Justin Verlander prompts analysis of Mets' analytics

What Justin Verlander described as “constructive criticism” of the Mets’ analytical department could be taken any number of ways. But at least two members of the organization didn’t view the club’s system as harmful to their relationship with the future Hall of Famer during his time in Flushing — or believe there were any bad feelings before he was dealt to the Astros.

Verlander was complimentary to the Mets shortly after the deadline deal that sent him to Houston, speaking from a microphone at Yankee Stadium, of all places. He also made a point of saying owner Steve Cohen would field a competitive team for next season after former Mets rotation-mate Max Scherzer put them in rebuild mode until ’26.

Those two having a difference of opinion is hardly surprising. Both are three-time Cy Young winners headed for Cooperstown. Both were pulling in a record $43.3 million salary from the Mets. But the similarities pretty much ended there, and it was Verlander who was painted as the villain recently by a New York Post story that had an unnamed Met calling him a “diva” — detached from his teammates and often complaining about the team’s analytics department.

I’m not going to dispute that account, and from what I witnessed personally during the time the clubhouse was open to the media, Verlander didn’t socialize a ton with his fellow Mets. As for him and Scherzer, they occupied lockers on opposite sides of the room — unlike deGrom, who was situated only a couple of stalls away from Scherzer last season.

Then again, Verlander was new to the Mets this year, and promptly missed the first six weeks of the regular season with a shoulder strain that popped up hours before the first pitch of Opening Day in Miami. Did that bumpy beginning start him off on a bad foot in Flushing? It wasn’t ideal. But the two sources didn’t get any serious indication about a rift with the analytics crew, or that Verlander wasn’t being adequately supported by the staff overall.

And if Verlander bumped heads with that department, he seemed to get over it, going 4-1 with a 1.49 ERA in his seven starts before the deadline, holding opponents to a .178 batting average with 37 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings. Verlander obviously was aware of the Post’s accusations from the weekend because he took to X, the site formerly known as Twitter, to address those claims. It wasn’t really a denial, either.

“I want to say that I have nothing but respect for the Mets organization and I enjoyed connecting with all of my teammates this season… new and old!! It truly was a wonderful group of people,” Verlander posted on X Monday. “That being said, we all know the success of a team is made up of more than just the players on the field, everyone’s input is valuable. I’m sorry to hear that a staff member took offense to constructive criticism on how we could improve. Wishing nothing but best to the Mets moving forward.”

Judging by that, Verlander basically admitted there were discussions between him and the staff about something. As far as the Post’s unnamed Met saying that Verlander felt the Mets’ analytics group was “inferior” to the one he rejoined in Houston, such a comparison was probably inevitable, as the capability and methods vary from team to team.

It’s no secret that owner Steve Cohen identified upgrading the analytics department as one of his top priorities when he purchased the Mets in November 2020. Since then, Cohen has migrated data staffers from his Point72 hedge-fund firm to beef up that side of the Mets while investing mightily in the latest tech to do so. Cohen spending a record-setting $377 million on this year’s payroll is what gets the attention, but he’s also been in an arm’s race to make the Mets’ analytics group among the game’s elite.

Even so, baseball’s data science and its deployment are not a one-size-fits-all application. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner recalled Monday the transition coming over from the Twins in 2019, just in the methods by which the two teams processed the information. Hefner also referenced the significantly increased commitment to analytics since Cohen took over, and that continues to evolve.

“Everyone’s generally looking at the same things,” Hefner said before Tuesday night’s game against the Pirates. “It’s kind of how it’s expressed. There can be an adjustment period. What we had here (in 2019) was very similar to what we had in Minnesota. It’s just how to access it, and how to use it, and what it looks like.”

Hefner acknowledged that “some teams started down this path a lot sooner than others” and the Mets, post-Cohen, have relied more on the “accountability” factor to make sure they’re exploring every possible avenue to get better, with a big helping hand from analytics. But the mining of that data hasn’t produced dividends this season — the Mets were 11 games under .500 (54-65) before Tuesday night’s game, having gutted the roster at the deadline, a “re-purposing” that shipped Verlander back to the defending world champs, his preferred destination.

Did Verlander blow up the Mets’ clubhouse chemistry before leaving? That could depend on whom you ask.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.