SNY's Andy Martino will be responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here's the latest...
Do you think the Mets have a chance of signing Baez plus other all stars like Nick Castellanos or Carlos Correa or even someone like Starling Marte? — @Sxythee
Actually, yes. I do. Maybe not those players exactly, but that basic idea. Listen, Sandy Alderson, Steve Cohen, and Mr. or Ms. New General Manager do not have much of a farm system to work with. This is a problem that will take several years to address, and it’s Alderson’s aim to get there.
But in order for the Mets to take a shot at Cohen’s stated desire to win a championship in three-to-five years, they are going to have to first paper over their deficiencies with money, money and more money. Fortunately, they have it.
This offseason, I do not expect Cohen to be as disciplined about the luxury tax as he was in year one. This man wants to bring a winner to New York, and spending on free agents — while far from the wisest way to do it from a baseball operations standpoint — is one of the only ways to jump-start the franchise. It’s no guarantee, but he’ll almost certainly give it a shot.
As previously reported, it’s easy to envision a scenario in which the Mets sign Javier Baez early to play second base. But it shouldn’t and probably won’t stop there.
The early word on Carlos Correa’s free agency is that he is interested in playing in a big market, on a big stage. He’ll have many suitors, and the bidding will probably become irrational. But a Baez deal wouldn’t automatically shut down talk of the Mets signing Correa to play third base.
An outfield bat like Nick Castellanos would make sense, as would top-of-the-rotation pitchers like Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray.
The Mets’ evaluators see their job to dig deeper and find value all over the roster, as they did with the likes of Taijuan Walker and Jonathan Villar last winter. But fans of the team now have every right to expect multiple top free agents, too.