Offseason Outlook: New York Mets

theScore's baseball editors break down the past year for each team, and look ahead to the offseason.

Free agents: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Arbitration-eligible players: Lucas Duda, Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, Daniel Murphy, Bobby Parnell, Ruben Tejada, Eric Young Jr.

2014 payroll: $84,951,365

What went wrong in 2014?

Though the Mets posted their best record since 2010 last season, scoring runs once again proved problematic as the club plated 3.88 runs per game, a figure just below the National League average. Only two teams managed a worse batting average than the Mets in 2014, who also tallied fewer home runs than all but five NL clubs. No player was more disappointing than David Wright, though, as the franchise icon endured the worst season of his career just two years after signing an eight-year, $138-million contract extension. The 31-year-old hit just .269/.324/.374 with just eight home runs over 134 games, posting career-lows in OPS+ (101) and isolated power (.105), while managing his lowest walk rate (7.2 percent) since his rookie season.

A shaky bullpen also posed problems for the Mets, whose patchwork relief corps provided fewer wins above replacement than every single team in the majors. A dozen different relievers made at least 19 appearances for the Mets last season - no other team had more than 10 relievers notch that many outings - but things actually could've gone worse: the club's bullpen outperformed some shaky peripheral statistics, managing a 3.14 ERA that belied a 3.74 fielding independent pitching and issues with keeping the ball in the yard.

What went right in 2014?

The stable of young pitching talent accumulated in recent years continued to pay dividends at the major-league level in 2014, helping to assuage the loss of right-hander Matt Harvey to Tommy John surgery. Jacob deGrom, a ninth-round pick in 2010, claimed the NL Rookie of the Year award after authoring a 2.69 ERA (2.67 FIP) with a 3.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 starts, while Zack Wheeler fashioned a 3.54 ERA over 185 1/3 innings in his first full season in the majors.

Lucas Duda also vindicated management's decision to stick with him over Ike Davis, who was traded to Pittsburgh in April, as the 28-year-old cemented his status as a legitimate middle-of-the-lineup presence with his strong performance this past season. The 28-year-old clobbered a career-high 30 home runs while notching a 137 OPS+ in 2014, his first season in which he qualified for the batting title.

Offseason Needs

With Harvey poised to reclaim his spot atop the rotation next season and Michael Cuddyer ready to assume an everyday job in the outfield after signing a two-year deal earlier this month, the club's tentative 2015 roster is already greatly improved from one season ago. There are, however, still some areas that need to addressed this winter.

Shortstop

The Mets have struggled to find a long-term solution at shortstop since Jose Reyes departed following the 2011 season, and though incumbent Wilmer Flores started 50 games at the position last year, the youngster's future is likely elsewhere on the diamond. The club's contingent of shortstops - mainly Flores, Ruben Tejada, and Omar Quintanilla - combined to hit .236/.317/.312 in 2014, and while the Mets are unlikely to contend for the services of Hanley Ramirez, there are some short-term upgrades available in free agency.

Top Targets

• Asdrubal Cabrera - The two-time All-Star produced the ninth-best weighted runs created plus among qualified shortstops last season - he cranked 14 home runs with 31 doubles and 10 bases - though he finished the campaign as a second baseman following a midseason trade to the Washington Nationals. Cabrera is unlikely to replicate the success he enjoyed a few years ago with the Cleveland Indians, but the 29-year-old still managed 1.7 WAR last season despite his defensive struggles.
• Jed Lowrie - The 30-year-old regressed considerably at the plate last season after managing a 115 OPS+ from 2012 to 2013. Lowrie hit .249/.321/.355 with six home runs over 136 games for the Oakland Athletics last season while posting a career-worst .106 isolated power, but the former first-round pick still represents an offensive upgrade for the Mets and won't require a massive financial commitment.

Bullpen

Both Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia made strong impressions at the back of New York's bullpen last season, but the club's contingent of relievers still managed the worst adjusted fielding independent pitching (FIP-) in the majors. Only seven teams watched their bullpens surrender home runs with greater frequency than the Mets (0.90 per nine innings), while the club's relief corps also managed an unsightly 9.9 percent walk rate, the third-worst mark in baseball.

Top Targets

• Sergio Romo - The 31-year-old proved uncharacteristically vulnerable to the home run in 2014, the consequence of a career-worst 13 percent HR/FB rate that fueled an unimpressive 3.72 ERA. Romo, however, managed a hearty 25.7 percent strikeout rate while posting a 0.95 WHIP and remains a viable closer or setup man.
• Luke Gregerson - Though his strikeout numbers have waned in recent years, Gregerson remains incredibly effective at limiting walks, inducing ground balls and suppressing home runs. The 30-year-old right-hander recorded a career-best 2.12 ERA last season (3.24 FIP) while crafting a 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio, his best mark since 2010.

Impact Prospect

Noah Syndergaard - A turbulent 2014 campaign did little to deflate Syndergaard's status as one of the game's foremost pitching prospects. After cruising through the lower levels of the minor leagues, Syndergaard encountered some adversity last season, fashioning a 4.60 ERA while yielding 154 hits over 133 innings in the extremely hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League. The 6-foot-6 right-hander was also hampered by an elbow strain during the early stages of the campaign, but still managed a 3.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing just 11 home runs in 26 starts in Triple-A Las Vegas. Armed with a overpowering fastball and two secondary pitches that also project as plus offerings, Syndergaard is poised to debut in 2015 and fill out a rotation already teeming with young talent.