Strange Times to Be a Mets Fan
At least there’s light at the end of the tunnel this time around..
Image credit: Chris Simon
The NLCS starts tonight and it serves as a stark reminder of two things:
- The Mets aren’t playing
- Baseball is beautifully weird
But while the Mets fanbase is collectively rooting for the team that eliminated them to beat the division rival that’s playing the role of Cinderella, the sting of an early exit should also serve as a reason to be hopeful.
Hope isn’t usually synonymous with the Mets organization, but that shifted when Steve Cohen took over the team two years ago and that’s why Mets fans can head into this offseason excited. For the first time in many fans’ lifetimes, the New York Mets are in a position where they’re players for any name that can make an impact at the big league level.
Like other big market clubs who seek to be competitive on a consistent basis, the Mets are in a unique position where a “rebuild” involves overspending while stockpiling their farms rather than selling off their best players in order to replenish the minors.
Much like the Los Angeles Dodgers did recently, spending big on premier talent while using a robust analytics team to draft well allows the Mets to stay competitive year-to-year while also building a sustainable farm system.
This simply wasn’t even fathomable under previous ownership, but in his two years as owner, Steve Cohen has changed the culture of the organization from the inside out.
Whether it be developing a smarter and more forward-thinking front office, making the right (and sometimes easy) roster decisions, or just wanting to win enough to have national writers thinking the Mets could make a play on any and every free agent, Cohen has shown what big money can do.
So, yes, the Mets had an incredibly disappointing end to the season and yes, there are some large looming questions this offseason. But what’s not up for debate is whether or not this organization is going to do whatever it takes to ensure that next year, fans aren’t watching the NLCS without the Mets in it.
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