The 2015 Mets will boast rotation candidates like Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner, Jacob deGrom and Rafael Montero. The bullpen will feature arms such as Bobby Parnell, Jenrry Mejia, Vic Black, Jeurys Familia and Jack Leathersich. The lineup will feature some familiar names like David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares, but there are still a multitude of question marks the Mets need to address. They haven’t figured out their shortstop, they need more production out of first base and the outfield and they aren’t sure what to do with Travis d’Arnaud.
Money Makes The World Go Round:
The Mets cannot afford to not spend this coming offseason. It’s that simple. Sure, Chris Young will be off the books next year and Bartolo Colon should be traded well before the 2015 season, but that money will go largely to rewarding Daniel Murphy and extending him. The Mets will not suddenly be a better team without more offense and they can’t rely on their minor leagues for all the help they need. It is time for the Wilpons to open the check book and time for Alderson to make an actual splash.
Why do they have to? Well, they don’t… they could continue to say one thing and do another. They could continue to torture their fans and put forward 75-80 win teams that hint at good things to come. The problem is that the team is at a point where if they are going to compete in the NL East in the next 5 years they need to strike now. Otherwise the Marlins and Nationals will begin to run with it and before you know it, the Braves and Phillies will be back to old tricks too.
First Base:
Things will begin to shake out later in the season, but players are available that are definitive upgrades to Lucas Duda, Eric Campbell and Josh Satin. Names like Michael Cuddyer, Michael Morse and Corey Hart could all be helpful additions, but a certain switch hitting player appeals to me far more. Kendrys Morales would go a long way to fortifying the middle of the Met lineup and providing some punch from both sides of the plate. The Twins are unlikely to offer him the $14 Mil to restrict him again and the Mets need to get a legitimate hitter into their lineup.
Shortstop:
There are a lot of options for a change. The Mets could make upgrades with Stephen Drew, J.J. Hardy, Asdrubal Cabrera or Jed Lowrie. If they really want to upgrade the offense though, they will go with Hanley Ramirez. Firstly, the Dodgers will let Ramirez go. They have Corey Seager tearing up the minors in AAA and can afford to spend their money elsewhere. Secondly, the Mets can assure Ramirez that he will stay at his preferred position.
The other option, the one Terry Collins is continuing to miss the boat on, is Wilmer Flores. Flores needs to be given a real chance in the coming months to get at bats and see what he can do in the majors. It would be beneficial to be able to use an internal option if possible, but we’ll never know with Ruben Tejada starting.
Left Field:
There are less options for the outfield and with Cesar Puello and Brandon Nimmo nearing the majors it might not be the time to move. I still can’t help but wonder what Colby Rasmus or Nick Markakis might add to the Mets. Rasmus probably has the higher ceiling, but I’ve always been a Markakis fan. I’d like the Mets to grab some more definite production from their corner outfield with other question marks in the lineup. Baltimore could always keep Markakis, but at $17.5 Million I don’t think that’s likely.
Catcher:
Here is the big question. The Mets have Travis d’Arnaud and they have Kevin Plawecki pretty close behind him. They could go with d’Arnaud again in 2015 and use Plawecki for insurance, but they could also give a player like A.J. Pierzynski a one year deal to hold the fort as the two prospects slug it out for the future. I’m betting the Mets will avoid spending money here.
Closer:
Between Parnell, Mejia, Black and even Leathersich, the Mets have some options for closer, but the “experts” are always saying that the Mets don’t trust them. With this said, there are a few veteran closers who could serve as emergency options or setup men if Sandy Alderson is wise. Andrew Bailey, Jason Grilli, Jim Johnson, Jason Motte, Chris Perez, Sergio Romo and Huston Street could all be out there. It’s simply not an area we should be spending too heavily on.
2015 Mets
Lineup:
- 1. Hanley Ramirez, SS
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- David Wright, 3B
- Curtis Granderson, LF
- 5. Kendrys Morales, 1B
- 6. Nick Markakis, RF
- Travis d’Arnaud, C (A.J. Pierzynski)
- Juan Lagares, CF
- Pitcher
Rotation:
- Matt Harvey
- Zack Wheeler
- Jon Niese
- Dillon Gee
- Jacob deGrom
(Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard in reserve)
Bench:
- Matt DenDekker, OF
- Cesar Puello, OF
- Allan Dykstra, 1B (DH)
- Wilmer Flores, IF
- Eric Campbell, Util
Bullpen:
- Bobby Parnell, CL
- Jenrry Mejia, SU
- Vic Black, SU (Jason Motte, SU?)
- Jeurys Familia, MR
- Jack Leathersich, MR
- Carlos Torres, MR
- Jeremy Hefner, LR
This year the Mets were going to go above and beyond what they spent last year. What happened? The payroll is at 81.5 million (Cot’s). Ramirez(when healthy) range at shortstop continues to decline.The Mets did not go out and sign a veteran catcher this year so what makes you think they’ll do it next season. While you gave us your 2015 Mets you didn’t give us any payroll numbers for the team. The starting line up alone could exceed this years payroll. The Wilpons are not going to spend 100 million dollars. I think by now that should be obvious to everyone.
This article is a dream. There is no way more than one of these player will be signed. Especially with the Yankee’s and Red Sox’s on the hunt. The Met could have signed Morales this year. Some of the minor leaguers you mention are having awful years especially Puello, and Leathersnich. denDekker show no hitting ability in his three weeks in the majors. The Mets cannot afford Remirez and most the players you mention. Alderson is a lousy judge of talent. I don’t trust him to make any good deals on pitchers for hitters. The Mets have to bring someone in to handle the baseball end of the business
It’s a weak free agent class for non-pitchers. I think they should sign one of the shortstop free agents and trade starting pitchers for a quality bat. Gee, Montero, and Plawecki would be a nice package for a team looking for pitching
I agree that the Mets need to start Flores over Tejada in order to see what kind of hitter he is. Shortstop and left field are still the two weak links on this team. Murphy and a pitcher should secure an impact bat left fielder. That trade will work if Flores hits and takes Murphy’s spot. The shortstop could be a free agent, as there are quite a few to choose from. This is where the money should be spent. Adding a vet catcher like AJ would be a positive to hopefully backup a suceesful TdA. So looking at the second half, it seems that TdA and Flores need to step up in order to solidify 2015 plans.
I’m thinking the Mets are going to be legitimate players for the recent Cuban defector Yasmani Tomas. A 23 year old home run hitting outfielder is what the Mets need and it saves prospects to trade to a legitimate SS or 1st baseman. A deal similar to what the White Sox gave Abreau is 5 years 60 million. The Mets are at a point where they will/have to make deals that will show results immediately.
I hope your right I would sign up right now for that lineup and pitching staff Amen
I actually see Torres leaving and Gonzalez Germen taking his spot in the bullpen. In addition, why get rid of Lucas Duda so quick? He is having a good season and my guess is that he might turn in a 25 hr/80 RBI season. I would not sign Hanley Ramirez under any circumstances. The time has passed on him and he would be 31 asking for a 5-7 year contract- that is a recipe for complete disaster. Signing Hardy or Cabrera to a 2-3 deal wouldn’t be a terrible idea however. I also see Plawecki taking over completely. Your ideas are well thought out and I like the article, the Mets shouldn’t just make it rain for the sake of making it rain.