The New York Mets are heading into spring training with a rebuilt roster. President of baseball operations David Stearns entered the offseason focused on improving the team’s defensive attributes and wanting to retool the group of players.
After losing Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso, Stearns was being questioned by insiders and fans alike. However, his plan came together as the offseason progressed. As a result, former general manager Jim Bowden predicted on Monday that the Mets would win the National League East division this year.
“The Mets had a slow start to their offseason that featured the departures of several fan-favorite players: Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz (in free agency) and Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil (in trades),” Bowden wrote for The Athletic. “However, as we near the end of the offseason, they have rebuilt the team into a serious pennant contender, with a much deeper lineup, a stronger defensive team up the middle, and better arms at the top of their rotation. … Freddy Peralta gives the Mets another top-of-the-rotation starter to go with rookie Nolan McLean. They also added Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to replace Edwin Diaz and Tyler Rogers at the back of the bullpen. These upgrades seem good enough to get the Mets back to the postseason.”
Bowden graded the offseason as an A-minus for Stearns and the Mets. Of course, much of this was likely salvaged by signing Bichette in free agency and trades for Peralta and Robert Jr. Before those three moves, the roster was closer to league average than a contender, but Stearns was able to turn that around quickly.
The National League East division has a lot of competition as the Philadelphia Phillies try to defend their title from last season, and the Atlanta Braves are hoping to bounce back after a disappointing year. The Mets will certainly need to be at their best to come away with the division crown.
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