New York Mets 2018 Season Preview

New York Mets additions and subtractions

Key additions: Jay Bruce, Adrian Gonzalez, Jason Vargas, Anthony Swarzak, Todd Frazier

Newcomer to watch: Jason Vargas. On a team filled with injury riddled question marks, Jason Vargas may be the closest they have to a workhorse.

Of course, that does not mean that Vargas is a picture of health himself. Vargas had Tommy John surgery in 2015, and had previously had surgery due to a blood clot. However, last season, he pitched well, making his first All Star Game while posting a 18-11 record, along with a solid 4.16 ERA and a 1.330 WHiP.

As decent as those numbers were, Vargas is a good fit because of his ability to take the ball every fifth day. He has five seasons with 30 or more starts, and has reached the 200 inning mark twice. Now that he is another year removed from his Tommy John procedure, any restrictions should be gone. A relatively durable lefty, Vargas should be exactly what the Mets need in the back of their rotation.

Biggest losses: None

Interestingly enough, the Mets really did not lose anyone in free agency. All of their potential free agents were traded away at the deadline last year, or in the case of Fernando Salas, released due to their complete ineffectiveness. Jose Reyes, their key free agent that stayed with the Mets through 2017, returned. There is a good amount of depth on the roster.

For a team with as many veteran pieces as the Mets had, and the disappointing year they went through, it is a bit of a surprise that there was not more turnover. Instead, it speaks to their decisiveness in the face of a miserable year, getting rid of players they figure would not be a part of the future.

The New York Mets did not lose anything of any real significance. With their additions, that may prove to be vital.