Dramatic offseason changes are in store for the Mets after the postseason

There were some similarities in the losing Mets' clubhouse.

The players were emotional, many with red eyes and hugs. And the players interviewed were optimistic about the future of the organization, even if there was no guarantee that the player would be part of the organization.

The 2024 Mets were a strange team for reasons beyond Grimace, “OMG,” and playoff pumpkin.

This season was supposed to be a step backwards after Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander were released at the previous trade deadline and an offseason that brought numerous one-year deals. These contracts should bridge the gap between the present and the future and keep the Mets competitive without locking up spots for rising Mets prospects.

Instead, additions like Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and JD Martinez — plus under-the-radar signings like Jose Iglesias and trade deadline upgrades like Jesse Winker, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton — took the Mets to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Is this a sign that the Mets, who may lose three-fifths of their rotation in free agency and need to rebuild, have questions about sustainability? Or is this a sign that the Mets' current leadership is uniquely equipped to continue making strong decisions that lead to strong rosters?

“I think David (Stearns) did a great job this offseason putting things together, bringing good people into his clubhouse and then making additions at the trade deadline that allowed us to get to this point,” Brandon Nimmo said after the Mets were eliminated on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

“I really think this is kind of a starting point. We now want to make this the standard. But… it’s hard to get here.”

Nimmo is a fundamental piece signed until 2030. Francisco Lindor will be back, as will Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Edwin Diaz.

JD Martinez wants to keep playing next season and probably won't be with the Mets again, but he expects the Mets to be a contender.

“They have a good core there,” said Martinez, acknowledging the many offseason decisions awaiting the club.

“…The fact that their core is coming back, I think they're going to be a good team. Clearly they need to fill the gaps that will be missing next year. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that and the team was in that situation again next year.”

Steve Cohen will not be paying back the contracts of Scherzer and Verlander (as well as James McCann and Omar Narvaez) next year. Around the $160 million limit will be removed from the Mets' payroll before next season, which will be another chance to capture Cohen's wallet and the imagination of Mets fans.

But there are also a lot of open positions for a team that was successful with almost every free agent last offseason.

“Now we have raised the bar,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Expectations now – that’s what we should be aiming for every year, playing well into October. And we showed that this year.

“I learned a lot, but the one thing is that we have great people here. And Steve, our owner, and Alex, first class organization, and we have great people here. I’m just proud of everyone.”

There was plenty of praise for Mendoza, a first-year major league manager who communicated well and led the Mets from valley to valley.

He and Stearns seem to be the couple Cohen was looking for.

“In the next few years, I think the Mets will be good because the philosophy they have right now is really good,” Diaz said. “We want to win. Owners, managers, everyone wants to win.

“So they push the players to perform the way they want.”

The Mets' greatest strength in 2024 may have been chemistry, which is difficult to fake and difficult to predict.

Iglesias, a part-time second baseman and part-time international pop star, will hit the open market. Winker, who started the eyeblack trend by painting the pitcher's starting number under the eyes of his rotation mates, will be a free agent. Manaea, Severino and Jose Quintana, who joined together and jumped after each excellent start, were all able to disappear.

The ability to sneak up on enemies might also have been lost.

“We definitely want to try to be here, come back and finish the job,” Nimmo said, “but there are no surprising people. I think people will be a little more weary of us next year.”

Whoever is on the 2025 Mets is weary of a team that will likely look completely different. Players who were two wins shy of a World Series appearance believe the holdovers are in good shape.

“I really think something good is happening here,” Lindor said.