From the desk: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET
Pitchers & Catchers report in two more days when finally the Mets can again set about the business of playing baseball.
After one of the most comprehensively altering off-seasons in Mets history, Flushing begins digging out from a winter Nor'Easter marked by hype, controversy, and transformative acquisitions.
Once his Mets' purchase was finalized by Major League Baseball, Steve Cohen officially arrived on the scene in November. At long last, the Wilpon Era was over. Replete with a Twitter account at the ready, Cohen, in an instant single-handed revived the spirits of New York City's increasingly despondent National League fan base.
Already a minority shareholder in the team, Cohen and Sandy Alderson were by no means strangers to one another. However, I still wonder why Cohen acted so quickly in hiring Alderson to be his President of Baseball Operations. With Steve Cohen in place, being a Mets executive instantly became one of the most sought after positions in all of baseball. Why not wait and play the field or see who makes themselves available? Instead, Cohen wasted little time in recruiting Sandy Alderson back into the Mets fold. In turn, Alderson wiped out all vestiges of Brodie Van Wagenen's front office, all except "the survivor" John Ricco, that is.
Before hiring a general manager, Sandy Alderson's skeleton crew moved quickly in signing free-agents Brian McCann and Trevor May and executing the mega-deal for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. Not till a week after the big trade was Jared Porter hired as general manager. All of this taking place in December.
Flushing goes on to revel in one of the happiest New Year's holidays of recent history, pandemic withstanding. But then a major controversy came crashing the party. Roughly one year after hiring Carlos Beltran as manager then immediately having to let him go when it was discovered he participated in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, the Mets, after less than forty days on the job are forced to fire Jared Porter post-haste after it was revealed he texted numerous unsolicited lewd pictures to a female reporter.
Kicking off the month of February, news comes down of similar behavior involving former manager Mickey Callaway. In what is being called the "worst kept secret in sports," several female members of the media claim Callaway's harassing behavior spanned five years, covering his time in Cleveland, New York, and Anaheim.
As one who hired both, these incidents put Sandy Alderson's hiring practices squarely under the spotlight. When a reporter questioned if he ever consulted with a woman at any point during his vetting of Porter, Sandy Alderson said no. Therefore, it's now up to him to decipher whether his practices are fundamentally flawed, self-serving, or otherwise.
Then came the GameStop and supposed stock manipulation uproar that caused Steve Cohen's professional life as an investor to bleed over into his endeavors as Mets owner. He suspended his Twitter account at once, and you might say the honeymoon period ended with it.
Meanwhile, free agency was not as cooperative as Mets fans anticipated. However, for the first time in a long time, spending power was not a primary issue. It certainly appears as if George Springer and Trevor Bauer never once contemplated playing in New York. Instead, each used the Mets to facilitate an agreeable contract elsewhere, for it takes two to set a market ... just ask Baurer's agent. I am actually very agreeable to missing out on both. Just because they were the best available doesn't necessarily make them worthy of premium dollars.
This month's second wave of transactions saw the trading away of Steven Matz to Toronto for three prospects, one of which the Mets parlayed into Kansas City's eighth-ranked prospect, outfielder Khalil Lee. Alderson and interim general manager Zack Scott also traded for pitchers Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto. From the free-agent market, they signed outfielder Albert Amora Jr, pitcher Aaron Loup, and infielder Jonathan Villar.
And that was only in the first one hundred days of the Cohen Era.
The Mets still have several outstanding issues entering Spring Training.
Major League Baseball will not be implementing a universal DH this season. As rules go, I'm happy about it, but it's problematic for the Mets. The likely alignment when the Mets are not playing American League teams is Dom Smith playing left and Pete Alonso at first. Otherwise, Dom Smith will DH and make the occasional start at first - not an optimal situation.
Albert Almora Jr. brings a potential platoon into the center field equation. This is, of course, the backup plan after having missed out on George Springer. Brandon Nimmo looks to be the starter heading into the season. In fact, I welcome Nimmo and his career .838 OPS. At the very least, Albert Almora Jr. should become the customary late-inning replacement.
The situation at third base remains fluid. The job belongs to JD Davis until notified otherwise. No one is questioning his bat. However, his glovework leaves much to be desired. Thus the Mets seem more than interested in making another move.
Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor and Michael Conforto have pressing contract concerns that require the Mets address.
Lastly, on the premise simmering in pockets of Metsville, that because the Mets have a billionaire owner, their inability to secure JT Realmuto, Brad Hand, George Springer, Trevor Baurer, James Paxton, D.J. LeMahieu, Cory Kluber, Nolan Arenado, et al, constitutes a failed off-season.
To all of it, I say, nonsense.
