What the Mets must do to turn things around in the offseason

The offseason is officially upon us, as the Mets finished up the 2021 regular season on Sunday with a disappointing 77-85 record.

Of course, this came after they held onto first place in the NL East for 103 days, before collapsing by going 23-39 in their final 62 games to finish in third.

While the Mets certainly have a lot of work to do in order to turn things around, there are few moves they can make in order to speed up the process.

President of Baseball Operations

First, owner Steve Cohen and president Sandy Alderson must hire the right candidate to lead the department of baseball operations.

At the moment, the two hottest names linked to the Mets are Billy Beane and Theo Epstein. And to be honest, the Mets can't necessarily go wrong with either option, as they are both proven front office executives with a stellar track record. 

For Beane, this could be his last chance to take over a big market team with a substantial payroll. The Red Sox already tried making a run at him in 2002 and 2019, but Beane wasn't interested.

However, with the Athletics destined to move out of Oakland given their dispute with the city over the team's request to build a new stadium, Beane could instead leave town to reunite with Sandy Alderson, his former mentor with the A's. 

As for Epstein, he is enjoying his two current roles as an advisor in MLB's league office and with an investment firm. But the Mets could make it worth his while if they offer full control of baseball operations, along with a potential stake in ownership.

“I’m selling Steve Cohen, I’m selling New York, I’m selling the opportunity to realize on the potential of a storied but not yet iconic franchise," Alderson told reporters last week. "Theres a tremendous amount to offer someone coming to the Mets."

Retaining Their Guys

The Mets have a number of talented players set to hit the free agent market this winter. And some of them are worth retaining.

But they also must be careful to not bring back the same team that finished with a losing record. Granted, the loss of Jacob deGrom is a big reason why the Mets collapsed in the second-half.

Regardless, they are going to have some tough decisions to make regarding which players to keep and let walk.

Both Javier Báez and Marcus Stroman are two key impact players the Mets should consider retaining. But they won't come cheap.

A source told Inside the Mets in September that Stroman will probably be seeking a 5-6 year deal worth $25 million AAV at a "minimum."

After missing the entirety of a shortened 2020 Covid season, Stroman bounced back to make 33 starts and pitch to a reliable 3.02 ERA. He is going to be a hot commodity on the pitching market, but Alderson already made it clear that the Mets are hoping to be able to speak with him about coming back.

As for Báez, he became the most exciting player on a team that fell out of the race after they acquired him at the trade deadline from the Cubs. In 47 games with the Mets, Báez slashed .299/.371/.515 with an .886 OPS, nine home runs and 22 RBIs.

He also showed improved plate discipline, which has been the main knock in his career, drawing 13 walks in 167-at bats, despite producing only 15 walks in 91 games with the Cubs this year.

There is also the Francisco Lindor aspect, as both he and Báez uplifted each other's play due to their strong bond. Lindor endured a monster month of September with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.

And bringing back Báez would mean they'd form an impressive double play combination in the Mets' middle infield for many years to come. 

“I would love to have him back,” Lindor said of Baez after the Mets' final regular season game. “I’ve had a lot of fun with him playing up the middle. I learn from him, we feed off each other. We do whatever it takes to bring some wins and try to be in the playoffs.

“We fell short of the postseason this year but hopefully, he’ll be back next year and we can make it.”

Beyond Stroman and Báez, left-hander Aaron Loup had one of the best seasons for a reliever in baseball history with an astounding 0.95 ERA across 56.2 innings. 

While the Mets inked Loup to a steal of a one-year, $3 million contract last offseason, the southpaw is setup to receive a significant raise, and the team must make it a priority to re-sign him.

The Mets also have to make a decision on whether or not they will extend qualifying offers to Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard.

Conforto is coming off a down year, but has a proven track record as an above average hitter. While it might be wise to hang onto Conforto for at least one more year, another team could decide he has shown enough in his career to offer him a long-term deal.

As for Syndergaard, he missed two full-seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. Syndergaard returned in the final week of the season to make two appearances out of the bullpen, but he only logged two total innings and did not use his slider or curveball.

While Syndergaard has made it clear that he wants to stay with the Mets, it is currently unknown if they will give him the QO, which he'd likely accept.

The reason the Mets should hang onto him is due to his potential as a top of the rotation starting pitcher. But that doesn't change the fact that he is a question mark given his health.

And the Mets already have a major question mark heading into next season due to ace Jacob deGrom's elbow injury. Do they really want to take a chance on another uncertainty in Syndergaard? 

Time will tell, but his devastating arsenal of pitches should be reason enough to give him another shot, and anticipate a bounce back campaign if he can stay on the field for a full-season.

Spend in Free Agency

If there is one thing the Mets can't do, It's bring back an identical roster that just endured a losing season.

That's why Cohen and co. must spend in free agency to bring in impact players to uplift the team.

Besides re-signing Báez, the Mets will look to upgrade their lineup with names such as Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Eduardo Escobar, Starling Marte, Marcus Semien and maybe even Jorge Soler.

If they keep Conforto for another year, the Mets should still be in the hunt for additional outfield help as well.

For starting pitching reinforcements, Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray and Carlos Rodón are some of the top arms available beyond Stroman.

Even if Stroman comes back, the Mets could stabilize their rotation by bringing in lefty Eduardo Rodriguez or reuniting with Steven Matz, who had a strong year with the Toronto Blue Jays after the Mets traded him.

And in the bullpen, Loup needs to be retained and it also wouldn't hurt to sign a top high-leverage arm either. Stud closers Kenley Jansen and Raisel Iglesias will be the two most highly touted relievers in free agency. 

Veteran lefty Andrew Miller will also be on the open market, but he is coming off a rough season and looks to be at the end of the road at age-36.

Massive Overhaul

It is no secret that the Mets are about to experience a massive overhaul from a front office, coaching and personnel standpoint.

They should start things off by parting ways with acting general manager Zack Scott and manager Luis Rojas. Both moves seem imminent at this point anyway.

One individual who has a club option and deserves to be kept on is pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. But if Rojas departs, it is possible that the new manager will want to bring in all of his own guys.

On the roster, the 2021 season proved the Mets' current core isn't the group to take them to the next level. Besides Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and James McCann, we could see a number of new faces making up the Mets' everyday lineup in 2022.

Dom Smith, J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil all had disappointing seasons. And part of this was due to a poor approach, which is why the Mets are destined to bring in new hitting coaches to instill a more disciplined style at the plate.

Although Smith and Davis will likely be shopped on the trade market, the Mets should hang on to McNeil, who entered the season with a career .319 batting average.

But McNeil is probably one of the few hitters who should be counted on to bounce back. He might be the only starting position player to stick around, not named Alonso, Lindor, Nimmo or McCann.

New Coaching Staff

Finally, we get to the coaching staff. With Luis Rojas likely on the way out, there are three names the new president of baseball operations should look to as options to lead the clubhouse.

For starters, Carlos Beltran was hired and fired by the Mets in the 2020 offseason, before ever managing a game because of Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.

But A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora received second chances this year and so should Beltran. When listening to Alex Rodriguez spew his baseball knowledge on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, it makes you believe his feel for the game would translate well into a dugout. The same can be said for Beltran, who endured a special playing career of his own.

This factor could be another reason the Mets decide to reunite with Beltran this winter, but again, this will be left up to the new POBO.

If the Mets wind up hiring Billy Beane, A's manager Bob Melvin could possibly follow him to New York. Melvin, a three-time Manager of the Year, is the second candidate who would be a good match for the Mets.

Lastly, three-time World Series winning manager, Bruce Bochy, is another intriguing candidate the Mets should go after.

Bochy last managed for the San Francisco Giants in 2019, and he has the best track record out of any other available options on the market.