The New York Mets’ season came to an end in a devastating 3-0 loss against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday (October 5) night.
Going into the season, the Mets were coming off a tough World Series loss to the Kansas City Royals in just five of seven games. After re-signing slugging outfielder Yoenis Céspedes late in the offseason, the Mets were predicted to be back on top of the National League and even by some to be World Series Champions of 2016. Despite not being able to live up to the expectations, there is a lot that this team should be proud of.
The 2016 Mets season can be summed up in two words: disappointment and injury. The Mets lost 17 players to the disabled list (DL) over the season, accumulating a total of 1057 days. The amount of payroll money accounted for on the disabled list was $30,932,793. This was sixth most in Major League Baseball. While that may not seem like that much money, many players that went on the DL throughout the season were young players making pre-arbitration money such as Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler. The biggest name lost, perhaps not even because of his actions on the field, was the Mets’ captain and third baseman, David Wright. Though Wright was hurt most of last season, he provided a huge push at the end of the season to lead the team into the playoffs; he wasn’t able to come back from his neck surgery this season, something the Mets sorely missed.
After the All-Star Break, the Mets were six games back of the Washington Nationals and on a skid that seemed like it would last to the end of the season. Not until late August, when the Mets offense hit their stride, did people start to believe in the team again. While their schedule was very easy compared to the St. Louis Cardinals’ and San Francisco Giants’ they won when they needed to and clinched the first Wild Card spot. The team went on to finish the season with a record of 87 wins to 75 losses.
Looking forward to next year, the Mets should have their core five of pitchers all healthy. While their pitching should be solid, as long as all of the rehabilitation efforts are finished by April, the offense will be in question. Two of their best offensive contributors this season, Neil Walker and Céspedes are presumably lost to free agency this offseason. That will leave at hole in the outfield and second base, along with the questions that already exist at third base, first base, and catcher. The Mets’ General Manager, Sandy Alderson, will have a lot of work to do in order for the Mets to find their way back in the postseason in 2017.
