You ask, we answer. The Post is fielding questions from readers about New York’s biggest pro sports teams and getting our beat writers to answer them in a series of regularly published mailbags. In today’s installment: the Mets.
How would the Mets fare in their potential Grapefruit League division if that reorganization occurs for this year? — @votelavenia
The reported realignment that would place the Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Cardinals and Astros in the same division in 2020 is only one possibility for MLB should games be played this season. For argument’s sake, let’s say it happens. Suddenly, the Mets have subtracted from their division two teams (Braves and Phillies) projected by PECOTA to win 83 and 77 games, respectively. Instead they would get the Astros (98 wins projected) and Cardinals (81 wins projected), making a difficult division even tougher. And yet, if the playoffs are expanded, maybe a fourth place team reaches the postseason. The Mets were projected by PECOTA to win 88 games (tops in the NL East), but that was before Noah Syndergaard tore his ulnar collateral ligament. Now add the Astros to the division and it looks even worse.
Do you think Luis Rojas will be able to make the tough decisions when necessary? I know he has very good interpersonal relationships with the players and that is great, but will he be able to be tough with them? — @GingerCMP
Rojas has a gentle exterior, but many of the players will tell you there is a fire and fearlessness that burns inside him. Players also realize the Mets are more collaborative than ever, and Rojas in many cases will simply be delivering a message that was decided upon in pregame meetings involving the front office, analytics department and coaching staff. Does a star player get chewed out if he doesn’t hustle? Rojas doesn’t seem like the sort that would call out a player publicly, but is more likely to address it in private.
Luis Rojas (l.) with Yoenis Cespedes at spring training.Anthony J. CausiWhy has every Met pitcher had Tommy John surgery? Bad luck or poor conditioning in minor leagues? — @dodgerboy1953
About one-in-four pitchers in the major leagues have undergone Tommy John surgery, so it’s hardly an uncommon procedure. The Mets’ most-heralded arms in the last decade — Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz and (most recently) Syndergaard — all had the surgery, but the majority of pitchers the club has used haven’t needed it. The fact Harvey, Wheeler and Syndergaard are among the hardest-throwers to come through the organization is probably a bigger factor than any instruction they received. Matz had Tommy John surgery before even pitching a game in the minor leagues and deGrom was only six games into his professional career when he had it.
Who has a better chance of playing for the Mets next year: [Tim] Tebow or [Yoenis] Cespedes? — @AlexanderGoHamm
I’m not sure if “next year” in this case means 2020 or 2021, but Cespedes would be the pick either way. Maybe nobody would benefit more than Cespedes if play begins this season and the universal DH is adopted. Such a change would significantly increase Cespedes’ chances of playing on a full-time basis as he attempts to return from double heel surgery and multiple ankle fractures. And if he played at a respectable level you couldn’t rule out the idea of him returning to the Mets on maybe a one-year deal. Tebow faces the challenge of trying to get onto the 40-man roster without the benefit of a minor league season.
When will the Mets issue refunds for missed games? — various
Until games are officially canceled by MLB, most teams remain in a holding pattern. At this point the missed games are viewed as postponements, meaning theoretically they could be made up later in the season. Typically, teams allow fans to exchange tickets for postponements for tickets to another game. But who knows right now what the schedule might be?
What do you make of Ken Davidoff’s idea that Robert Kraft would make the perfect owner of the Mets? — @Jeanette607
Kraft certainly fits as somebody who would be appealing given his wealth, New York past (he graduated from Columbia) and success as Patriots owner, with six Super Bowl rings. But overseeing two professional sports franchises simultaneously might be too much to ask of the 78-year-old Kraft, even if many of the responsibilities are delegated to his sons. Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox and Bulls) and Ted Turner (Braves and Hawks) stand out among those who have owned a MLB franchise and team in another sport, but such occurrences are rare. James Dolan (Knicks and Rangers) and Jack Kent Cooke (Lakers, Kings, Redskins) are among those who have owned multiple teams simultaneously. Kraft is a winner, but he presumably wouldn’t be bringing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to Citi Field.
