The Mets have come a long way in a calendar year, in the worst sense of the phrase possible.
In 2022, New York looked poised to win the NL East before a white-hot Braves team ran them down after the trade deadline. The team spent big in free agency after losing in the first round of the postseason, and have sputtered this season, currently sitting fourth in the division with a 50–59 record.
With a trade deadline fire sale behind them, the Mets are looking to the future, with owner Steve Cohen promising fans a bounce-back year in 2024 in a letter to season ticket holders obtained by The New York Post Saturday afternoon.
"This is not where we wanted to be in 2023. Our goal is to be a consistent contender," Cohen wrote. "The only way to do this in a sustainable way is to build a pipeline of high-caliber talent in our farm system that will fuel our major league team for years to come.”
He added that New York intended to field a "formidable team next season."
Players offloaded by the Mets at the trade deadline included pitchers David Robertson, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as well as outfielders Mark Canha and Tommy Pham. The quintet was scattered to the Marlins, Rangers, Astros, Brewers and Diamondbacks, respectively.
Scherzer, who entered the deadline with a no-trade clause, told reporters that Cohen had communicated to him that '24 would be a transition year for New York.
