The Mets are Winning Baseball
Recently, most of what I write has taken a fairly negative tone. And it’s hard not to: Baseball is increasingly becoming unpopular, inaccessible, and undesirable for fans, teams, and players alike. But amidst all this negativity has been one enormous bright spot in baseball: The New York Mets.
And I say this as a Yankee fan: the Mets are winning baseball. But what exactly has been the formula for success in Queens? Smart spending, investing for the future, and importantly: building a brand! Looking back at the Mets’ moves over the past few months, it’s clear the broad strategy has touched each of these buckets. The Francisco Lindor trade from this past week alone hits all three.
First, the Lindor deal reflected the opportunity for the Mets to take advantage of a buyer’s market and acquire Lindor (and Carrasco) for what is largely considered a light cost. The Cleveland Baseball Team signaled early in the offseason that it was looking to shed payroll by non-tendering Brad Hand (a $10M star reliever). As I’ve outlined time and time again, Cleveland— like many other teams— chose to assemble a competent and cost-effective team as opposed to an undeniably strong one. Seeing this opportunity, the Mets struck gold to add a superstar shortstop and a frontline starter for the cost of two relatively-touted middle infielders and two young arms. When everyone else zigged, the Mets zagged and capitalized on the opportunity to spend smartly.
Second, in trading Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario in particular, the Mets have signaled to Francisco Lindor that shortstop in Queens in his to keep. The Mets have not brought in Lindor as a rental or one-year stopgap, they’ve signaled to Lindor that they intend to keep him long-term. By removing the safety rails of 2022-alternatives such as Rosario or Gimenez, some may argue that the Mets have put all their eggs in one basket, but this signal is clear. The Mets are eager to keep Francisco Lindor along and invest real dollars in their future, likely through a forthcoming extension that will rival the top contracts in baseball.
In a larger context, this is a part of the Mets larger MO this entire offseason. The Mets brought back Marcus Stroman on a $19M qualifying offer, they signed James McCann at 4-years/$40M (double his MLBTR projection in both years and dollars), and they signed what I predict to be the sleeper-move of the offseason: Trevor May at 2-years/$15.5M. After all of this, and after adding Carrasco and Lindor as well, the Mets still have $32M to spend under the luxury tax threshold. The Mets are ready to spend for the future and position themselves as a high-octane contender for years to come.
Third, and arguably most importantly though, the Mets have rebuilt a brand. Lindor’s smile and personality will shine bright in Flushing and give the Mets the charismatic superstar to rival Aaron Judge in the Bronx. Marcus Stroman has proven himself to be an outspoken personality during his career multiple times as both an activist for social justice causes and for short kids everywhere. Even Trevor “IAmTrevorMay” May has injected personality into the Mets fanbase, endearing himself by eating at Benateri’s Deli and tweeting objectively good content regularly.
The icing on top of this growing Mets personality is owner Steve Cohen. Since purchasing the team this offseason, Cohen has been active with the fanbase and on Twitter: meeting season ticket holders in Queens and frequently responding to fans’ tweets with cringeworthy dad jokes and personable responses. Cognizant of his name-recognition, the media spotlight that follows the Mets, and the power of a platform like Twitter, Cohen has firmly established himself not as a wealthy and distant owner, but as “one of us.”
And while discussions of brand and personality are often difficult to quantify in terms of dollar value and ROI, the position the Mets have put themselves in has clear advantages. Contrast this approach with the crosstown rival Yankees who are notorious for their buttoned up brand, lack of facial hair, unchanging uniforms, and classic non-answer post-game interviews. The Mets are the opposite: they’re the team of the people, the team filled with New York-worthy personalities, the team that has publicly called for the return of the beloved black jerseys, the team that’s capitalized on the big lights of their market to draw attention toward themselves and stand apart. Ultimately, this approach coupled with a winning team will put butts in seats in Flushing and put Mets hats on heads across New York and across the country. Bottom line: the Mets are fun and people like fun.
As Uni-Watch points out: the Mets are the Pepsi to the Yankees’ Coke. They’re the innovative and youthful foil to the classic cola competitor. This analogy is particularly appropriate when considering that the first thing many Manhattan residents see when looking at Queens is the big Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City. Under Cohen, the Mets have smartly spent big to lean into the big Pepsi sign that marks their borough. And while I’ll continue rooting for the Yankees in the Subway Series , it’s hard not to love everything the Mets are doing right now. As baseball struggles to prove its value to the American public, the Mets have built a contender, set themselves up for the future, and positioned themselves firmly in the hearts of the public.