Five questions facing the Mets for the rest of 2023
Pete Alonso #20 of the Mets follows through on his first inning RBI single against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Sunday, July 30, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the trade deadline came and went, a huge chunk of the Mets’ roster went with it. For the rest of the Mets — plus the replacements — and organizational decision-makers, the next two months will take on a different tone than the ones that preceded. It will be less about stacking wins and more about figuring out what they have and want for 2024 (and beyond).
Here are five questions for the rest of the Mets’ season.
1. Will the Mets try to sign Pete Alonso to a contract extension?
With the Mets trading Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who had been key pieces of the 2024 team, calling into question the club’s ability/desire to win then, others under contract/team control through only next season enter the spotlight in a new way.
Foremost among them is Alonso, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2024 season. Alonso and general manager Billy Eppler have consistently declined to talk publicly about the possibility of a long-term deal and that probably won’t change — though it won’t stop people from asking it and wondering.
Alonso’s future will be a huge story for the Mets until it is resolved, one way or another, this summer, this offseason or next.
2. Can David Peterson and/or Tylor Megill establish themselves as legitimate major-league options?
Both homegrown pitchers are poised to re-enter the rotation, filling the holes created by the departures of Scherzer and Verlander. Now it is a matter of what they do with that opportunity — and how that impacts the Mets’ offseason needs.
Last winter, the Mets decided they were best off treating Peterson and Megill as depth options, hence the additions of Verlander, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. Looking ahead to 2024, only Senga and Quintana are penciled boldly into the rotation.
Peterson and Megill have a chance to add their names.
Since returning to the majors in late June, Peterson has a 2.31 ERA (in three starts and six relief appearances). Megill has been oddly ineffective for Triple-A Syracuse lately, posting an 8.67 ERA in a half-dozen starts (though he was better in his most recent one).
3. What will Mark Vientos show?
Vientos has been a part-time player during his three major-league stints over the past year. That probably is about to change. Manager Buck Showalter indicated Tuesday, just after the deadline had passed, that Vientos likely will see more action the rest of the way.
Letting Vientos play more is basically a necessity for the Mets. They need to use this time to figure out what they have for next year and, who knows, maybe Vientos will present himself as a viable DH option.
Since getting called up again a couple of weeks ago, Vientos has shown glimpses, compiling a .280/.321/.480 slash line. More of that — and looking capable in the field and on the bases? — would be very encouraging.
4. Which other prospects — or big-leaguers — will show promise?
So much of the Mets’ focus now is on building the farm system, which looks a lot better now than it did a week ago. The best part: With the progress in-house players already had made this year, plus the selloff-based infusion of talent, a lot of the top talent is filtering to the upper minors.
We might get late-season major-league glimpses of a couple of those prospects, notably shortstop/second baseman/leftfielder Ronny Mauricio (whom the Mets did not consider ready for the majors as of late last month). And it would be interesting to see pitcher Mike Vasil get a look, though that would require him to more thoroughly figure out Triple-A first. In the bullpen, perhaps Grant Hartwig, Josh Walker or others will emerge as serious 2024 candidates.
Locally, High-A Brooklyn has some fun players, including 2022 first-round picks Kevin Parada and Jett Williams, plus Ryan Clifford (acquired in the Verlander deal).
Among established major-leaguers, signs of a bounceback from those who have struggled would be welcomed. Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte are at the top of that list.
5. How low will they go?
Entering play Wednesday, the Mets had the ninth-worst winning percentage in the majors. They are in a weird spot in which the more they lose, the more likely they are to have a high pick in the draft next season, the better off their farm system would be. Because of some of the convoluted mechanisms involved with the draft — including the lottery and the Mets’ penalty for spending so much money this year — losing lots would benefit them in this particular arena.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
