The Mets for years have saw themselves at the bottom half of the NL East since 2006 (Except last year when they tied the Braves for second place).
Last year was a sign that the Mets can be contenders with a couple more bats and Harvey’s return. The Mets ended up finishing the 2014 season with a record of 79-83.
The biggest threat proposed to the Mets in 2015 is going to be the Washington Nationals. It all starts on Opening Day, April 6, when the Mets visit Washington for a 3-game series. The great news for the Mets this year when we heard the Nationals got rid of Mets killers Adam LaRoche, who went to the White Sox and Tyler Clippard, who ended up on the A’s.
LaRoche was a free agent this season and during late November, the White Sox jumped on the left handed slugger. The Tyler Clippard trade just happened last week when he was traded for Yunel Escobar. Escobar was just traded to the A’s five days prior to the trade to the Nats.
Lets face it. Most Mets fans would rather see Yunel Escobar in a Nats uniform rather than the 2-time all star Clippard. The bad news for the Mets is that the Nationals have newly acquired Max Scherzer who signed a 7-year $210 million deal. Facing Scherzer for seven years will come with its difficulties. In 2014, Scherzer was an all-star, going 18-5 while posting a 3.15 ERA and 252 strikeouts. Washington will be a dominant team in the East but the Mets could propose a real threat this season.
A team that has been very active this offseason and will be a surprise to the East this season is the Miami Marlins. With a young pitching staff and that guy that plays right field… Giancarlo Stanton, the Marlins will be a competitive baseball team come late in the season.
The two fan favorites in Miami, Stanton and Fernandez, provide a huge spark in Little Havana. The enormous 13-year, $325 million contract given to Stanton will probably haunt the Mets for years to come. In his career vs the Mets, Stanton has hit .260 with 16 home runs. The Marlins are a small team looking to make a big splash in the 2015 season and the Mets can’t take them lightly this season.
