Its Thursday and we’re about to spend the next two days in the City That Never Sleeps. The Mets are up first for us and as usual, it hasn’t been dull in Flushing. This offseason saw owner Steve Cohen make some major changes off the field after a 2023 trade deadline where he gutted the team. GM Billy Eppler and skipper Buck Showalter were relieved of their respective duties this winter and replaced by former Brewers exec David Stearns and ex-Yankee bench coach Carlos Mendoza. With those changes came a new direction, one that began with the midseason youth movement. The Mets were busy as they added veteran pitchers Luis Severino, Sean Manea, Adrian Houser, Jorge Lopez, Jake Diekman, and Shintaro Fujinami. While pitching was the focus, they added outfielders Harrison Bader and Tyronne Taylor, along with infielder Joey Wendle. With all those fliers taken, let’s dive into the keys to success in a season where it feels hard to pin what success would be defined as.

Keys to Success

1. Diaz and the Pen Lock It Down: Last season started off on the wrong foot during the world baseball classic as star closer Edwin Diaz was injured during the tournament. While David Robertson covered the ninth inning well in Diaz absence, the Mets will certainly welcome his return which lengthens the pen. While I am not concerned about Diaz at all, they will need the aforementioned relief additions and a resurgent Adam Ottavino to shorten games this year with their lack of marquee starters.

2. Alvarez Takes the Next Step: One of the bright spots last year was the emergence of young stud catcher Francisco Alvarez. Number four made a strong first impression on the Flushing faithful and expectations are high for him entering 2024. If he can take the next step, the Mets lineup should be extremely potent, which is good news as they look to cover for a thin pitching staff.

3. The New Starters Contribute: The Mets went out this winter and added a trio of new starters via free agency. Luis Severino moved from the Bronx to Queens and was joined by the aforementioned Manea and Houser (in order in the slides above). All three pitchers have had their share of success before in the big leagues and will be asked to contribute this year for the Mets, especially with ace Kodai Senga already injured.

The Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo CF

2. Jeff McNeil 2B

3. Francisco Lindor SS

4. Pete Alonso 1B

5. Starling Marte LF

6. D.J. Stewart DH

7. Francisco Alvarez C

8. Brett Baty 3B

9. Harrison Bader RF

The Staff

1. Jose Quintana

2. Luis Severino

3. Sean Manea

4. Adrian Houser

5. Tylor Megill

Closer: Edwin Diaz

The Prediction

77 Wins

While I could see this Mets team being the hunt early on this year, I think they will fade post All Star Break as I don’t think they have the starting pitching required to make the playoffs. If Kodai Senga returns from injury and some of the veteran additions to the staff and pen work out, it’s conceivable this team will stay in the hunt into September, as they should score a lot of runs. It just feels hard to bank on that right now.

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