New York Mets: 2017 Season Review and Offseason Preview

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The New York Mets’ hopes of contending in 2017 were quickly dashed by another litany of injuries. How did it all go down, and what’s on the horizon for next season?

The 2015 season was supposed to be the start of something special for the New York Mets. Though they lost the World Series to the Kansas City Royals in five games, they captured the NL East division crown (their first since 2006) with 90 regular season wins and appeared to be a franchise very much on the rise.

Injuries, particularly to the their vaunted starting rotation, hindered the Mets in 2016, though they still managed to sneak into the postseason with a Wild Card berth. They fell in the one-game playoff to the San Francisco Giants, but surely a healthier season in 2017 would lead to a deeper run in October.

No, on both counts. Health woes ravaged the Mets up and down the roster once again this year, and they never came close to realistically sniffing the postseason. They finished fourth in the division with a 70-92 record, their worst season performance since 2009.

The Mets simply failed to get hot for any appreciable stretch during the campaign. Their best month came in June, when they merely posted a .500 mark at 14-14. They never climbed more than four games over .500 (on April 13) and their longest winning streak was a modest five games.

Manager Terry Collins resigned following the season’s final game. After eight seasons in the Mets dugout, he’ll reportedly remain with the organization in a front office role. General manager Sandy Alderson, who has also been with the club since 2010, is expected to return on a new contract. While perhaps not the wholesale regime change some anticipated, the Mets will at least have a new skipper calling the shots in 2018.

Until then, let’s take a look back at what went right for the Mets this season and what went wrong. (As you might guess, one list is a bit longer than the other.) Then we’ll peer into the crystal ball and speculate what might be in store this winter.

Next: The Good

What Went Right?

Aside from some nice performances by a handful of players who did manage to stay relatively healthy, there wasn’t much to celebrate at Citi Field this season.

Jacob deGrom was the lone pitcher to make at least 30 starts for the Mets this year. In fact, Robert Gsellman was the only other to even go past 20. DeGrom enjoyed another strong season on the mound, posting a 3.53 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 4.05 K/BB ratio while logging 201.1 innings. He was as close to a rock as the team had all year.

Though his season was cut short by a shoulder injury, third-year outfielder Michael Conforto enjoyed a breakout year at the plate. The 24-year-old slashed .279/.384/.555 (145 OPS+) with 27 home runs and 68 RBI in 109 games. It’s unclear whether his shoulder surgery will cause him to miss the start of 2018, but whenever he does return to the field, it appears the Mets have a budding star on their hands.

Speaking of budding starts, a couple of the organization’s top prospects made their debuts this summer. While shortstop Amed Rosario and first baseman Dominic Smith didn’t quite set the world ablaze in their limited playing time, both infielders are expected to play big roles in the future. Getting some major league experience under their belts this year should pay dividends in 2018.

The Mets also received better-than-expected results from veteran outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson, which allowed the team to flip them for prospects after the trade deadline. Reliever Addison Reed also pitched well enough to become an appealing trade chip.

We don’t know if the minor leaguers the Mets acquired for these players will amount to anything in the long run, but in a lost season, being able to deal impending free agents at relatively high points in their value has to be seen as a win.

Next: The Bad

What Went Wrong?

Where did it all fall apart for the Mets? If you looked at the injury report at any point in the season, you should have a good idea. So many of the players expected to play key roles for the club this year spent considerable time on the sidelines.

The biggest blow was perhaps losing Noah Syndergaard, who was only able to make seven starts due to a torn lat muscle. After his brilliant performance in 2016, the tall righty seemed like the eventual leader of the staff and a legitimate Cy Young candidate heading into the campaign. Instead, he tossed just 30.1 innings and the Mets will now have to hope he’ll be ready to go when Spring Training rolls around.

Matt Harvey made 19 appearances (18 starts) and combusted to a horrid 6.70 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 92.2 frames. The once promising ace appears to have completely lost his way, with some wondering whether the Mets will even tender him a contract for next year. What the future holds for Harvey is anyone’s guess.

After missing the last two years, Zack Wheeler started the season in encouraging fashion, posting a 3.45 ERA over his first 11 starts. He collapsed to a 7.92 ERA over his next seven, however, and his year ended prematurely in late July after experiencing a stress reaction in his right arm.

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The Mets hoped for a nice year out of Steven Matz, but the 26-year-old put up a 6.08 ERA over 13 outings as he battled an elbow ailment.

Fresh off signing a franchise-record four-year, $110 million contract, Yoenis Cespedes was productive when he took the field, slashing .292/.352/.540 with 17 home runs and 42 RBI. The only problem was that he played just 81 games due to persistent hamstring trouble.

David Wright missed the entire year, but that was only a disappointment if you actually thought he was going to suit up for any real length of time. It’s hard to imagine any healthy path forward for the team captain.

Overall, the Mets featured a middling offense at best, ranking 19th in runs scored (735) and 14th in OPS (.755) in MLB. Their starting pitching, expected to be a strength, crashed and burned to the tune of a 27th-ranked 5.14 ERA. The bullpen was also a disaster, managing a 4.82 ERA, good for 29th.

Next: The Future

What’s Next?

The first thing on the Mets’ to-do list will be finding a new manager. The process is already underway with several names on the list. The New York Post cites hitting coach Kevin Long, Bob Geren, Robin Ventura, Joe McEwing, Alex Cora, Chip Hale and Brad Ausmus as possibilities. Whoever gets the job will have the unenviable task of wiping the slate clean from this year’s disappointment and setting a positive new direction.

The Mets are rarely big spenders in free agency, but if they want to turn things around as quickly as possible and contend in 2018, it will be hard to do so without making a notable addition or two. Lorenzo Cain would look nice in center field, but he’ll likely cost more than the team is willing to spend. Someone like Jonathan Lucroy could also be tempting if the Mets decide Travis d’Arnaud is no longer the answer at catcher. But again, it’s hard to see them making a free agent splash after splurging on Cespedes last year.

The youngsters will be a storyline to watch next season, as Rosario and Smith should get opportunities to maintain their starting roles in the spring. If they begin to click as major league ballplayers in 2018, the Mets lineup should get a sizable boost.

Next: Marlins 2017 Season Review

Of course, health will once again cast a large shadow over the Mets’ fortunes. If the injured players who missed lots of time this season can remain on the field next year and bounce back convincingly, the whole complexion of the team changes. However, many of the injuries involved here are long-term or variable in nature, so it’s hard to say with certainty the chances of everyone rebounding. Things should gain a bit more clarity by spring.

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