New York Mets were outclassed by San Diego Padres
The New York Mets got outclassed by the San Diego Padres, scoring one combined in their two losses. They went to the third game because Jacob deGrom was solid, and the bats woke up for a moment scoring seven runs but, overall, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove shut the Mets down.
Musgrove was so good he made postseason history becoming the first pitcher to pitch seven or more shutout innings while only allowing one hit. The San Diego Padres came from the NL West and now get back out there for the showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
Facing the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round is a situation that never should have happened to the New York Mets
New York lost the battle for the NL East to the Atlanta Braves and folded after that. The Padres wanted it more and they did everything better in this Wild Card series. If the Mets would have won, the Dodgers still would have been heavily favored in the NLDS.
The Mets won 101 games, but the season is a complete failure. This is a team that was supposed to be championship or bust. Their trade deadline wasn’t good enough and they never got the big bat they needed. Darin Ruf, Tyler Naquin, and Daniel Vogelbach were nonexistent when it mattered most. The Mets have 17 free agents in the offseason and this team is going to look a lot different next year. The biggest challenge will be getting past the Braves. The way this team was built right now, that was never going to happen.
Next season’s biggest question mark and the most important piece is Jacob deGrom. He intends to opt out and was very quiet about his future with the Mets after Saturday night’s loss. Max Scherzer is still under contract for two more years, but he came up small in his two biggest starts of the year. The injuries he sustained at his age even make him a question mark going forward. Chris Bassitt also got hit hard in the last two games. Bassitt put the Mets behind the eight ball Saturday night but, with the way Musgrove was pitching, it didn’t matter.
Bassit is also a free agent. Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker will also be free agents. The Mets could potentially have to replace four-fifths of their starting rotation. If they all walk, David Peterson and Tylor Megill would most likely join Scherzer in next year’s rotation.
Other big free agents are Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, Adam Ottavino, and Seth Lugo. We know that Mets owner Steve Cohen isn’t afraid to spend, but there’s no way all these guys return. Diaz won’t walk because the Mets know how important he is. His slider might be the best pitch in all of MLB with a 55% whiff rate on it this season.
I think deGrom walks because he wants to go elsewhere. Carrasco and Walker will walk. Lugo and Ottavino stay because the Mets bullpen needs them. Nimmo will be the most giant toss-up, but I believe that he will stay.
Next. Mets, Cardinals were both paper tigers in 2022. dark
It will be a long offseason in Queens, but there could still be brighter days ahead next year