The New York Mets are in a new era that includes a wealthy owner who happens to a lifelong fan of the franchise.
That, at least for fans, is a perfect combination because the theory states that he won’t hesitate to spend money to put the best possible roster on the field.
The offseason went by and that’s the impression that Steve Cohen, the new owner, projected.
The Mets didn’t have a perfect offseason, as they failed to secure a truly elite starting pitcher and a top center fielder, with two players who fit that description available just for money: Trevor Bauer and George Springer.
Yet he brought shortstop Francisco Lindor, pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker, catcher James McCann, several top relievers, and, most importantly, a winning mentality and a competent president in Sandy Alderson.
Right now, the Mets have a 20-17 record and are in first place of the National League East division.
They haven’t played up to expectations, yet they are still in first place in a division that has the Atlanta Braves and the 2019 World Series champions, the Washington Nationals.
So, are the Mets built to win a World Series in 2021?
The answer is yes.
Right now, if we look at the rosters on paper, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees may have slightly better rosters, and the Braves, the San Diego Padres, and the Chicago White Sox are certainly comparable.
Depth And Star Power
But the Mets are built to win it all, because they have both star power and depth at crucial positions.
For example, as of Thursday morning, the Mets can almost field an entire rotation of injured starters: Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Carrasco, and Walker are all on the shelf, and everybody in that group is extremely good.
Syndergaard is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but he is already making rehab starts.
For the first time since September 29, 2019, Noah Syndergaard is striking out batters in a pro baseball game. pic.twitter.com/0q6QjMGUD5
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) May 19, 2021
Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, Joey Lucchesi, and Jordan Yamamoto add necessary pitching depth, and the offensive core is unbelievable talented.
Any lineup that can field Pete Alonso, J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, McCann, and Jeff McNeil is very competitive.
All of them are led by Lindor, the Mets’ marquee offseason acquisition.
Lindor may not be having his best season yet (.189/.301/.280 with three homers) but he will pick it up eventually and is actually showing some signs of life recently.
Once those stars start to get going at the plate, and once the Mets get at least two or three of those pitchers back, they will be downright scary.
Francisco Lindor is still confident the Mets are a team that can win 90-100 games, "and probably more":
"We have everything, we have what it takes to win" pic.twitter.com/uispYYCpDr
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 17, 2021
It’s A Matter Of Health For The Mets
Syndergaard will be back by late-June, deGrom could return next week, and Walker and Carrasco could only take a couple of weeks from now.
It’s actually encouraging, for Mets fans, to think that most of those previously mentioned batters had amazing seasons in 2020 and in the past and are yet to start hitting in 2021.
Once that happens, there will be no easy outs in the lineup.
The bullpen is already good, as closer Edwin Diaz has a 2.10 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) and lefty acquisition Aaron Loup holds a 2.53 ERA.
Trevor May’s 2.81 ERA is also excellent, and he is striking out 32.3 percent of the batters he is facing.
And the Mets are also close to getting back Seth Lugo, by far the most consistent reliever in recent memory.
All the Mets need to contend for the World Series title is health.
And while they have suffered minor injuries here and there recently, they are also, slowly but surely, getting soldiers back.
NEXT: Will Francisco Lindor Be Worth The Money In 2021?