3 takeaways for the Mets from the winter meetings
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, right, talks with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns last May. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
ORLANDO, Fla. — As baseball’s winter meetings ended Thursday, the Mets were more defined by what happened to them than what happened for them.
Here are three takeaways from a franchise-defining few days:
1. Flushing no longer is necessarily the place to be
Closer Edwin Diaz agreed to a three-year deal with the Dodgers and didn’t allow his old team to make a counteroffer, a source said. The Mets didn’t even make an official offer to Pete Alonso, who left for the Orioles. And — in something that should come as no great shock — the other big free agent to reach agreement, Kyle Schwarber, went back to the Phillies.
It’s still very early in the offseason, but it’s clear that the Mets no longer are the tantalizing landing spot that coaxed Juan Soto away from the Yankees last year. Alonso’s agent, Scott Boras, pretty much came out and said it: The Dodgers, with their back-to-back championships and deep pockets, are setting the standard.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is hardly a penny-pincher, but after last year’s collapse and the general sense of upheaval, it’s safe to wonder if players will think twice before signing up for a season of uncertainty with Cohen’s team.
“The one thing we know is that there is a Goliath in the market” in the Dodgers, said Boras, who represents Alonso, Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman and a slew of other big-game fish. “Owners have to really meet a standard that’s different because they can’t just say getting into the postseason gives me a chance to win. They have to say that I’ve got to meet a standard [of] depth with four or five great players . . . to seriously contend for a World Series. It’s not just about sneaking into the playoffs.”
For proof, look no further than Diaz, who took a three-year, $69 million deal after saying no to the Mets’ offer of three years and $66 million with deferrals. The Mets were willing to go higher, but to the shock of a few people in the organization, the closer didn’t double back to see if he could get more money.
2. It’s just business
It’s no secret that baseball is about the bottom line, but Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made it abundantly clear that sentimentality doesn’t have a seat at his table. There was enough indication of that late last month when he shipped Brandon Nimmo to Texas for Marcus Semien, but the point was really brought home when they didn’t make Alonso an offer.
Sure, the five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles is steep, but it wasn’t far off from projections. A source, however, said the Mets didn’t see a point in making a formal offer when the other teams were willing to give significantly more. And so the franchise record-holder for home runs departed without much of a fight.
Jeff McNeil, whose name has been brought up in trade rumors, is the longest-tenured Met, having made his debut in 2018. With Alonso gone, the next two are David Peterson (2020) and Francisco Lindor (2021). That’s a lot of turnaround for a franchise.
3. Carlos Mendoza is facing a steep challenge
And it may cost him his job. Mendoza, whose contract expires in 2026, has an unenviable task in front of him, and the mess is not necessarily of his doing.
Mendoza has to create balance and chemistry with a completely different coaching staff and roster, and it’s unclear how much of a say he has in front-office decisions. In his meeting with reporters Monday, he expressed surprise at the Nimmo trade and advocated for Alonso’s return.
Former Mets reliever Adam Ottavino also questioned Mendoza’s bullpen management on his podcast last month, saying it was haphazard and potentially the cause of the unit’s many injuries. Mendoza said the Mets were “one of the better teams that protect their relievers” despite the lack of length from their starters.
When asked by a Spanish-language reporter if he is worried about his job security, Mendoza replied that “when you’re a major-league manager, the seat is always hot. You can’t think about that. My job is to be the best version of Carlos Mendoza — how can I impact the players, how can I impact the organization?”
The question is, how long is he going to be allowed to do that job?
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
