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From the Atlanta Braves’ Viewpoint: the Off-season in Review (Mets)

By Alan Carpenter

Oct 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets players celebrate on the field after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets players celebrate on the field after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets players celebrate on the field after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets players celebrate on the field after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Mets’ Off-Season: “We Made the World Series!”

This is the second of a series of looks at the off-seasons of the Braves’ rivals in the NL East. Today we continue with the New York Mets.

  • 2015 RESULT: 90-72 (.556), 1ST PLACE.
  • Winners of NL Eastern Division, NL Division Series (Dodgers), and NL Pennant (Cubs).
  • Lost in 5 games to Kansas City Royals in World Series
  • Opening Day Payroll: $101.3 million
  • Final 40-man Payroll: $109.8 million (MLB Rank: 19)
  • Owner: Fred Wilpon
  • Manager:  Terry Collins
  • General Manager:  Sandy Alderson
  • Assistant General Manager: John Ricco

Off-season Transactions:

DEC:  SIGNED SS Asdrubal Cabrera
SIGNED LF Alejandro De Aza
(RE-)SIGNED LHP Jerry Blevins
(RE-)SIGNED RHP Bartolo Colon

TRADE:  LHP Jon Niese to Pirates for 2B Neil Walker

Free Agents Lost:
– 2B Daniel Murphy
– OF Yoenis Cespedes
– 3B Juan Uribe
– UTIL Kelly Johnson
– RP Eric O’Flaherty
– RHP Bobby Parnell
– RHP Tyler Clippard
– LF Eric Young Jr.
– RHP Tim Stauffer

Lost Via Waivers:
– Matt Bowman (Cardinals)
– Jack Leathersich (Cubs)
– Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Brewers)

Retired:
– Michael Cuddyer

Pitching carried this team to the All-Star break in 2015, and it will have to do so once again in 2016.  A significant portion of their offensive weapons are gone:  Cespedes, Murphy (if he was truly a weapon other than in the playoffs), Uribe, Johnson.

Neil Walker has been brought in to take Murphy’s place, Asdrubal Cabrera to back up the infielders… or maybe just to play SS, period (that seems to be Plan A).  The Mets are probably done with their off-season team-building, and Mets’ fans have to be wondering how this club can get back to the playoffs after their flash-in-the-pan run last year.

The Overwhelming Season

New York had an interesting formula for success last year:

  • Starting Pitching
  • Just Enough offense to win early on
  • Add offense in July

Things did not look good early on for the Mets when they found that David Wright‘s chronic back troubles were going to keep him out of action for an extended period of time.  Fortunately for them, Curtis Granderson finally had the kind of productive season they thought they could get from him – his first since leaving the Yankees after 2012. Between Grandy, Duda, and Murphy, the team manage to scrape together enough runs to get 5 games above .500 at the All-Star Break.

That was a critical last week.  IN mid-June, the Mets hit a 7-game skid and were starting to thinking that their early success (a 12-game win-streak in April) just wasn’t what they were about.  But they won 6 of 7 and 7 or 9 before the break and pulled within 2 games of the Nationals, who seemed to be in neutral all year.  At the same time, the Braves were swooning into July, which cemented their decision to go “all rebuild” and eliminated any threat sneaking up from behind.

The Mets decided to go for it… but did so in a true Mets awkward fashion.

On July 24, they traded for the best expendable pieces from Atlanta:  Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.  Then they tried to get Carlos Gomez from Milwaukee.  In fact, they did make the trade… until something was found during Gomez’ physical.  That is, Fred Wilpon found Gomez’ contract during an X-Ray search of Sandy Alderson’s office.

A few days later, Alderson tried again – with Yoenis Cespedes.  2.7 WAR later, the rest was history.  The Mets had dumb-lucked their way into the playoffs… and the World Series.

Next: So Then the Next Step...Sideways?

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