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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Predictions for the Yankees and Mets Offseason by Faiz Syed

Predictions for the Yankees and Mets Offseason
Faiz Syed
            The Yankees and Mets both had successful 2015 seasons.  The Yankees could have played better towards the end of the season but they did make the playoffs for the first time since 2012.  The Mets had an incredible year, making it to the World Series game.  After watching many Yankees and Mets games this season, I have analyzed the team’s needs and I have come up with some effective ways that both teams can address their needs in order to be better teams in the next season.
            The 2015 Yankees team was far from perfect but they did improve from the 2014 team that did not make the playoffs.  One thing that I observed was that second base is a huge issue for the Yankees.  The last time the Yankees had an all-star second baseman was in 2013 when they still had Robinson Cano.  With Robinson Cano, the Yankees were able to win the 2009 World Series.  For the past year, the Yankees had had Stephen Drew at second base.  In my opinion, Stephen Drew struggled mightily and was one of the Yankees wink links in the batting order.  His low .201 batting average reflects his poor play at the plate.  In previous off seasons, the Yankees had spent a large sum of money to fill in holes in their roster.  I don’t believe that this will change this year.  I believe that the Yankees are going to spend big money to secure a quality second baseman.  Daniel Murphy and Ben Zobrist are both free agents this year.  They both played in the World Series match.  I think that the Yankees will sign one of them to fill in the need at second base.  Another need that the Yankees have is a utility infielder who can pay as a designated hitter and be able to play first base.  The Yankees struggled to win games towards the end of the season, and this was after first baseman Mark Teixeira got injured.  Mark Teixeira has been injured in the past multiple times, and the Yankees should invest in a backup first baseman in case he gets injured for a long period of time again.     Along with Stephen Drew, Chris Young and Chris Capuano will enter free agency. 

            The Mets had the second best season out of all of the teams in baseball this year.  They played great in the post season and made it all the way to the World Series. However, the Mets can potentially lose two of their best players as Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy are entering free agency.  Usually players who are free agents after playing in the World Series matches expect teams to pay high money for their services.  I believe that if these players demand more money than the Mets are willing to pay, the Mets will likely turn elsewhere to find replacements. The Mets are going to spend their money wisely and not waste too much of it on one player. Luckily for the Mets, there are some free agents available who play the same positions as Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes. I think that the Mets will most likely pursue free agents Asdrubal Cabrera and Howie Kendrick as they will probably be looking for less money than Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy.  I think that the Mets should also look to trade away Michael Cuddyer and sign a younger and less expensive outfielder.  A team looking for a veteran outfielder would be willing to pay more money for him, and this could allow the Mets to spend more money on another player that they need.

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