Commentary: The Mets’ Golden Opportunity
The calendar has yet to hit December in 2020, but the Mets have already lost their second baseman for the entirety of 2021. After getting caught using PEDs for the second time in three years, Robinson Canó was suspended for a full year - a move that not only might put an end to his MLB career, but also to any chance of a Hall of Fame bid. In any normal year, this would be looked at as yet another disappointment for a team seemingly full of them - a sign from the Baseball Gods that the Mets, after all, were still the Mets. But as we have established throughout the past 11 months, 2020 is not a normal year. And in the case of the Mets, this fact actually works out in their favor.
In March, Canó would have been heading into his age-38 season - his 17th in the Major Leagues. But unlike other players who have managed to turn back Father Time in recent years, he has looked every bit his age in his two years with the Mets. This was most apparent in his last full season in 2019, easily one of the worst of his career. Injuries kept him off the field for a good part of the year (including a full month at one point), and the moments he was on the field were not spectacular. In 107 games and 423 plate appearances, he barely managed a 93 wRC+ and only 13 home runs, in addition to his mediocre-at-best glove and non-existent baserunning ability. This led to quite a lot of talk and tension surrounding the team, specifically regarding his role as an everyday starter and the number-three hitter in the lineup. And while he did bounce back in the short 2020 season (.316/.352/.544, 10 HR, 141 wRC+), it’s now clear that those numbers are tainted and aren’t going to get any better.
In other words, Canó’s hiatus in 2021 will give New York an important opportunity - the chance to start moving on. Not only will they not have to deal with a 38-year-old second baseman who still insists on hitting at the top of the lineup everyday, but they also won’t have to pay the $24 million owed to him next season (they do, however, have to pay him in 2022 and 2023). It’s a situation that any GM would love to have, as it allows for greater flexibility in both the roster and the payroll. But for the Mets, this is just one piece of a larger puzzle that has now started to click into place.
It all starts with new owner Steve Cohen. Perhaps it had something to do with everyone being used to the roller-coaster tenure of the Wilpons and the Mets historical penchant for messing things up, but Cohen’s arrival has felt like a seismic shift for a team desperately in need of one. Immediately, he became the richest owner in MLB (with a net worth of $14.6 billion), and he made it quite clear that he was looking to spend.
His opening press conference hit all of the right notes. He talked about how he planned to win now and invest heavily to do so (“I’m not trying to make money here, I have a day job for that”). He discussed staying out of the way as an owner and trusting his baseball personnel to make the decisions. He even brought up his affinity for the Dodgers’ organization, and how he wants to build a similar program in their own way. And it’s quite apt that he mentioned Los Angeles, as they provide both a good parallel for this moment and a good blueprint for the Mets to follow going forward.
In 2012, the Dodgers were in a very similar situation to today’s Mets. Despite constantly having talented players on their roster throughout the 2000’s, they always struggled to break through, and they never really had enough to win it all. It also didn’t help that their organization was always in disarray. After a while, it became clear that owner Frank McCourt was well out of his depth as an owner in regard to both baseball and finances. But despite many efforts to get him to sell the team, he refused to let it go until bankruptcy proceedings took it from him after the 2012 season.
Enter Guggenheim Baseball Management.
While the sale initially raised some eyebrows due to the involvement of Magic Johnson, the new ownership group showed that it meant business from day one. They, like all good owners, understood a very simple truth about the business side of sports: there is no profit in losing. So instead of cutting payroll to save money and squeezing as much revenue from the fans as possible, they wanted to invest in their top-tier talent, make bold moves to improve their team, and hire the best baseball minds in the game to run the show. Within a year, the Dodgers had one of the highest payrolls in the league, and they would win the first of eight straight NL West titles. Now, after one of the most dominant stretches of regular season success in MLB history, they have finally brought a championship back to Chavez Ravine for the first time in 32 years.
This is the kind of history that Cohen hopes to repeat in his new role. Whether or not this will happen has yet to be seen, but his first few weeks on the job have been promising. One of his first moves was to clear out much of the current front office, including GM Brodie Van Wagenen. He then named Sandy Alderson - the former GM and architect of the team that made the 2015 World Series - as team president to advise him on baseball-related decisions. On social media, he has been very engaged with the fans, even making headlines for (jokingly?) suggesting a yearly Bobby Bonilla Day celebration at Citi Field. Overall, he has the Mets faithful excited and seemingly on his side. Now, he has a massive opportunity in front of him to build the team in his image and live up to this initial hype.
Heading into 2021, the Mets will once again have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Additionally, they will have quite a bit of talent behind them with the likes of Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, and Pete Alonso. And now, they boast the richest owner in the baseball, $24 million in freed-up payroll, and likely one of the only teams willing to spend major money on free agents after the huge losses of the 2020 season. Where they go now will depend on a lot of factors - namely who they name as GM - but it is safe to say that they will be the team to watch this offseason. If they can land one of the biggest free agents this year (especially a centerpiece position player like Carlos Correa or JT Realmuto), shore up their depth on the bench and in the bullpen, and start the process of revitalizing their farm system, they can set themselves up for success for years to come.
Of course, this is all easier said than done. But if Cohen can back up his words with competent action, the result could be a major shift in power across Major League Baseball.