Mets Inability to Improve Prompts Poor Offseason Grade
The offseason might be known more for it's big miss rather than any of it's signings for the New York Mets.
The Mets went hard after Yoshinobu Yamamoto and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their offseason of dreams.
Instead, New York walked away with a number of smaller moves rather than making a big splash.
They did add three new starters to their rotation, retooling the guys behind Jose Quintana.
The first move they made was to trade for Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor from the Milwaukee Brewers, sending away 23-year-old pitching prospect Coleman Crow.
Houser is a fine starter for the back end of the rotation and Tyrone Taylor will be a solid supplemental glove off the bench in the outfield.
The other two new starters came from free agency in Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, both hoping to find a return to form.
Severino spent his first eight seasons as a member of the rival New York Yankees. He was a two-time All Star there, but that was a few years ago. His disappointing 2023 saw his earned run average balloon up to 6.65, over double what it was a year before. Now, he signs a one-year deal worth $13 million to search for some consistency again.
Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million deal. The left-handed veteran has bounced around to a couple of team since leaving the Oakland Athletics, but hasn't been able to find the same success as he was earlier in his career. He did end 2023 on a high note, as the Mets will hope he can find that same success.
They added bullpen arms Shintaro Fujinami, Jorge Lopez and Jake Diekman. Each player comes on a one-year deal. Lopez and Diekman have each had up-and-downs in their careers. Lopez had a standout 2022 campaign but fell back down to earth last season. Diekman on the other hand was just an ok arm for his entire career before dominating last season for the Tampa Bay Rays at 36 years old.
As for new bats in the lineup, they brought in Ji Man Choi on a minor league deal and Harrison Bader to a one-year deal.
Choi could still make the final roster, but also wouldn't be a surprising cut.
Bader figures into center field with his glove being his most intriguing attribute. If the Mets can get around 10 home runs out of him as well, it'll be a bonus.
Overall, it's nothing flashy. A lot of players that are coming off of down years hoping to find something that works for them in New York. It was also a lot of one-year deals, so nothing on the books for too long.
Overall Grade: C
