How Mets can make good on '21 hype

From the moment Steve Cohen purchased the Mets in November, optimism surrounding the team reached highs unseen in well over a decade.

“The Mets are a team that a lot of people are excited about,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor, the player who most singularly embodies the culture change in Flushing. Lindor was the Mets’ signature acquisition in Cohen’s first offseason, but he was hardly the only one for an organization that overhauled nearly half of its 40-man roster from November through February. All told, the Mets made enough transactions to generate optimism throughout Queens and the rest of New York City.

Still, enthusiasm only goes so far. It’s now time for the Mets to produce, heading into their most anticipated season in years.

What Needs to Go Right?
For the first time in recent memory, the Mets don’t need everything to go right; they simply need to avoid a cavalcade of things going wrong. Most prominently, the Mets need Jacob deGrom to stay healthy, as he mostly has since reaching the big leagues. Beyond their top starter, the Mets need reasonable levels of production out of injured pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard, who are due back around May and June, respectively. The Mets also need to improve defensively as a club, even if only a bit. And they need the questionable back end of their bullpen to be at least league-average. If all that happens, the talent on this roster should be more than enough to carry the Mets to a postseason berth.

Great Unknown
Although the Mets remain confident that Syndergaard will return from Tommy John surgery in June, it’s difficult to project how he’ll fare in his first half-season back. Syndergaard’s velocity should be fine; he was already throwing in the upper-90s in Spring Training. But what about his command? What about his durability? The Mets will have to wait and see, even while counting on Syndergaard to be a key member of their rotation in the second half (and if all goes well, in the playoffs as well). If he’s anything close to the Syndergaard of old, he’ll team with deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Carrasco to form a potent mix of frontline starters.

Team MVP Will Be ...
Focusing solely on position players, this is not an easy choice. It could easily be Dominic Smith, the Mets’ most productive hitter last year. It could be Michael Conforto, their steadiest source of offensive punch. But the smart money is on Lindor, the Mets’ best all-around player. In addition to everything he can do at the plate, Lindor gives the Mets premium, up-the-middle defense at shortstop. He has been one of baseball’s top overall talents over the past five seasons, and his torrid spring offered glimpses of what Lindor can do at his best. Batting in the two-hole for the Mets most nights, Lindor will be a daily source of production and energy.

Team Cy Young Will Be ...
deGrom, until proven otherwise. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball for three years running, deGrom continues, somehow, to keep getting better. He touched 102 mph in an exhibition game this spring, after setting a career high in average fastball velocity last season. But it’s not just velocity that makes deGrom elite. It’s his ability to command everything from his high-octane slider to his devilish changeup, to pitch deep into games, to keep runs off the board at rates unprecedented in modern baseball. At some point, the 32-year-old deGrom will start to fade. But that point does not appear to be particularly close.

Bold Prediction
deGrom will produce the best individual season of his career. That’s not to say he will improve upon his otherworldly 1.70 ERA from his first Cy Young campaign in 2018, but deGrom could come close while reaching new heights in other areas. The right-hander has consistently added velocity over the past three years without sacrificing the refinement of his pitches. A pair of minor muscle tweaks held him back from winning a third straight Cy Young last summer, but things might have been different over a full season. deGrom has already demonstrated his ability to stay strong as others fade. Now entering his age-33 campaign with relatively little mileage on his right arm, deGrom is primed to prove himself all over again as the best pitcher in baseball. Don’t be shocked if he sets a career high in innings, approaches 300 strikeouts and -- with a better offense behind him -- wins 20 games for the first time in his career.