The Mets Suffer Their Annual Pre-Season Gut Punch
Around this time last year, Mets closer Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon while celebrating in the World Baseball Classic, ending his season before it even began. More recently, let’s not forget that Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio just suffered a torn ACL back in December during a Winter League game.
While it may be a new year for New York, the hits just keep on coming as Mets ace Kodai Senga (shoulder strain) is expected to begin the season on the IL. There’s no clear timetable for his return, but the Mets expect their second-year pitcher to “make a bunch of starts” this season despite him likely to miss a few months. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo provides the latest update on the situation:
The Mets suffering two significant injuries before a spring training game is even played should unfortunately give you an indication of how this season will go.
Is “The Plan” Working Out So Far?
New York left much to be desired for 2024 after selling off some significant pieces at last year's trade deadline. Now with the loss of Senga, this season is off to such a deflating start. There’s a good chance we see either José Quintana or Luis Severino as the team’s opening-day starter, which is far less than ideal.
As they began their journey of re-tooling this roster, the Mets did leave last year with the notion that 2024 could be more of a “transition year.” There were rumors at the time that maybe this was just a ploy so that Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander would agree to be traded to new teams. Seeing what the Mets have done, or should I say, haven’t done this offseason shows that they were genuine with this long-term plan to build a contending roster.
Mets Are Sticking To Their Guns
With free agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still available on the market, some have speculated that maybe Senga’s injury would push this ball club into making a splash. SNY’s Andy Martino reports that this would not be the case: “If the Mets did not see a fit before Senga’s injury…it has not yet moved them to consider committing to other players for multiple years.”
The way the Mets have approached this offseason is disappointing. Even with the understanding of the situation, I still did not expect our top free-agent signings to be Luis Severino, Sean Manea, and Harrison Bader. While I get not forcing a signing just to react to the loss of Senga, I would not have been against adding a bigger name or two this winter to help bridge the gap between the multiple years of work that New York has made for themselves.
This season should be an interesting year for the Mets since, unlike the last two, the team has drastically flipped the script in terms of what's expected from them. Fans could find some comfort in knowing that it’s all part of a bigger picture, but as we all know, there are no guarantees. A tough pill to swallow for sure, but we have no choice but to ride this out.
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