The New York Mets went into MLB’s offseason with numerous holes to fill on their roster. The positions that needed to be filled included outfield, shortstop, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher.
The Mets offseason to date has consisted of three major acquisitions: the signing of outfielders Chris Young and Curtis Granderson as well as starting pitcher Bartolo Colon. The addition of both outfielders has significantly improved what was a lacking position on the team. Both bring speed, power, and exceptional defense to a team that is in desperate need of all three. Power bats have been scarce in the Mets lineup for the past few years, a problem that should be solved by the additions of Young and Granderson. Although Young struggled while adjusting to a bench-player role with the Oakland Athletics last season, he still managed to hit 12 home runs in only 335 at-bats. Young’s best overall season occurred in 2010 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he hit .257 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs. The addition of Granderson is a great one for the Mets as well. He struggled last season with the Yankees, being limited to 214 at-bats in 61 games due to a fractured forearm suffered in Spring Training followed by a broken pinkie suffered on May 24. However, he did manage to hit 7 home runs in those 214 at-bats, and has showed excellent power in previous seasons, including 43 home runs in 2012, and 41 in 2011. Some critics believe the size of Citi Field will significantly reduce the amount of home runs Granderson will hit with the Mets, but this cannot be determined until the season begins.
The Mets’ third major acquisition this offseason has been starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, who went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA for the Oakland Athletics in 2013, was considered a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a starting pitcher for the season. The 40-year old adds a veteran presence to a young Mets rotation, which had no starting pitcher over the age of 27 last season. In Colon, the Mets receive a durable, proven right-hander who will contribute quality innings to the team’s rotation.
An issue with the Mets in previous offseasons has been the lack of an available budget. This was caused by the fact that the Mets still had to pay for the monster contracts of Jason Bay and Johan Santana. They no longer have to pay for those contracts, and have used some of their newly available funds on contracts for Young (1 year, $7.5 million), Granderson (4 years, $60 million), and Colon (2 years, $20 million).
The Mets have not necessarily finished with offseason spending. They still plan on acquiring a shortstop and a relief pitcher. They also plan on finding a team that will trade for first basemen Ike Davis, who did hit 32 home runs in 2012, but has been hampered by first half slumps that he had endured in both 2012 and 2013. With new moves to come, along with the young talent rising up through the organization, Mets fans have good reason to be optimistic for 2014 and beyond.
