Just like that, the tune has changed around the Mets’ offseason.
That sour taste from losing four fan favorites from their core has quickly washed away after an action-filled week that saw them make some big-name additions to help both their offense and pitching.
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New York responded after losing out on star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers, bringing in one of the top bats left on the market in two-time All-Star Bo Bichette to man the hot corner.
They then filled the massive need alongside Juan Soto in their outfield, finally reaching an agreement on a deal with the Chicago White Sox to bring high-upside two-way centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. to Queens.
Hours after Bichette was introduced for the first time at Citi Field, David Stearns was able to secure the ace he’s been searching for, completing a trade with his former club in Milwaukee for right-handers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers.
The Mets also picked up veteran reliever Luis Garcia on a one-year deal earlier in the day.
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On paper, this team is looking much more like a contender in the National League.
Manager Carlos Mendoza certainly is happy with what he sees.
“It’s exciting,” the skipper said Friday afternoon on Foul Territory. “Everything happened so fast, it was one move after another. I kept getting texts from front office members about the moves — because of the way the offseason started, we got to this point, it’s definitely exciting.”
While the roster is now just about set, Steve Cohen‘s deep pockets have fans wondering if more excitement is on the way.
As we’ve seen over the past few months, you can never truly rule anything out with this front office, but Mendoza did emphasize that they feel good about the club as currently constructed.
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“I know David [Stearns] is going to continue to stay active with Steve [Cohen],” he said. “As the manager, you appreciate having an owner in Steve and Alex [Cohen] who are willing to put in all of their resources, that’s a good feeling.
“David will continue to look for ways to continue to improve our roster, but we do feel really good with where we’re at from the pitching-side, the position player-side, the depth, the minor leagues — we feel really good with where we’re headed as an organization.”