Current:Home > StocksMLB Misery Index: New York Mets season already clouded by ace's injury, star's free agency-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
MLB Misery Index: New York Mets season already clouded by ace's injury, star's free agency
View Date:2024-12-23 16:30:41
Welcome to MLB Misery Index, USA TODAY's weekly dive into the bad vibes and troubling trends across baseball.
It's only fitting that the inaugural Misery Index features the New York Mets, who have already lost their ace indefinitely to injury and are dealing with the specter of their beloved homegrown star's free agency.
This is a team that had the highest payroll in baseball history last season and lost 87 games, (wisely) throwing in the towel ahead of the trade deadline by unloading Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander for prospects.
Expecting to compete for a wild-card spot (two seasons after winning 101 games), here's a look at what's going on in with the Mets:
Kodai Senga's injury is a gut-punch
The Japanese import's spectacular rookie season — 2.98 ERA, 202 strikeouts in 29 starts — was one of the team's few bright spots in 2023. His leading a fairly shallow rotation is what gave the Mets hope entering camp.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
Then came the injury.
An MRI showed Senga has a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder and he returned to New York to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection, which will prevent him from throwing for at least three weeks.
It's an all-too-familiar situation for the team, which spent many a spring trainings riding the roller-coaster of two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom's injury updates — or lack thereof.
In an absolute best-case scenario, Senga could make his season debut in early May. But with any further delays, the Mets could be looking at nearly half the season without their ace.
Not a great way to start the spring.
Pete Alonso's impending free agency
The polar bear in the room is Pete Alonso, one of the greatest sluggers the organization has ever developed, and a free agent after the 2024 season.
Since setting the rookie home run record with 53 in 2019, Alonso has continued to mash, hitting 37, 40 and 46 home runs in the other full MLB seasons.
And while teams throughout baseball — notably the perennial NL East champion Atlanta Braves — have handed out long-term extensions to their young players, the Mets are letting Alonso play out his walk year. In fairness, that was the inevitable path with Alonso represented by Scott Boras, as new president David Sterns noted.
With Alonso potentially commanding $300 million on the open market, Mets fans are understandably anxious.
Now 29, Alonso grew up in the organization after he was drafted out of the University of Florida in 2016. He is the club's single-season home run leader and needs about 1.5 more seasons in New York to break the franchise's career mark.
A fan favorite for all these reasons and more, Alonso is unquestionably one of the best hitters in club history.
"I definitely have envisioned myself being a lifelong Met. That’s something that I've definitely thought about. I love New York," Alonso said upon his arrival at spring training. "I’ve definitely welcomed the idea, but I can't predict the future. And for me, I just want to focus on the season."
Alonso's name has been floated in trade rumors since last summer and if the Mets fall out of contention again, dealing him might end up being the most prudent move.
Ultimately, Alonso's future is going to be a cloud hanging over the Mets' 2024 season.
“I’m not tone deaf, OK,” owner Steve Cohen said. “I totally understand the fans’ love of Pete. I can’t predict the future.
“I hope he hits 55 home runs and makes it so difficult on me in free agency. I would call that a great outcome.”
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Louisiana man kills himself and his 1-year-old daughter after a pursuit
- India and Pakistan brace as very severe Cyclone Biparjoy bears down on their coasts
- Attack on Democratic Republic of Congo camp for displaced people reportedly leaves at least 23 children dead
- Vanderpump Rules' Oliver Saunders Defends Raquel Leviss Amid Tom Sandoval Affair
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- Tommy Lee's Wife Brittany Furlan Shares Update on Pamela Anderson Relationship After Documentary Comments
- Barbie Ferreira Reveals the Truth About Her Euphoria Exit
- About 100 people killed after boat returning from wedding capsizes in Nigeria
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
- United Nations adopts high seas treaty, the first-ever pact to govern and protect international waters
Ranking
- Amazon Best Books of 2024 revealed: Top 10 span genres but all 'make you feel deeply'
- Amanda Seyfried Interrogates Tom Holland in First Look at The Crowded Room Thriller
- Not Just Wildfire: The Growing Ripple Effects Of More Extreme Heat And Drought
- As Extreme Heat Kills Hundreds, Oregon Steps Up Push To Protect People
- Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
- Jungle commandos helped rescue children lost in Amazon for 40 days after plane crash
- Love Is Blind's Irina Apologizes for Her Immature Behavior on the Show
- U.S. lawmakers want South Africa to face consequences for support for Russia amid Ukraine war
Recommendation
-
Beyoncé's Grammy nominations in country categories aren't the first to blur genre lines
-
Summer House Trailer: Carl Radke & Lindsay Hubbard's Engagement Causes All Hell to Break Loose
-
North Korea test fires two ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan, South Korea says
-
Kim Kardashian Apologizes for Saying Kourtney and Khloe Looked Like Clowns During 2018 Tokyo Trip
-
John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
-
Boy Meets World's William Daniels Reunites With Co-Stars for 96th Birthday
-
About 100 people killed after boat returning from wedding capsizes in Nigeria
-
Tropical Storm Bret forms in Atlantic Ocean