SNY’s Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here’s the latest…
Would the Mets go to 200M for Burnes or prefer a shorter deal for Snell? —@Masterflip_
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine a David Stearns team ever committing the years to a free agent pitcher that Corbin Burnes will require (Seven years? Eight years?).
Simply by looking at the body of work that made Stearns a young star GM in Milwaukee, which he continued with his first offseason running the Mets’ baseball department, we see a clear philosophy of betting on carefully selected pitchers on short-term deals, and using the farm system to develop controllable top-of-the-rotation starters (like Burnes).
Generally speaking, look for the Mets to swoop in opportunistically when star pitchers do not see their expected markets develop. That probably won’t happen to Burnes.
My gut tells me that Blake Snell, who will pitch at 32 next season, will receive a four- or five-year contract, because the bidding for him will be aggressive. A team will have to step up and offer a year more than is rational in order to sign the player. Expect the Mets to be in on Snell, but — again, generally speaking — don’t expect them to be the most aggressive team on top-tier free agent pitching.
The Mets front office and coaching staff are confident in their ability to identify and improve pitchers with ace potential and smaller commitments, as they did last season with Sean Manaea. That approach got the team all the way to the National League Championship Series. Stearns’ challenge is to repeat it with equal or greater success.
How big of a chance do you think the Mets have to really land Soto? —@JoeBreesMercado
A good chance. A solid chance. A big chance. They have the resources, ambition, and location. As I’ve reported before, Soto was happy as a Yankee, which gives the incumbent team an advantage at the outset of free agency. But if anyone is going to pry him away from the Bronx, I think it will be Stearns and Steve Cohen. The Mets are set up to finish either first or second in this sweepstakes.
Last year Mets focused on defense, got guys like Bader, Taylor, Iglesias. What type of team are the Mets trying to be this year —@Blueboy0504
This is another question that comes down to a fundamental component of Stearns’ philosophy. He and his staff believe in high-end defense up the middle. Corner defense is valued, too, but not as much as shortstop, second base and center field. This is a subtle shift from the player profile utilized by the previous general manager, Billy Eppler, who came from a Yankee tradition that placed a stronger emphasis on corner defense.
A look at recent Brewers teams, which were typically elite defensively, answers many questions about what to expect from the Mets in the present and future. Stearns has more resources now, and will spend it on better players, but that does not alter his core beliefs about roster building.
So to answer your question: The Mets will again focus on defense.
