Mets lineup is up for challenge even without Carlos Correa

New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler expressed his belief that the team’s lineup is still strong even without Carlos Correa.

The New York Mets had one of the most impressive offseasons in MLB before they tried to land shortstop Carlos Correa. On the day the San Francisco Giants backed away from their agreement with Correa due to an ankle issue, Mets owner Steve Cohen stepped in and agreed to terms with the shortstop to a 12-year, $315 million contract. But, the Mets had similar concerns with Correa’s ankle, and were unable to reach a new agreement. The Correa saga officially ended after he signed a six-year, $200 million deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Even though they were unable to get Correa to play third base alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor, Mets general manager Billy Eppler still expressed confidence in the team’s lineup as is when speaking with the media on Tuesday.

Billy Eppler confident in Mets lineup even after missing out on Carlos Correa

“I think we have a strong and deep lineup and I am confident in our group’s ability to score runs, but … you can always be better,” Eppler said, h/t the New York Post. “You have to look for opportunities out there and sometimes certain markets are a little bit quieter at certain times of the year, but you are always looking to get better. I do think we have a strong lineup as currently configured, but we can always be better.”

The Mets’ lineup still features Pete Alonso, who led the National League in RBI’s last season (131) and second baseman Jeff McNeil, who had the best batting average in the league with .326. Not to mention they had shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielder Starling Marte, and center fielder Brandon Nimmo, who the team re-signed to an eight-year, $162 million contract this offseason.

New York did make an addition on Wednesday, agreeing with outfielder Tommy Pham on a one-year, $6 million contract.

All in all, this is essentially the same batting order as last season, which ranked second in batting average (.259), sixth in OPS (.744), fourth in hits (1,422), and sixth in RBI (735).

While the batting order relatively remains the same, the Mets starting rotation has changed and probably gotten even better than last year’s. Jacob deGrom left for the Texas Rangers in free agency, while the Mets signed Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, and Kodai Senga to add alongside Max Scherzer.

Even after missing out on Correa, the Mets are confident in their ability to succeed in the 2023 season.