The 2012 Hot Stove is about to burn at full capacity in the coming days, as MLB’s Winter Meetings are set to begin on Dec. 3.
The Mets, coming off of a 74-88 season last year, will enter this offseason with a plan similar to other Sandy Alderson-led winters and pursue cheap free agents who might have value other teams don’t see.
As the Mets await Johan Santana and Jason Bay’s contracts to expire, the team is in a state of paralysis in terms of its financial flexibility, and once again this offseason will clearly highlight this.
Heading into 2013, the Mets have multiple holes in their roster. Outfield, relief pitching and catching are all priorities the Mets need to address before they are able to field a competitive team next season.
However, before the team can begin wheeling-and-dealing on the open market, they will be focused on securing long-term contracts for their two-biggest name players: David Wright and R.A. Dickey.
Once those contract situations are resolved — whether that be by an extension or trade — the team will be able to move onto fixing other portions of their highly depleted roster.
Every winter, I take a moment and play armchair GM, showing what I believe would be the right decisions for the team heading into the offseason. While some of these things will likely never materialize, I believe they are realistic options that could bring the Mets into contention in 2013.