The Mets didn’t end there Carlo Correabut that doesn’t mean they didn’t have a successful offseason that saw their luxury tax payroll soar to a historic $368 million.
After a 101-win season in 2022 Steve Cohen and co. kept stars like Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmowhile he signed the reigning winner of the Cy Young Award, Justin VerlanderAdding the Japanese Phenomenon Kodai Senga and experienced left-handed starter Jose Quintanaamong other key moves.
The Mets may have come up short in the wild card round last season, but their roster is still poised to hit a deep run this October. The betting experts see it that way too.
According to BetMGM, the Mets have the second-best odds of winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at +750.
So, without further ado, here are the three keys to the Mets winning the World Series in 2023.
Health of Verlander and Scherzer
After losing Jacob de Grom For the Texas Rangers, the Mets replaced him with a future Hall of Famer in Verlander and paired him with another future Hall of Famer in Max Scherzer.
Now Verlander and Scherzer are still playing at full speed, but the former is 40 and the latter 39 years old. It is therefore questionable whether they can remain healthy over an entire season.
Last year Scherzer missed a lot of time with an oblique strain and struggled throughout the season where it appeared he was struggling with a few ailments.
Verlander stayed healthy throughout the regular season and postseason, helping the Houston Astros capture a World Series title. But before last season, Verlander missed nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John’s surgery in 2020.
If the Mets are going to be serious World Series contenders in 2023, much will depend on the weapons and health of Verlander and Scherzer.
Enough insult
After missing Correa, the Mets appear to be a bat short. Despite being fifth in runs scored a season ago and bringing back the same lineup, the offense lacked power and struggled to find consistency down the track.
So if this Mets team is going to have enough offense, one of two factors has to come into play: either Francisco Alvarez and or Brett Baty emerge as the young stars they are meant to be or as general managers Billy Eppler adds a large bat to the trade close.
The Mets offense is solid, but probably not good enough to lift a World Series trophy. If this club wants to win a league in 2023, Alvarez and/or Baty will be stars or the front office will bring in a star slugger with great power.
Along with additional juice, whether from prospects or outsiders, the Mets need repeated big campaigns from Peter Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and StarMarte.
bullpen
As with offense, whether or not the Mets have added enough in their bullpen this offseason remains to be seen.
The Mets lost Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams and Joely Rodriguezand let go Mychal Givensbut brought back the best assistant in baseball in her closer Diaz, who was re-signed Adam Ottavinowho has had an excellent season signed David Robertson and added links Brooks Raley. Drew Smith will also return to this unit.
But beyond this group lies a wealth of depth pieces: Tommy Hunter, Jimmy Yacabonis, John Curtiss, Stephen Ridings, Jeff Brigham and Eliezer Hernandez, among other.
The Mets have expressed an interest in it Andrew Chafin and Zack Brittonbut SNY reported that they were “long shots” considering the team is looking for optional weapons.
So if the Mets want to contend for a World Series title, Diaz needs to get close to the amazing campaign he put together in 2022, for starters. They will also need their setup men, Ottavino and Robertson, to serve as reliable bridges to Diaz in the ninth. Smith and Raley also need to step up in high-leverage situations.
In addition to getting production out of the big guns, multiple deep pitchers also need to appear throughout the season when called.
Finally, the Mets will likely need to acquire another helper by the close of trade to help them with their stretch run and in the postseason.
If the bullpen lives up to expectations, the Mets have a pretty good shot at contending for a World Series title.
Continue reading:
– MLB insider says these 2 relievers are “long shots” for Mets
– What Mets are getting in Kodai Senga
– Marlins attempted to trade for Mets top prospect Brett Baty
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