2020-2021 Mets Offseason Thread

[Mongoose]

A new owner and new front office are on the horizon. It almost makes player acquisitions an afterthought. This should be a busy off-season.

What do you want to see happen?

[Paulypal]

A new owner and new front office are on the horizon. It almost makes player acquisitions an afterthought. This should be a busy off-season.

What do you want to see happen?

I want to see the deal go through without a hitch and it be ratified before the winter meetings so the Mets can maybe do something to make 2021 interesting.

What I really want is to be a fan of the team again. That happens when I feel they are trying to win and not until then. When I feel the fans care more about winning than the owners - time to step off - which I did for the most part, and more or less observed the team the past decade plus.

I think SAC turns it around. He knows first hand what is needed to get done as he - as part owner - saw the demolition of a big market team.

I think way too much is being made that "Steve Cohen is a Met fan". Yeah its nice and makes for nice print, but he is a business man first - we as fans have to hope that he sees his business model as something that gets a bigger a return on a better product on the field instead of what we just went through.

If the first signing is Alejandro De Aza I am going to puke.

[Blue387]

Who do you think will be the next GM, assuming Brodie is out?

Billy Eppler just got fired by the Angels.

[milladrive]

I want to see the deal go through without a hitch and it be ratified before the winter meetings so the Mets can maybe do something to make 2021 interesting.

What I really want is to be a fan of the team again. That happens when I feel they are trying to win and not until then. When I feel the fans care more about winning than the owners - time to step off - which I did for the most part, and more or less observed the team the past decade plus.

I think SAC turns it around. He knows first hand what is needed to get done as he - as part owner - saw the demolition of a big market team.

I think way too much is being made that "Steve Cohen is a Met fan". Yeah its nice and makes for nice print, but he is a business man first - we as fans have to hope that he sees his business model as something that gets a bigger a return on a better product on the field instead of what we just went through.

If the first signing is Alejandro De Aza I am going to puke.

He's a businessman first, which is why he has the money to buy his favorite baseball team. The Mets will be SAC's toy. Some guys buy a sports car, some buy a boat, Cohen buys a ballclub. If you ask me (which you didn't), the primary thing separating him from us is that we can't afford the same toys. And being the superior businessman that he is, he's buying a toy that will likely appreciate over time, offering a very handsome return on his investment just by definition. He won't lose money on this deal.

That doesn't mean he's not their biggest fan, one step removed from collecting their baseball cards or being a season ticket holder. As I've mentioned elsewhere, he's makes enough money in his business that doesn't need whatever a sports team brings in. There's a reason he wants the Mets, and I don't think it's income. Income may be in his top two reasons; I just think it's second.

Be all that as it may, I'm with you on him doing what's necessary to turn things around. I think he does it, and I think (or at least hope) that we'll be noticeably happier fans.

[Paulypal]

He's a businessman first, which is why he has the money to buy his favorite baseball team. The Mets will be SAC's toy. Some guys buy a sports car, some buy a boat, Cohen buys a ballclub. If you ask me (which you didn't), the primary thing separating him from us is that we can't afford the same toys. And being the superior businessman that he is, he's buying a toy that will likely appreciate over time, offering a very handsome return on his investment just by definition. He won't lose money on this deal.

That doesn't mean he's not their biggest fan, one step removed from collecting their baseball cards or being a season ticket holder. As I've mentioned elsewhere, he's makes enough money in his business that doesn't need whatever a sports team brings in. There's a reason he wants the Mets, and I don't think it's income. Income may be in his top two reasons; I just think it's second.

Be all that as it may, I'm with you on him doing what's necessary to turn things around. I think he does it, and I think (or at least hope) that we'll be noticeably happier fans.

Whatever reasons are his motivating factor I hope the common denominator is wins and getting players that are enjoyable to watch --- great players.

I think (he is from I read) smart enough to surround himself with real baseball people to run the show. Cohen writes the checks and he has the proper people requesting his signature on them.


We all can just hope that this is the off season that really turns the franchise around. That would be refreshing. I think its pretty exciting to get rid of the worst thing(s) that has ever happened to the Mets. I/ know I am looking to put 2020 behind us for many reasons -- the end of the Wilpon regime is one of them.


On another note -- if I post it -- I am asking you....and everyone else. Feel free to fire away. LOL.

[Shea Knight]

A new owner and new front office are on the horizon. It almost makes player acquisitions an afterthought. This should be a busy off-season.

What do you want to see happen?

Pete's av'rage back up while still hitting da bombs,
Solid starting pitching besides Jake deGrom's,
A GM that'll spend and connect when he swings,
These are A Few of My Mets Wish List Things...

J.T. Realmuto or Trevor Bauer,
'Cause we need a catcher with defense AND power,
And starters who'll pitch for more than two innings,
Can we FINALLY get these Mets Wish List Things?

Gimenez at short, McNeil back at second,
Cano DH-ing if it returns as we've reckoned,
"Good on paper" ISN'T paper-thin depth, or hamstrings
And sprains will put on IR these Mets Wish List Things.

When the 9th comes, when the lead's there,
If Diaz's in Closer Hell,
Don't wait until we've dug a huge hole,
To say thanks but "So Long, Farewell!"




(Well, to the closer job, at least, or the hills WILL be alive with The Sound of Mets Fans groaning yet again...)

[Paulypal]

A new owner and new front office are on the horizon. It almost makes player acquisitions an afterthought. This should be a busy off-season.

What do you want to see happen?

On another note......Excellent job Mongoose....Minutes after the season ended you went right into off season mode and created the thread. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

[Paulypal]

Pete's av'rage back up while still hitting da bombs,
Solid starting pitching besides Jake deGrom's,
A GM that'll spend and connect when he swings,
These are A Few of My Mets Wish List Things...

J.T. Realmuto or Trevor Bauer,
'Cause we need a catcher with defense AND power,
And starters who'll pitch for more than two innings,
Can we FINALLY get these Mets Wish List Things?

Gimenez at short, McNeil back at second,
Cano DH-ing if it returns as we've reckoned,
"Good on paper" ISN'T paper-thin depth, or hamstrings
And sprains will put on IR these Mets Wish List Things.

When the 9th comes, when the lead's there,
If Diaz's in Closer Hell,
Don't wait until we've dug a huge hole,
To say thanks but "So Long, Farewell!"




(Or the hills will be alive with The Sound of Mets Fans groaning yet again...)

Good job -- personally I am a Green Eggs and Ham man but I feel it.

[milladrive]

On another note......Excellent job Mongoose....Minutes after the season ended you went right into off season mode and created the thread. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Hehe, to be fair, it was around mid-game. It got stickied minutes after the game ended.

[Mongoose]

He's a businessman first, which is why he has the money to buy his favorite baseball team. The Mets will be SAC's toy. Some guys buy a sports car, some buy a boat, Cohen buys a ballclub. If you ask me (which you didn't), the primary thing separating him from us is that we can't afford the same toys. And being the superior businessman that he is, he's buying a toy that will likely appreciate over time, offering a very handsome return on his investment just by definition. He won't lose money on this deal.

That doesn't mean he's not their biggest fan, one step removed from collecting their baseball cards or being a season ticket holder. As I've mentioned elsewhere, he's makes enough money in his business that doesn't need whatever a sports team brings in. There's a reason he wants the Mets, and I don't think it's income. Income may be in his top two reasons; I just think it's second.

Be all that as it may, I'm with you on him doing what's necessary to turn things around. I think he does it, and I think (or at least hope) that we'll be noticeably happier fans.

SAC is not the same sort of businessman as Fred. He's not an entrepreneur, he's an analyst and brain. I consider it a different skill set than real estate. My hope is SAC can use same skills applied in assembling an analytical team for his fund, in assembling an analytical front office.

Not that SAC is especially honest. I know enough about the world to realize there's usually a hidden story behind fortunes that size. We know about his issues. Problem with Fred and Saul was they were lowest common denominator grifters with a flair for municipal corruption, and got lucky. Those aren't abilities conducive to building a good baseball organization.

I don't expect SAC to spend willy nilly, but I'm hopeful we'll see some interesting methodologies developed, which will result in finding gold nuggets of talent, and developing them properly. I look across town, and see how formerly nothing ballplayers like LeMahieu and Voit are found and developed into real stars, and see what's possible with a well-funded team of top minds doing cutting edge analysis.

I guess we'll see if my hopes for SAC ownership become reality.

On another note......Excellent job Mongoose....Minutes after the season ended you went right into off season mode and created the thread. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

I'm a big Rolling Stones fan, so it only stands to reason.

Also, as soon as the third inning was over, I realized the season was over, too. I could have started an off-season thread as soon as the sale was announced, and it would be more relevant than this past season's thread. We've all been waiting for the change in ownership, and it's overshadowed anything that could happen on the field. Onward and upward.

[Paulypal]

SAC is not the same sort of businessman as Fred. He's not an entrepreneur, he's an analyst and brain. I consider it a different skill set than real estate. My hope is SAC can use same skills applied in assembling an analytical team for his fund, in assembling an analytical front office.

Not that SAC is especially honest. I know enough about the world to realize there's usually a hidden story behind fortunes that size. We know about his issues. Problem with Fred and Saul was they were lowest common denominator grifters with a flair for municipal corruption, and got lucky. Those aren't abilities conducive to building a good baseball organization.

I don't expect SAC to spend willy nilly, but I'm hopeful we'll see some interesting methodologies developed, which will result in finding gold nuggets of talent, and developing them properly. I look across town, and see how formerly nothing ballplayers like LeMahieu and Voit are found and developed into real stars, and see what's possible with a well-funded team of top minds doing cutting edge analysis.

I guess we'll see if my hopes for SAC ownership become reality.



I'm a big Rolling Stones fan, so it only stands to reason.

Also, as soon as the third inning was over, I realized the season was over, too. I could have started an off-season thread as soon as the sale was announced, and it would be more relevant than this past season's thread. We've all been waiting for the change in ownership, and it's overshadowed anything that could happen on the field. Onward and upward.

We shouldnt want a wily nily spending owner. That leads to nowhere, but we need someone to pull the trigger on an obvious selection. For instance a 25 year old Arod that said he wants to be a Met. Fred had Steve Philips start the negative campaign against Arod - which much of the fan base fell for hook line and sinker.



I am curious and only time will tell, but I am betting that this off season thread is very active and will shatter the former record for amount of posts. (I dont know what that record is by the way)

[Mister B.]

We shouldnt want a wily nily spending owner. That leads to nowhere, but we need someone to pull the trigger on an obvious selection. For instance a 25 year old Arod that said he wants to be a Met. Fred had Steve Philips start the negative campaign against Arod - which much of the fan base fell for hook line and sinker.



I am curious and only time will tell, but I am betting that this off season thread is very active and will shatter the former record for amount of posts. (I dont know what that record is by the way)

I was thinking the same thing - this is going to be one heck of a mega thread.

Guessing that the record is held by the Citi Field construction thread which was active for a long time, plus there were a lot more posters back then.

[Paulypal]

I was thinking the same thing - this is going to be one heck of a mega thread.

Guessing that the record is held by the Citi Field construction thread which was active for a long time, plus there were a lot more posters back then.

Guessing we have about 10 posters now - also guessing that if Cohen makes the team interesting that will increase the number of posters.

Too bad the original Citi Field was such a fail - that whole thread was for a lot of yuck.

[ol' aches and pains]

I could have started an off-season thread as soon as the sale was announced, and it would be more relevant than this past season's thread. We've all been waiting for the change in ownership, and it's overshadowed anything that could happen on the field. Onward and upward.

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[Shea Knight]

On another off-season note: The Mets-Less MLB March Madness-in-October Extravaganza.

We usually track it a bit during the playoffs, may as well again.

Our Matchups:

--Rays/Blue Jays: I'd love to see either, especially the latter, go deep...they've both done a good job of building formidable teams in the shadow of monetary and media Yankees/Red Sox Dominance.

--Twins/Astros: the latter have a lot at stake after the cheating scandal...making it back to the World Series almost certainly won't happen, but an early exit will (right or wrong) amplify the accusations the past few years were an aberration due to cheating.

--Indians/Yankees: And so the annual "Mets Fan Rooting Against Whoever Plays the Yankees" spirit of the postseason begins...some of you may root for New York--I'll never root for the Yankees. A Dodgers/Yankees World Series would be a nightmare on the order of the Yankees/Phillies World Series...which means, given it's 2020, that's probably what's coming.

--A's/White Sox: I really wish they weren't playing each other, I'd have liked to root for both.

--Dodgers/Brewers: Cue my "Mets Fan/Self-Hating Angelino Rooting Against Whoever Plays the Dodgers" spirit once again...I'll say this--if they win the World Series everyone will consider it karma after what happened with the Astros and Red Sox...if they DON'T win the World Series, AGAIN, the criticism will come down crashing down harder than ever...

--Padres/Cardinals: These aren't the well-constructed Cardinals of old and it's nice to see the Padres have finally built something after nearly 15 years, so pulling for them.

--Cubs/Marlins: No fans means there's no Steve Bartman to unfairly blame if you blow it to the Marlins this time, Cubbies.

--Reds/Braves: I have a solid shoulder-shrugging "meh" feeling about this series besides the standard "Mets Fan Rooting Against Whoever Plays the Braves."

Some Thoughts:

--I. WANT. A. CHICAGO SERIES. I don't think we're gonna get one, but it's at least a possibility if both teams recover from their previous couple weeks of stumbling, and I'd LOVE to see it. With all I'm rooting against, that's what I'm rooting FOR the most...which probably means both Chicago teams will be out by the LDS, lol.

--If Clayton Kershaw has ANOTHER playoff meltdown despite no fans in the stands...much as I love him, Kershaw's running out of time to escape Dan Marino "Hall of Famer Who Could Never Win the Big One" status. Bumgarner's done it. Verlander's done it. Arrieta, Lester, Hamels, deGrom--the other great NL Pitchers of this Era have all had big wins in the playoffs with the pressure on. Kershaw's won in the playoffs, but rarely in situations like that, and the failures loom way larger than the successes. Overall he's 9-11 with an ERA of .450, and his blowups against the Red Sox and Nationals the past couple years counteract the argument that he's turned the corner on that. He's unquestionably the best pitcher of the era...but he's an older 32 than deGrom, having pitched more to this point. I don't want to hear he's a "Better Dodger Lefty" than Sandy Koufax until I see some Koufaxian playoff performances--if you're gonna do it, now's the time.

--A Dodgers/Padres NLDS would be GREAT, barring either being surprised early (which WOULD be a big surprise.)

--Bomba Squad or Bust, Twins...you're not playing the Yankees this time--bow out to a battered Astros squad and you lose credibility.

--On the flip side, screw it--I'd like to see an Astros run. I can't help it. That team was one of the most fun to watch for me the last few years, Game 5 vs. the Dodgers was one of the most exciting playoff games of the last decade (even with the Astros Asterisk their whole run now has attached to it) and in a way them being the villains makes them even more intriguing. If they're gonna lose, as they almost certainly are, I hope it's deeper into the playoffs than the first round or two...and what has become of you, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman?

--Well, I knocked the Reds at the start and was wrong. Here they are, albeit barely. But I'll say this--if they upset the Braves, I could see them making it to the NLCS. They'll know the Cubs well as a divisional opponent, I can see them surprising them if the Cubbies aren't careful--assuming they beat...

--The Marlins, Your 2020 World Series Champions if their playoff record lives! Lol. I doubt anyone's picking them to do THAT again this year, but then nobody picked them in 1997 and 2003, either. They and the Padres ARE the dark horses in the NL, though, in my view. If it isn't the Dodgers or Cubbies, I wouldn't be surprised in a crazy year to see either of those teams become a Cinderella. The Padres are better built for it, but the Marlins have that touch of insanity to their story all Cinderellas need.

--I'm interested to see how the Bubble Stadiums factor in. Dodger Stadium is a Pitcher's Park--does that give the Astros a bit more room against the homer-hitting Twins, or the White Sox's pitching staff an edge on the A's? Minute Maid Park is the opposite, a Hitter's Bandbox--I think that'll benefit the Cubbies and Reds in their series.