The New York Mets and their fans had plenty of optimism for the 2023 season after a spectacular 2022 season, as they should have. However, the franchise fell woefully short of expectations last season, and now the Mets need to make big changes to their roster this offseason by adding free agents or making trades to ensure that the the 2024 Mets are better than the 2023 version.
After playing below .500 ball for four of the last five seasons prior to the 2022 season, the Mets shot out of a cannon in that 2022 campaign. They won 101 games, the most a team in that franchise has won in a season since that memorable 1986 season that saw the Mets win the World Series.
Unfortunately, that enthusiasm was curbed rather quickly in 2023. Though the Mets began the 2023 season 14-7, they dealt with injuries and soon were 42-48 at the All-Star break. The losses continued to pile up. They piled up so much that the Mets, a year after winning 101 games, decided to sell at the trade deadline and parted with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, who they just signed in free agency after that 101-win season in 2022.
But 2023 is in the past. Before the world knows it, pitchers and catchers will be reporting and all of a sudden Spring Training will be underway. But before that is free agency. The Mets haven't been shy with new owner Steve Cohen to make splashy moves in free agency to try to improve their ballclub. That probably will be the case this time around as well. The question is, what should the Mets do exactly to help their team in 2024 and beyond?
Add more starting pitching
The first place the Mets could look to improve is with their pitching. Justin Verlander was excellent with the Mets during his brief pit stop there. He posted a 3.15 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 2.2 WAR during his 16 starts as a Metropolitan. Max Scherzer wasn't as robust in New York, but he was still solid. His 4.01 ERA was high, but his 1.19 WHIP and 2.1 WAR across 19 starts was nothing to complain about.
The Mets' other marquee pitching signing, who stayed with the team for the whole 2023 season, was fantastic as well. That would be Kodai Senga, who ended the 2023 season, his first in the big leagues, with a 2.98 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and a 4.5 WAR across 29 starts (16 of which were quality starts) and 166.1 innings pitched.
The Mets got solid pitching contributions from those guys but didn't get much from anybody else. The Mets ranked 19th in the MLB in ERA as a team with a 4.31 mark. They also ranked 18th in the league in opponents' batting average allowed (0.248), 21st in WHIP (1.36), and 16th in strikeouts (1,398).
On an individual level, the Mets did not get a ton of contributions either. Among starting pitchers who pitched at least 50 innings for the Mets in 2023 and ended the season on their roster, there was only one who had an ERA below four: Jose Quintana.
Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto did have a 2.89 ERA and a 3.64 ERA respectively, but did not meet that innings threshold. No starting pitcher who ended the season with the Mets had a WHIP below 1.2.
The Mets simply have to get more from their starting pitching in 2024. Luckily, there are plenty of targets to chase in free agency. Of course, there's Shohei Ohtani, but he might not be available to pitch in 2024. But outside of him, there are a ton of quality starting pitchers to choose from.
The likes of which include another Japanese phenom in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, former Met Marcus Stroman, Aaron Nola, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, Lucas Giolito, James Paxton, and Kenta Maeda, among others. There really isn't an excuse for the Mets to not land at least one of those guys. They need pitching and Steve Cohen likes to spend money. That's a good formula to land free agents.
More consistent hitting
Hitting for power wasn't a problem for the Mets in 2023. They ranked tenth in the MLB in home runs hit on the year with 215 of them. But the consistency with which they got on base impacted their slashing lines. Because the Mets ranked 26th in the MLB in batting average (.238) and 20th in on-base percentage (.316), their slugging percentage (.407) and OPS (.723) ranked 18th each in the majors. They only scored 717 runs on the season, which ranked 20th in baseball.
Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Tommy Pham (before the Mets traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks), and Francisco Lindor were the only players on the Mets to post a batting average above .250 last season. It's nice to have players like Nimmo, Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Alvarez who can hit at least 24 home runs in a season each, but it doesn't do much when other runs aren't being scored. The Mets need more consistent hitters.
Luckily, there are a few options to choose from in free agency. Someone like Cody Bellinger, JD Martinez, Whit Merrifield, Teoscar Hernandez, and/or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would be great additions for the Mets. Not only did all those guys post a batting average above .250 last season, all of them save for Merrifield hit at least 24 homers too. Players like them would go a long way to helping the Mets' offense be more consistent in 2024.
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