Carlos Beltran Should Be the Mets next Bench Coach

Author: Frank Caggino

The New York Mets hiring of Buck Showalter as their next manager got positive reviews across all of baseball. However, the Mets still have multiple vacancies on their coaching staff. One of the most glaring ones, is bench coach. While the bench coach does not have an impact on wins and losses, this is still an important decision for the team to make. The Mets are in a unique position since they hired an older manager, they are going to need another new manager in the not too distant future. This is a perfect opportunity for a candidate that is young and does not have any coaching experience.

There were some Mets fans that wanted Carlos Beltran as the manager after Luis Rojas’ team option was declined. As the search went on, fans wanted a manager with experience and credibility which made Showalter the best candidate. The Mets could not take the risk of hiring a third straight rookie manager. Former players such as Mark Texiera have talked about how Buck is one of the smartest coaches in all of baseball. It would be great for Beltran to learn from someone with as much knowledge as Showalter. Carlos can still help some of the Mets players without being the manager.

The player that can benefit the most from having Beltran in the dugout on a daily basis, is Francisco Lindor. Obviously Lindor’s first season as a Met was disappointing, since he did not put up the same offensive numbers he did in Cleveland. The most frustrating part of Lindor’s season was that he showed flashes of the player the Mets traded for. His three home runs in an important national television game against the Yankees showed that Francisco still has the talent. Most of his struggles were mental and at multiple times during the season, mentioned how being booed affected him. Playing in New York is very different than playing in Cleveland and Lindor could use someone that can relate to him to help with his struggles. Beltran is very relatable since both players are switch hitters, Puerto Rican, and great players before arriving with the Mets. Carlos can talk to him about playing in New York and help get him back to the player he used to be. If somehow Lindor can perform close to the player he was before the Mets, it would make a huge difference. Lindor is not the only player Beltran can relate to.

There are several Spanish speaking players on the Mets. Beltran speaks Spanish fluently and can be able to communicate with all these players on a daily basis. If the Mets do not want to have clubhouse issues again, the coaches and players need to communicate better. Adam Jones played for Showalter for years and said that fights on the team would not happen with him in the dugout. Buck would be able to keep the team under control, but he will not be the manager for that many years.

Even if Buck Showalter does an amazing job with the Mets, he will not be the manager for 15 years no matter how well he does. When he retires, the Mets will have to find a new manager again. It would be ideal if the Mets had the answer immediately and can promote Carlos Beltran. By the time Buck does retire, Beltran will have learned under Showalter for years and will be much more equipped to be the manager. Alex Cora has done a great job as a manager for the Red Sox and his coaching experience was as a bench coach. If the Mets can have two straight good managers, they may finally have sustained success which is what all Mets fans dream of.

Sports Are Our Universe

Who Should The Mets Target Next?

Author: Frank Caggino

While the Amazin’ Mets acquiring Max Scherzer is amazing, they still need more pitching help. With Marcus Stroman, Rich hill, and Noah Syndergaard leaving in free agency, the Mets have even less depth. This is problematic because all the Mets have essentially done thus far, is replace Stroman, who was top 10 in ERA this season with Scherzer. If the Mets do intend on reaching the postseason this year, adding another starter would go a long way.

As currently constructed, the Mets starting rotation is Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, and Tylor Megill. No other team can match the two Mets aces at the top, but there is a significant distinction with the next three pitchers in the rotation. Walker, Carrasco, and Megill all have question marks attached to them.

The signing of Taijuan Walker right at the beginning of spring training looked like a home run. Jacob deGrom was the lone All-Star for the Mets this season, and he gave up his spot for Taijuan Walker to reward him for his great first half. In the second half, Walker struggled to put together consistent quality performances. He had some good starts occasionally, but most of his starts were cause for concern. The Mets were fortunate that Walker got through the whole season healthy, since he is a player that has had several injuries throughout his career. Perhaps Walker’s arm was fatigued pitching in a 162 game season compared to the 60 game season in 2020. Taijuan was not the only Mets starting pitcher to underachieve in the second half.

Carlos Carrasco being a salary dump in the Francisco Lindor trade seemed as if it would be a steal for the Mets. That was not the case, as Carrasco tore his hamstring in spring training and took a long time to come back. Even when he returned, he did not look like himself. The Mets can not guarantee that Carrasco will return to his original self in 2022. He will be 35 next season and relying on a pitcher his age to make it through the season is too risky. This does not necessarily mean that a player who is very young is the answer either.

Tylor Megill was a pleasant surprise for the Mets this year as a rookie. Megill experienced some inconsistency in his performances as well, which is expected for a rookie. Megill’s 4.52 era is an example of his inconsistencies, he was not great, but also not bad. Regardless, counting on a second-year player is not ideal for a team that has playoff hopes.

The player the Mets should add to their rotation should be young, durable, reliable, and most importantly good. A player that stands out who is not being talked about and should not cost much, is Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds. Mahle had a 3.75 era which would fit in nicely as someone towards the back end of the rotation. The most appealing aspect of Mahle is he made 33 starts in 2021 which shows how he stayed healthy the entire season. Another positive about Mahle is his era was 3.68 in the first half and 3.83 in the second half. While that is not terrific, it is solid and consistent which is what the Mets need. Mahle has one year left on his contract with the Reds for around three million dollars. It is unclear what Cincinnati would want in return in a trade for Mahle. With the additions the Mets made to their offense, players such as J.D Davis and Dominic Smith are more expendable. Trading away depth is not great, but starting pitching is very important for a team to be successful.

The main reason the Mets got into the World Series in 2015 was because of their starting pitching. Tyler Mahle starting a playoff game is unlikely, but he would certainly help the Mets be able to reach the playoffs. Other trade candidates are Mahle’s teammates Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo. The Oakland Athletics also have intriguing pitchers such as Sean Manaea, Chris Bassit, and Frankie Montas. The free agency market is filled with pitchers who are older or injury prone which is what the Mets should avoid. Two veteran free agents that can be productive at a decent price, are Danny Duffy and Drew Smyly. It would be satisfying to see the Mets add a new starting pitcher and Tyler Mahle could be a hidden gem. Having two aces is great, but hidden gems is what truly makes an amzin’ team.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

How can the Mets replace Noah Syndergaard?

Author: Frank Caggino

The main reason the Mets stayed in first place for over 100 days, was how well their starting pitching performed. One of the reasons the Mets were not able to get back in first place, is the starting pitching did not perform well. Jacob deGrom got hurt, Carlos Carrasco underperformed, Tylor Megill was inconsistent, and the other starting pitchers have a history of being injured. Noah Syndergaard was injured most of the season and only pitched two innings. Acquiring starting pitching depth should be a top priority for the Mets this offseason. It seemed like Noah Syndergaard was going to stay with the Mets after expressing how much he wanted to be a Met. But as always with the Mets, nothing is as it seems.

Noah Syndergaard ended up signing a one-year 21 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. This deal was only three million more than the qualifying offer of 18.4 million that the New York Mets offered Syndergaard. What is concerning about Noah leaving the Mets, is according to multiple reports, he did not tell the Mets he was going to be signing with the Angels due to their better offer. The Mets will get a compensatory draft pick and an extra 18.4 million to spend on other free agents.

The main free agent the Mets should use the Syndergaard money on is Marcus Stroman. He was one of the pitchers that were pitching great when the Mets were in first place. When deGrom got hurt, Stroman was the only consistently productive starting pitcher the Mets had and finished ninth in ERA. Stroman is looking for a big payday and now the Mets have more money to potentially re-sign him. Even if the Mets do keep Marcus, they still need more starting pitching.

Fortunately for the Mets, there are plenty of available free-agent starting pitchers. Max Scherzer is not coming to the Mets, the realistic options to pursue besides Stroman are Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Robbie Ray. The one concern about these pitchers is 2021 was their first great year. They are going to have high asking prices as well which can make it risky to sign them. If the Mets do keep Stroman, adding Jon Gray or Anthony Descalfini would be nice additions as they are solid pitchers at a lower price.

The Mets need to sign one big starter and at least one or more depth pieces for the rotation. Getting a draft pick is also a big deal for a farm system that is top-heavy and depleted. Maybe Noah Syndergaard is not the same pitcher anymore and the Mets will end up being lucky he did not re-sign. But as we know, the Mets do not normally get lucky.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE