65THE METS HAVE had two managers since
they last played a game. Carlos Beltrán, the
team’s choice to replace Mickey Callaway,
became unviable after the revelation of his
role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme.
New York then turned to Luis Rojas, 38, the
son of legendary outfielder and manager
Felipe Alou, who has been coaching and
managing in its system since 2007. While
Rojas lacks name recognition, he’s far more
prepared to run a club than a novice like
Beltrán, so it’s possible this whole dark story
may have a happy ending.
This is a very difficult job. The Mets areoperating with a middle-market budget—a
whopping $20 million below the player-tax
threshold—in MLB’s biggest city, and Rojas’s
roster looks a lot like the one Callaway was
fired for leading to 86 wins. The pickups of
righties Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha,
reliever Dellin Betances and centerfielder
Jake Marisnick couldn’t knock even the
Knicks off the tabloids’ back pages, and all
four can’t make up for the loss of starter
Zack Wheeler, who signed with Philadelphia.
New York’s best players are homegrown,
while the ones GM Brodie Van Wagenen has
brought in at great cost (second basemanRobinson Canó, closer Edwin Díaz, infielder
Jed Lowrie and reliever Jeurys Familia) have
been disappointments.
Rojas will need even more from his
young core, headlined by first baseman
Pete Alonso, who won NL Rookie of the
Year, righty Jacob deGrom, who won his
second straight Cy Young, and utilityman
Jeff McNeil, an All-Star in his first full
season. New York almost has enough talent
to beat out the Braves and Nationals. A bit
more spending—and some wiser choices by
Van Wagenen—could yield the two or three
wins that put them over the top.Led by ace righty Jacob deGrom and power-hitting Pete Alonso, the Mets will be solid in
2020. It'll be a surprise, but not a complete shock, when they sneak into the wild card.OVER
UNDER 87.5| PETE ALONSO | 1B |How do polar bears handle the heat?
When it comes to Alonso, quite well. Global temperatures2030 PREDICTION
MOVING DOWN
RICK
PORCELLO
5.52 ERA | 1.1 WAR
Since he
won the AL
Cy Young
Award in ’16,
the righty has
a 4.79 ERA.
The Mets are a
poor fit for his
groundball-
heavy style
of pitching.METS
ERICK W. RASCO
New York’s 20 20 roster
looks a lot like the one
Callaway was fired for leading
to 86 wins last season.