Insider Gives Interesting Consensus on Mets’ Offseason

While a significant portion of the fanbase wasn't very patient with David Stearns' plan, there is a lot more buy-in now that the finished product has been assembled. Even though it was painful to see several fan favorites leave, it is hard to deny that the Mets as currently constructed are a much more well-rounded baseball team than they have been in years.

One MLB Insider who was initially skeptical about the Mets' moves in December was The Athletic 's Jim Bowden, who openly questioned what the Mets were doing to their culture by letting veterans like Alonso walk. Bowden has since done a complete 180 on the Mets, giving their offseason an A- grade in his winter report cards story that The Athletic released this morning.

In his summation of the Mets' winter moves, Bowden appreciated the fact that the Mets have built a deeper lineup and improved their defense up the middle by a significant margin. The club's top of the rotation, which now features Peralta and a full season of Nolan McLean, was also cited by Bowden as a strength.

The impact of Kodai Senga is weighing heavily in Bowden's evaluation, since he feels that the Mets could have three starters who can make an impact in a playoff series if Senga can recapture his dominant form. Bowden's piece ends with a prediction that the Mets will finish first in the National League East, which would mark the first time they have won their division since 2015.

The Mets' New Look Could Pay Massive Dividends

Industry consensus has started to come around on the Mets now that the full picture has been painted, which is far more interesting than the bleak one presented shortly after Alonso signed with Baltimore in mid-December. The edition of the Mets that had been trying to win as a group since 2019 largely underachieved and fell short in big spots, making a shakeup worth trying to avoid wasting the prime years of Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.

While the lineup may not have as much pop as the recent Mets did, it should have less black holes towards the bottom, making it more likely to knock out good pitchers through tough at-bats. The better defense should also help the Mets get more out of their rotation, which often struggled to provide length last season partially due to being required to get extra outs when routine plays were not being made.

Winning the division would be a nice step for the Mets to help push them closer to a World Series appearance since avoiding the Wild Card round, which the two top division winners do, is always a wise idea to enhance your postseason longevity. The on paper look of the Mets are good, but it remains to be seen how the group performs when the games actually count in two months.

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