically – when there are three rotation spots in discussion – isn’t fair since they can add as many as two starters and still have him there. Too, if Matz deserves the spot with a fine spring, I’m good with that.
Needless to say, if they don’t sign at least one starter, it would bother me the most. Nimmo and Davis aren’t the biggest issue and I’m expecting improvement in Davis.
Again, I disagree with the central point of your argument.
deGrom, Stroman, Matz, Lugo, Peterson. Five starters for Opening Day, Syndergaard coming at some point with Oswalt, Kilome and Gsellman (let’s not forget how valuable he is because he can start!) for depth. Thin? Yes. But everyone has MLB experience.
Guillorme has MLB experience at 3B, as does Gimenez and McNeil. With those three and Rosario – they have the ability to cover the infield without considering Davis.
Nimmo had a 4.5 fWAR in 2018 and was on pace to deliver a 4.1 fWAR in 2020 despite his defensive issues. Besides him, there’s Guillermo Heredia on the roster, who can play CF.
If Opening Day started today, the Mets could field a full roster without any problem. We expect there to be changes. We don’t necessarily expect every position will be upgraded this offseason. The OD roster/lineup could see Davis and Nimmo starting and Matz as one of the 5 SP. Or any or all three could be in different roles or different orgs.
If Matz is in the rotation its because hes had a good spring
Im fine with JD at 3rd. He is an important piece of this group
Please stop with Nimmo but yes, Id be disappointed if Springer isnt here. But he will be.
Just an FYI to Mets 360, the LOL Mets is over, and you will be too if you dont catch up quick. Bet you get more clicks with quality reporting than BS click bait.
I have been a diehard Mets fan for 51 years. Mets360 is by far the most insightful in depth blog on the Internet. That is why I read it and participate on a daily basis.
Thanks again Brian for all that you do.
Rich
I love the winter speculation here especially since
the hot stove is tepid right now, which much uncertainty.
Matz had a 1.50 ERA and a 0.33 WHIP in Spring Training last year and was awful in the regular season. There’s no guarantee that a good ST means anything for him and it’s silly for you to pretend otherwise.
It’s fine if you’re ok with JD. It’s also fine if someone else feels completely different since he was not thought to be starting material when they traded for him and he was not a good starter last year.
Please stop with Nimmo? What on earth does that even mean? And no one has any idea if Springer will be here or not. Stop pretending you’re plugged in to the front office and what they’re thinking.
If you’re going to cite us – spell our name correctly. It’s Mets360. And if anyone needs to catch up it’s you. Your post above and the other 27 comments you’ve left at the site show how far behind you are. Maybe you’d be more at home at another site.
I opted for JD as the starting 3B. I like JE, but more so as bench depth/DH power bat vs. LHP. I am hardcore against the DH, I know what Manfred said, but this is negotiating nonsense and it makes zero sense to have no DH in 2021 when it is very very likely to become a permanent part of the game from 2022 and beyond.
As far as absolute needs, to me these are the “must haves” –
– a high quality starter
– a proven everyday RH bat
– a high quality bullpen arm not named Seth Lugo and preferably lefty; but quality matters most
There are multiple ways to solve each must have, which makes it interesting and fun. Some of the must haves will cover other needs – especially RH bat covering defensive upgrade at CF/3B. Matz has been tendered and will get a shot at the rotation, if he beats out Peterson. That makes sense given that Matz has performed at SP5 levels and Peterson can use some polish, but the leash should be short.
Signing Springer and Hand, and bringing in 2 solid starters to push Lugo back to the pen would thrill me. Rosario’s ability to handle 3B defensively also interests me…yes his offense is still a big question but if he can handle the hot corner at league average level that could make for an extremely deep roster with Davis on the bench.
Matz in the rotation. Pitching wins championships.
Dan,
I agree with the pitching wins championships, but I can’t get too riled up over the #5 starter. For example, hypothetically, if they sign Bauer, Odorizzi, and Hand. They’ll open with deGrom-Bauer-Stroman-Odorizzi-Matz, with Peterson in AAA, Syndergaard on the horizon, and a stocked bullpen that could stretch out Lugo in the event of Matz not bouncing back or multiple injuries. I would be thrilled with that configuration. While getting both Bauer and Odorizzi is unlikely, it is not that far fetched that they bring in two solid starters and a quality pen arm.
Rosario vs Davis as 3B is an interesting debate. You have the untapped potential of Rosario or the better actual production with questionable repeatability with Davis. This would make a pretty good poll question.
The Mets had a top 5 MLB offense in 2020. McCann is an upgrade to 2020 Ramos and McNeil is and upgrade to 2020 Cano tainted statistics. Right now there is no DH is so right now Smith is the leftfield. The offense is not problem.
The problem is still the defense but catcher and 2B has improved.
The biggest problem is the starting pitching and the lack of depth in the rotation.
I want Springer to improve the defense and the offense but not signing him isn’t fatal.
Not signing two pitchers that are better than Peterson would be flirting with disaster because no rotation can stay healthy for the whole season. If Matz is the 5th starter then I would assume Peterson or Lugo would be inferior to Matz and that be a disappointment.
We lost last year because of pitching. We need to sign at least two starters.
I’m still hoping for Tanaka.
He seems like a vet innings eater with leadership.
3 year deal?
My thoughts are that one or two starting pitchers are needed, but centerfield is probably my #1 priority. They need defense up the middle, including the outfield. Springer makes the entire outfield defense better.
Also, my ears perked up a bit with McCann’s comments about Matz in his presser the other day. I do believe in pitcher-catcher chemistry and really wonder if their already established relationship can pay immediate dividends. I have no issue with giving Matz a recovery chance at #4 or #5. I think a solid #3 (or Bauer at #2) is essential.
Matz looks good for 3 or 4 innings he then gets bombed because he lays the fast ball down the middle and the batter nails it for a home run. If he can change that problem and go at least 6 innings that’s great but that has to change or the Mets better find another left handed pitcher that can get the job done ? The next thing is to set up third base for the Rockies third baseman, he ‘d would be a great addition with his glove and bat but to aquire him, it will take about 2 or 3 existing players from the Mets team. Leave Nimmo in left and Springer in center and Conforto in right if they wanted to steal the 2nd base man from the Yankee’s they’d have a killer of a team ?
I want to see the Mets signs Liam Hendricks or someone of that caliber for the bullpen. I also want to another starter whether it be Oderizzi or someone of a second tier starter. I too would like to see George Springer. After that we need to get some quality depth reserves in the minor leagues.
I can’t vote, because I think they are all equal-level bad signs. None of those player should be starting on a competitive club.
The DH Question is a big one and I’m not sure the Mets can do much until that question is answered. If Dom Smith needs to be in LF then they aren’t signing Springer this year. And if they don’t sign Springer, I can see more easily a trade for Arenado (JD Davis plus a large contract like Familia and a prospect out of our top 10), because they need another RH bat.
What I think should happen:
Universal DH
Sign Springer 5 yrs
Sign Bauer 1 year
Sign Tanaka/Odorizzi 2 yrs plus option
Sign Hand or Hendricks
I voted for Matz being in the rotation because I feel that pitching is the biggest issue but I’d be ok with Matz in the rotation if he earns it. I’d like to see the Mets sign 2 starters but I’m not sold on Bauer depending on the cost and years. If they were to sign Odorizzi and Tanaka to go along with Jake and Stroman then we could have Matz, Peterson and maybe Lugo (although I’d love to have him in the pen) to battle for the 5th spot until Thor gets back. That would be some nice depth.
I guess my point is I don’t want to have to count on Matz being a rotation fixture.
I say, Bauer all the way and place Lugo back in the pen.
Matz is a wild card (we need to see if his off-season approach change plus the change/upgrade at catcher changes the metrics) but he is not a “long-shot” wild card. Matz has shown skills and if overall team performance improves, he could fold right into that improvement.
There are so many things leaning our way, its almost like divine intervention.
Who said that God lives in New York? Was it Pearl Bailey? The sign-man? I forget exactly but that quote circulated quite a bit back in 1969.
If we get the DH, it will be another gift from above.