The New York Mets are coming off one of their worst season in franchise history. They failed to return to the playoffs ever since last year’s wild-card loss to the San Diego Padres. Heading to the offseason, there’s going to be a lot of questions asked of owner Steve Cohen on the direction of the team heading to the 2024 season. With that being said, this is the perfect offseason plan for the Mets.
The Perfect Offseason Plan For The Mets
Hire Another manager
Hiring another manager is going to be one of the biggest priorities for the Mets heading into the offseason. It was announced at the conclusion of the 2023 season that Buck Showalter would not be returning as the Mets skipper for the next season.
One manager that comes to mind when in search of one is former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsel. After the hiring of David Stearns as the president of baseball operations, the Mets are expected to go after Counsel who’s been with him since 2015. No doubt this move is a no-brainer, the Mets need a manager immediately. Counsel is that guy who can get the Mets back into playoff contention once again.
Add Another Starting Pitcher
Starting pitching has been one of the biggest weaknesses for the entire season for the Mets. The only starter that consistently produced was rookie Kodai Senga, who’s been sensational for them this entire season. He could be on his way to winning his first CY Young award soon if he keeps it up.
Now the experiment between Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander hasn’t gotten the way that the Mets expected it, leading to their departure. One guy that can solve this problem is Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This season with the Orix Buffaloes he was phenomenal, locking up his way to win third straight Triple Crown. He has posted a record of 16-6, an ERA of 1.21 followed by a 1.72 FIP. Those numbers just show you why this pitcher may help the Mets solve their pitching woes.
The Mets could even try to swing for the fences and sign Shohei Ohtani to add him when he’s fully healthy.
Extend Pete Alonso
Yes, this is another obvious one. The Mets do need to lock up Pete Alonso for the better long term. Alonso has been the heart and soul of this team ever since he broke the rookie record in home runs back in 2019 which was previously held by Aaron Judge in 2017.
Without him on the team, the Mets wouldn’t have made the playoffs last year even though they fell short in the wild card series. More importantly, he’s been the only Mets hitter who has been consistent for the most part. In the last four seasons, Alonso has managed to hit 40+ homers. That just shows that he’s worth the money. The Mets cannot afford to lose Alonso, it would turn out to be the biggest regret they’ve ever made.
Add More Bullpen Pieces
The bullpen has been one of the concerning problems for the 2023 New York Mets. They were ranked 22nd with an ERA of 4.45.
One ideal solution would be to acquire someone like David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets should have Edwin Diaz fully recovered by next season, so they could use Bednar as the setup man in the meantime. Bednar also has three years of control before becoming a free agent in 2027. This move can benefit the Mets moving forward.
Another idea is to reunite with closer David Robertson on a short-term deal. Robertson enjoyed pitching with the Mets before he was traded to their division rivals Miami Marlins. He can be a back up if the Mets fail to trade for Bednar.
