Game Over: The 2016 New York Mets
Sorry, New York Mets, your World Series trophy is in another castle. In fact, rumor has it that it’s receiving treatment in the trainer’s room.
After falling just short of the ultimate prize last season, the Mets were stifled by a fire-breathing Madison Bumgarner in the NL wild-card game. If ever there was a time to know a cheat code, this would have been it. Unfortunately, the Mets went down in flames.
Like we’ll do with every eliminated team in our Game Over series, we’re about to examine what went wrong for the Mets, what went right, what’s the best 2016 memory, what they need to fix and what the future might hold.
WHAT WENT WRONG
One word: injuries. Well, we can think of a couple more: Facing Madison Bumgarner. But the bigger problem, before their one-night duel with the even-year magic, was injuries. The Mets lost Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz to injuries. Zack Wheeler never returned as expected. That turned one of MLB’s most feared starting rotations into Noah Syndergaaard, Bartolo Colon and three rookies you’ve probably never heard of, unless you’re a Mets diehard. There were plenty of other injuries too — David Wright, Neil Walker, Lucas Duda — proving that the Mets even making the postseason was an accomplishment.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Even though they hobbled to the finish line, the Mets’ starting rotation was pretty stellar this season. Noah Syndergaard was a marvel in his first full season, his ERA a sparkling 2.60. Jacob deGrom was right behind him and turned in a superbly solid (if injury-shortened) season. Steven Matz’s first full season wasn’t as great as his six-game 2015 debut, but a 3.40 ERA is nothing to sneeze at (especially for a 25-year-old). Even Bartolo Colon, still hurling at 43-years-old, pitched well. The Mets’ offense on the other hand… well, there are some good things to be found. Infielders Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera were both offseason acquisitions, and they worked out better than anyone could have hoped. Walker hit .282/.347/.476 while guarding second base, and Cabrera hit .280/.336/.474 while trolling shortstop. AND they each hit 23 homers. Yoenis Cespedes’ season wasn’t totally smooth, but when he was healthy he absolutely raked. And Curtis Granderson may have hit .237, but he jacked 30 home runs — just one less than team leader Cespedes. (Liz Roscher)
TOP OF THE FLAGPOLE (aka THEIR BEST MOMENT)
The Mets need to battle until the bitter end of the season to clinch their wild-card spot. A loss to the Phillies on Sept. 22, after being swept by the last-place Braves, was the last thing they needed. Down 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth, it seemed like New York was destined for a four straight defeat, until Jose Reyes hit a two-run homer to send the game to extras. When the Phillies scored two runs in the top of the 11th, the Mets were once again in tough. Despair turned into jubilation in the bottom of the inning, though, after Asdrubal Cabrera walloped a three-run walk-off blast to get the Mets back on the wild-card track. Wild stuff, indeed. (Israel Fehr)
CHANGE THEY NEED TO MAKE
General manager Sandy Alderson is in a tough spot. Not because his team lacks talents, but because a lot of that talent is broken. A lot of what he can do will depend on the recovery of his injured players, so what he should add to do is bring back as much depth as possible, including re-signing Bartolo Colon, while adding as much cheap depth as possible. It’s not an enviable position, especially given the heart-breaking wild-card loss.
WARP INTO THE FUTURE
Infielder Amed Rosario and first baseman Dominic Smith both performed well at Double-A in 2016, and should make it to the majors at some point in 2017. Both are currently blocked at their positions by Asdrubal Cabrera and Lucas Duda, but that’s hardly an impediment. Plus, both of those guys see their contracts expire following the 2017 season, meaning Rosario and Smith should slip right into those spots. (Chris Cwik)
Both Gavin Ceccini and Brandon Nimmo made their major-league debuts in 2016. Both should factor into the team’s plans next season.
PREVIOUSLY IN THIS SERIES: Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
