Have you ever had $ 105 million burning in your pocket?
Then you can relate to the Mets.
OK, that represents a slight misinterpretation of what happened on Friday. What is clear, however, is that Steve Cohen still has money to spend on his Mets for 2021 and beyond, after trying hard for Trevor Bauer, offering the current National League Cy Young Prize winner $ 105 million and seeing it o opt for a smaller offer ($ 102 million) from his hometown, Dodgers.
Here are the most viable and sensible options left for Mets to invest in their club:
1. Starting the pitch
At the moment, the Mets’ starting carter for Opening Day consists of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi, with Noah Syndergaard planning to return in the middle of the Tommy John surgery season. When you consider that teams will be adjusting from a 2020 season of 60 games back to 162 standard games (they hope), more depth will be needed. The initial pitch market changed its position this offseason. Among those still available are Jake Odorizzi, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker.
2. Central field
It would be complicated if the Mets imported a top central defender defensively for Brandon Nimmo and the National League did not implement the designated hitter, since you would move Nimmo from the center field to the left field, Dom Smith from the left field to first base and Pete Alonso first base to … bank? Obviously, the platoons would come into play. However, common sense says that DH will return to the Netherlands this year, and how good free agent Jackie Bradley Jr. or Lorenzo Cain of the Brewers would be, a possible wage eviction in Milwaukee, patrolling the middle of Citi Field’s outer field. ?
3. Third base
JD Davis, whom the Mets defeated in arbitration on Friday (he will win $ 2.1 million), remains a defensive liability on the corner. Could Sandy Alderson convince his favorite mistake, Justin Turner (who is still a free agent), to return to Queens? An exchange for Kris Bryant of the Cubs seems less likely.
4. Extensions
Two of the best players in the Mets, the homemade Michael Conforto and the newly acquired Francisco Lindor, are in their years of walking. Lindor expressed openness to circumvent the agency, provided it occurs early in spring training. A package of more than $ 300 million is possible. Conforto, whose agent Scott Boras usually takes its clients to free agencies, would probably need well over $ 100 million to sustain itself.