Image credit: Roberto Carlo
Jacob deGrom, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, Joe Musgrove’s ear, one hit in Game Three of the NL Wild Card Series. (Read that in the way you’d sing We Didn’t Start The Fire by Billy Joel; it makes sense).
Whether you were leaving Citi Field last Sunday night, or simply turning your TV off to go to bed, you had that hollow feeling in your stomach, a magical year seemingly wasted.
Not to add more to this already full plate, but there is A LOT coming up the pike for the Mets. deGrom, Nimmo, and Diaz could all bolt out of town in just a few short months.
Mets general manager Billy Eppler and company need to answer many questions as they regroup for 2023. After a seemingly dark end, is there light at the end of the tunnel?
In short, yes.
Following the 2015 run to the World Series, the Mets only lost, and never really gained much talent (shout out James Loney, though), making the Wild Card game in 2016 by the skin of their teeth. In 2017 and beyond, well… yeah.
But now it is different.
The most significant difference is the most obvious, ownership. The Mets are no longer a “one-and-done” type of team. A constant contender will call Queens home, and expecting trips to the playoffs is the new norm.
Steve Cohen wants a winning team to take the field every day under his watchful eye. Yes, he did say that they should win a World Series “in the next 3-5 years”, putting more pressure on the Mets to perform on an annual basis. But it’s to be expected.
This is New York. With that pressure comes great responsibility. Cohen will not allow this team to take steps backward following this overall successful 2022 season.
Will Jacob deGrom head south?
Will Brandon Nimmo sprint out of town to another team?
Will Timmy Trumpet blare out of someone else’s home ballpark speakers?
These are just a few questions that Cohen, Billy Eppler, and the rest of the Mets’ decision-makers must answer as we begin our slow crawl to Opening Day in Miami on March 30.
Is it frightening? Sure. But with the team calling and raising the hands they are in, it’s safe to fully expect the Mets will continue to be bullies in this sense. But with a purpose. A hefty one, at that.
In a year that felt as if it was World Series or bust for the boys in orange and blue, 2023 could be just as exciting.
Buckle up, Mets fans. Heading into the 2022 offseason with a plethora of questions to be answered, you should be expecting the unexpected, but in a good way.
Embrace the unknown. Trust the process. Let’s Go, Mets.
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