It’s time to turn the page in the sports world. MLB opening day is upon us and I couldn't be more excited for baseball to be back. With asses back in the seats and capacity increasing daily, it is shaping up to look like a normal baseball season.
The Mets have also turned the page as they dawn upon the start of the first season under new owner Steve Cohen. On top of that, it is the most exciting Mets team of the last decade. Not only do the Mets have the best pitcher in baseball, they now have a top 3 shortstop in Francisco Lindor to go along with Pete Alonso, Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, Mike Conforto and James McCann. From top to bottom it is arguably the 2nd best roster in the entire MLB. Obviously it would be nice to have Syndergaard and Carrasco healthy to start the year but Walker, Stroman and Petersen should be able to hold down the fort in the middle of the rotation. In a tough division, pitching depth is key so as long as there are no Jed Lowrie’s on the pitching staff, the Mets should be in business. This is a team that should very well have 90+ wins and compete for not only for the NL East but the National League Pennant.
Just to address the elephant in the room…….. Francisco Lindor. The Mets leaked that their “final” offer to Lindor is $325 Million over 10 years. Quite normally as baseball negotiations do, Francisco Lindor's team leaked that their counter offer is $385 Million over 12 years. Lindor’s counter offer is an AAV of $32 Million while the Mets offer is $32.5 AAV per year. The tough part here is the amount of years, but who cares if it's 12 years or 10 years? Regardless, it will be the end of a potentially Hall of Fame career in which Lindor is not as good as he once was. Sadly it will be a Robbie Cano situation but I am willing to sacrifice that for 8 great years of Francisco Lindor. Lindor should accept an offer either way because if you have that much money on the table before a contract year…. YOU TAKE IT. 325 Million is an overpay already, can you imagine not taking that money? Lindor would have to hit .300+ with a 1000+ OPS 90 RBI 30 HR and zero errors to make more than that next offseason. The Mets want Lindor, they have made it clear. Even though Lindor said the deadline to an extension is opening day, I do think the Mets end up getting this extension done, even maybe by the time you are reading this blog. Lindor would be very stupid to not take his money when he can get it.
Another elephant in the room, which I think is almost as important as Lindor’s extension is MICHAEL CONFORTO’S EXTENSION! This is a guy who is the best all around player the Mets have had (until Lindor trade). Mike holds down the right side of the outfield while also being an incredible all around bat. Conforto can hit to the opposite field, hit the gaps, and has great power. Conforto is an everyday player who slots into the top 5 of the batting order every night. Obviously Conforto won’t get as much as Lindor but he is a Scott Boras client. Boras is arguably the best agent in baseball and knows how to negotiate big contracts. Obviously the Mets priority is Lindor but Conforto is someone I want locked up before next offseason comes around.
Enough about contract talk, let's get to some baseball. 2021 Bold Predictions:
Pete Alonso is going to have a monster year. Yes, I said it. He will return to his 2019 form and be a potential MVP candidate in the National League.
Luis Guillorme will be starting at 3rd base by the end of May. Guillorme is a scrappy player who can basically do everything. Consistent with the bat, great glove and you know what you’re going to get. JD Davis has shown spirts of inconsistency with the bat as pitchers know how to get him out. High and Inside, JD is walking back to the dugout with his head down. If JD Davis can avoid those inconsistencies and hit the way we saw him hit in 2019 he will keep the starting job…. But I don’t think he does.
Marcus Stroman will have a stud year. This guy looks money in spring and after opting out last year is hungry to return to form. I predict an ERA under 3.20.
This isn’t too bold but Jake Degrom will win the Cy Young.
Finally, I will not predict anything past this but the Mets will make the National League Championship Series.
Anyway, it is such an exciting time to be a Mets fan. Just to get guys like Ramos off the team is huge. Think about it, he had to have cost the Mets 4 games last year. McCann will be a ginormous upgrade. Moving on from guys like Matz / Wacha / Porcello who are the equivalence of batting practice. I mean seriously, Porcello and Matz turned into pitching machines once the 4th and 5th innings came around. Then moving onto Rosario!!!!! Rosario was the most bothersome player besides Ramos last year. The guy would have an excellent game followed by 10 bad ones. He swung at every pitch he could see and had some of the most embarrassing strikeouts in the entire league. Moving onto McNeil who can finally play his true position while bringing in defensive specialists in Almora and Pillar to sub for Dom Smith and Brandon Nimmo late in games. The infield depth with Villar and Guillorme and even a serviceable backup catcher in Tomas Nido is a luxury the Mets haven’t had in ages. This will be the best Mets team we will have seen in a while!