Mets GM: 'We're the favorites' in NL East
The New York Mets have been one of the busiest clubs in baseball this offseason, and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen believes that's produced the best team in the National League East.
"Internally, we would argue that we're the favorites in the division right now," Van Wagenen told Steve Gelbs of SNY on Tuesday after a press conference to introduce Wilson Ramos as the team's latest addition.
Since Van Wagenen was hired as GM on Oct. 29, the Mets have acquired four All-Stars in Ramos, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, and Jeurys Familia, plus speedy outfielder Rajai Davis. They were also reportedly aggressive in pursuit of Miami Marlins backstop J.T. Realmuto and shopped starter Noah Syndergaard.
While the Mets may look like contenders, most of their division rivals have also been active.
| TEAM | SIGNIFICANT ADDS |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | Josh Donaldson |
| Brian McCann | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Andrew McCutchen |
| Jean Segura | |
| Juan Nicasio | |
| Washington Nationals | Patrick Corbin |
| Matt Adams | |
| Kurt Suzuki | |
| Trevor Rosenthal |
Injuries, an aging roster, and underperformance led the Mets to finish fourth in the NL East last season with a 77-85 record, but Van Wagenen believes he's addressed their areas of concern.
"We've done a lot of what we set out to do this offseason," the GM explained. "We shored up the bullpen with two premium arms. We added two middle-of-the-order bats ... And now we've added a catcher that can upgrade that position.
"If we mapped out on Nov. 1 that we would be in this stage right now heading into Opening Day, we would be very happy."
And the agent-turned-GM suggested he might not be finished.
"We're not quitting ... This is a front office and organization that will not stop," he said.