Mets president Sandy Alderson and GM Jared Porter spoke to reporters on Thursday after making a blockbuster trade in which they acquired four-time All Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
In the move, they sent back infielders Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, pitching prospect Josh Wolf, and outfield prospect Isaiah Greene.
It's a move that makes their offense even more of a force to be wreckoned with, all while Lindor's defensive abilities are Gold Glove caliber. On top of that, Carrasco is a proven starter that immediately stretches their rotation.
Alderson and Porter revisited the state of the team with the media on Thursday after the trade. Here are six takeaways from the heads of the Mets' front office:
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ON NEXT MOVES
In Alderson's introductory press conference in November, he said the Mets were not just one player away. Although noting they are closer to that today than when he first returned to the organization, there are still some moves to be made.
"I think the market will dictate some of our decisions over the next few weeks," Alderson said. "We feel we've made a major impact to the team. We're not perfect, so we will still be active, talking in the marketplace, but I do think this moves us forward quite a bit. There's still some work to do, and we'll see whether it takes us out of certain players or makes us a candidate for other players."
"We'll continue to evaluate the market, continue to be creative and opportunistic as things come our way with the goal of making the team and the organization better," Porter added.
They also hope this isn't just a short-term deal for Lindor.
"We acquired Francisco because of his present ability and the possibility that he can be a Met long-term," Alderson said. "There's no guarantee of that.. It's something that we will approach in the next few weeks.
ON ROTATIONAL HELP
"I think first and foremost, I'd be comfortable [bringing this rotation to Spring Training]. We have some very good pitchers. [Jacob] deGrom, [Marcus] Stroman, Carrasco, we've talked about how David Peterson emerged, Steven Matz, Seth Lugo potentially being stretched out, and then Noah Syndergarrd hopefully coming back in June," said Porter. "So that's six very talented starting pitchers."
But with Trevor Bauer, Masahiro Tanaka, and Jake Odorizzi still on the market, it's hard to turn away.
"Of course, there's never enough," Porter added. "We're gonna keep trying more... I expect us to chip away at it and improve things."
ON LINDOR HIMSELF
"There's some players, many players, that you watch and you appreciate. There are other players that you watch and you smile. And that smile is not just a function of appreciation, but also kind of an empathetic reaction to how they play the game. And I think Lindor is the kind of player that makes one smile," Alderson said.
"He's a great defender, great baserunner, great hitter, very charismatic player, high energy player," Porter added. "I think his teammates feed off of that. I think he feeds off of it, too. He likes playing and performing in the biggest moments as often as he can."
ON AVOIDING THE LUXURY TAX
"It's a significant demarcation," Alderson said. "I wouldn't say it's a line that cannot be passed, but it's definitely a significant consideration when you get to that level. We'll see where we are when we start the season."
ON DOM SMITH AND THE 'DH DILEMMA"
Surely, it seems real now that Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis will mostly play second and third, respectively. If the DH does not return to the National League, that could hurt Dom Smith, who finished 13th in NL MVP voting last year.
"I don't think anything we do going forward is gonna hinge on the DH in the National League," said Alderson. "I think our issues, with respect to the DH and whether it's in the National League next year, they're already present. We have [Pete] Alonso, we have Dom Smith, we've already got issues with respect to the DH. I don't think we're gonna complicate those further, but I think from our standpoint, we'd like to see the DH in the National League. Not only from the standpoint of the organization and our player personnel now, but from my standpoint, just for the game as a whole, it's time...
"We have a DH dilemma already. Dominic Smith in left field is not ideal. He can play there and to get his bat in the lineup. He probably will end up playing quite a bit there. But that's not ideal for us regardless of what we do at another position. We've already got the DH problem, but I wouldn't assume that DH problem is going to preclude us from doing something else with a position player."
ON TOP PRIORITIES
"I think overall roster depth is really important," Porter said. "Continue to strengthen our players up the middle. We added [James] McCann, we added Lindor. Always be in the hunt for more pitching. It never stops. You can never have enough, both staring pitchers and relievers. Again, we're gonna continue to be creative, opportunistic, and see where the market takes us."