10/21/24 07:22:00
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10/21 19:20 CDT After thrilling season ends in NLCS, surprising Mets have `work
to do'
After thrilling season ends in NLCS, surprising Mets have `work to do'
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Yes, the New York Mets have much to feel good about following
a rousing run of unexpected success this season.
All those warm fuzzies were warranted.
Now, the cold reality: Pete Alonso's uncertain future is far from the only
priority this winter.
New York probably will have about a dozen free agents to replace --- including
Alonso --- once contract options are decided, and the pitching staff is
particularly thin at the moment.
"We might look extremely different," star shortstop Francisco Lindor said.
The good news is the Mets have an owner with deep pockets, an established core
that has playoff experience --- and perhaps more than $100 million coming off
their payroll as they look to build on a surprise appearance in the National
League Championship Series.
"We have everybody we need to make this work and finish the job," outfielder
Brandon Nimmo said.
What was projected as a transition season under rookie manager Carlos Mendoza
and first-year president of baseball operations David Stearns, with an eye
toward 2025, instead morphed from a 22-33 start into a thrilling October ride
that finally ended Sunday two wins short of the World Series with a Game 6 loss
to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York pulled off a string of stirring comebacks under pressure and hit
several clutch home runs, creating fond memories that will last forever.
"We became a family. And now we raised the bar," Mendoza said in Los Angeles.
"Expectations now, this is what we should strive for every year, to be playing
deep into October."
To do that, owner Steve Cohen has holes to fill on the field.
They start of course with Alonso, the fan-favorite first baseman who was
drafted by the Mets in 2016 and already ranks third on the franchise list with
226 career homers in six major league seasons --- one that was shortened by the
pandemic.
The four-time All-Star, who played in all 175 games for New York this year,
delivered in October with a pair of three-run homers to help win elimination
games and finished the postseason with four homers, 10 RBIs and a .999 OPS.
"I want more moments like this," Alonso said. "I'm really proud of what I was
able to accomplish here. I feel like I laid it out there every day."
Alonso, who turns 30 in December, is represented by agent Scott Boras, who
often likes to test the market with high-profile clients.
It's difficult to forecast exactly what kind of contract Alonso will get this
offseason, but he would seem a good fit for several potential suitors ---
including the Astros, Cubs, Giants, Nationals, Red Sox and Yankees.
Cohen and the Mets might be more focused on an even bigger free agent fish,
outfielder Juan Soto. Or perhaps New York will end up retaining Alonso the same
way it did Nimmo and closer Edwin Daz after the 2022 playoff season.
If not, the Mets could move young slugger Mark Vientos from third base to first
and give Brett Baty another shot at third. Touted prospect Ronny Mauricio, who
debuted in 2023 before missing this season with a knee injury, also could be in
the mix.
New York needs a designated hitter, because Jesse Winker and J.D. Martinez can
become free agents. Rookie speedster Luisangel Acua could challenge for
playing time at second base, where Jeff McNeil is coming off a rocky season, or
in center field, where Tyrone Taylor is eligible for arbitration and Harrison
Bader hits free agency again.
The bullpen must be largely rebuilt in front of Daz, while the late-season
rotation probably returns only David Peterson (10-3, 2.90 ERA) and Tylor Megill
(4-5, 4.04). Kodai Senga, the team's projected No. 1 starter this season, hopes
to regain his All-Star form after pitching only 10 1/3 innings all year due to
shoulder, calf and triceps injuries.
"This year has been a frustrating year," Senga said through a translator. "This
offseason I'll have to look at a lot of things one by one, because post-rehab
coming back, things just didn't click the same way that it did. That's a fact.
In order to get my performance back up, I'll need to go over this offseason and
re-examine things one by one."
Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA), who blossomed into the staff ace during the
second half of a breakout season, shed tears of pride in his close-knit Mets
during a clubhouse interview following the season-ending loss.
Still, the big left-hander seems likely to decline a $13.5 million player
option for 2025. That would make Manaea, Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) and Jose
Quintana (10-10, 3.75) all free agents. The veteran trio combined for 94
regular-season starts and 10 more in the playoffs.
"If I was an agent, I would be very happy. They made themselves a lot of money.
As a teammate, it's going to be tough because they made themselves a lot of
money and who knows where they'll end up?" Lindor said, referring specifically
to Manaea and Alonso. "They're my brothers. I wish them nothing but the best,
and hopefully they maximize everything they want."
Jose Butt (7-3, 2.55 ERA, three saves), converted from a starter into a
valuable reliever this season, could move back into the rotation.
Top pitching prospect Christian Scott is expected to miss 2025 following Tommy
John surgery, and Brandon Sproat is about the only highly touted arm in the
upper levels of the farm system.
Stearns, however, has been especially adept at cobbling together quality
pitching staffs, not only this season with the Mets but dating to his time
running the small-budget Milwaukee Brewers.
Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell are top-of-the-rotation starters
available on the free agent market.
"We already have a culture here. We set a precedent," Lindor said. "If you come
here to this organization, you've got to work. You've got to work, you've got
to respect everybody, and you're going to be held accountable for every action."
In the fourth season after Cohen bought the Mets from the Wilpon family, New
York led the major leagues with a $332 million payroll and is in line to pay a
$96 million luxury tax.
The blueprint since Cohen arrived has been the Dodgers, a perennial winner in a
huge media market with a large payroll but also a deep enough farm system to
overcome significant injuries.
The resilient Mets looked those injury-depleted Dodgers in the eye during the
NLCS and got blown out four times in six games, outscored 46-26 overall while
setting a postseason record by issuing 42 walks in the series.
"That should be our goal --- not only to be like them, but better than them,"
Mendoza said. "We've got work to do."
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