Porter as GM and McCann at Catcher — Is Trevor Bauer Next?

I'm not gonna lie, I had no idea who Jared Porter was before the Mets hired him as the GM. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Not that I expected them to hire anyone I knew, or anyone that well-known.  With Sandy Alderson as team president overseeing the whole enchilada, you figured the Mets would go the route of the young, up-and-coming executive who speaks fluent analytics and hopefully has had some success.

In that respect, Porter checks all of the boxes. He was in the Boston front office for three World Series titles and added a fourth ring with the Cubs. He was an executive Vice President and assistant GM of the D-Backs, and has worked his way into this opportunity with the Mets. Steve Cohen has to like what he sees.

Porter's hiring comes on the heels of the Trevor May signing and the Mets' expected signing of catcher James McCann, and those moves taken together seem to point in one indisputable direction.

Trevor Bauer is next.

Call it a gut feeling, and this is coming from someone who until now didn't really think the Mets were going to go in on Bauer, who will command a princely sum and who would be a polarizing presence in New York.

But take a look at what has happened. First start with May, who worked with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner in Minnesota. He is all about data and mechanics, two things that Bauer has built his surging career on. Bauer and his dad are like mad scientists compared to traditional pitching coaches. They make Rick Peterson look like a community college dropout.

Then look at McCann, whose offensive numbers are impressive but maybe not much more important than his defensive work. He has become an expert pitch framer and has earned high praise for his ability to handle a pitching staff. Now he gets to work with Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard... and possible Bauer.

Toss in a youngster like David Peterson and maybe a reborn Steven Matz — with Bauer, that is an incredible  group of starters. 

Porter's background and approach fit right in with this new Mets front office, and you know Cohen has made it a priority to drag the Mets out of the dark ages. What better way to signal that commitment than by signing Bauer?

And this doesn't take into account the bouquets that Bauer continues to toss in Flushing's direction. Sure, he may just be doing everything he can to market himself and drive the price up, but why wouldn't he want to join the club owned by the multi-billionaire rebuilding in New York?

George Springer is still there for the taking, too.

It's a weird feeling to be a Mets fan and think anything is possible. But here we are.

I can remember where I was for almost every big Mets trade or player signing. I've got a feeling I'll know where I'll be when Bauer makes his decision.

Meet the Matz: LI's Own Is Tendered But His Future Is Still Unclear

My neighbor Nicholas is a huge Mets fan and loves baseball. The middle schooler can always be found playing catch with his dad in front of his house, usually wearing the orange and blue.

One of his favorite players is Steven Matz.

One reason is that his mom is a guidance counselor at my old high school, and Matz' mom was (not sure if she still is) a staff member there. So one day, she was able to get Matz to meet her son, which was a highlight of his young Mets fandom.

It all started out so great, do you remember? Matz making his debut at Citi Field, stellar on the mound and at the plate, the image of his family — led by his grandfather — going nuts in the stands. The future looked bright.

He had his injuries, and often struggled with his temper, but a young, hard-throwing lefty is valuable, and prior to 2020, Matz looked like he was coming into his own. He made 30 starts in each of the previous two seasons with a combined ERA of just above 4, winning 16 games and averaging just under a strikeout per inning. 

With Noah Syndergaard out getting Tommy John surgery, Matz, at age 28, was in great position to take a big step forward in 2020 and establish himself at the top of the rotation behind Jacob deGrom.

We all know what happened next.

In the COVID-shortened season, where no player had a chance to bounce back with a big second half because there was none, Matz was awful. Maybe beyond awful. It was mind-boggling.

Despite having the best K rate of his career, as well as his best average fastball and slider velocity, Matz was pummeled. Literally. His pitches were usually right down the middle and hitters hammered him. Their rates of barreling him up, hitting him hard and sending the ball out fast placed Matz at the bottom of MLB. 

His season-ending line: A 9.68 ERA, a 1.69 WHIP and an astonishing 14 HR allowed in just 30.2 innings.

Despite all that, the Mets tendered Matz a contract, and he will reportedly earn $5.1 million, although it is also reported that the contract is not guaranteed.

I wouldn't have been surprised to see them cut bait, but with pitching depth an issue, it made sense to keep him. He supposedly has met with former pitching coach Phil Regan to figure out what went wrong, and you'd hope that Jeremy Hefner has some ideas.

The Mets will undoubtedly acquire or sign at least one middle-to-top starter, whether it's Trevor Bauer or Jake Odorizzi or Blake Snell or whoever. Which means Matz is basically the fifth starter until Thor makes his triumphant return.

And while Seth Lugo really, really, really wants to start, he's just much better in the bullpen, and the numbers back that up. Figure Lugo to bolster the back of the pen with newcomer Trevor May and Edwin Diaz. 

I was surprised that lefty Chasen Shreve was let go as he was effective for much of the year and is a much-needed lefty reliever. Somehow Robert Gsellman is back.

Maybe Matz ends up in the pen as well, although with his first-inning issues, that may not be the best solution. But he's on the team, still a work in progress. He's approaching 30, and yes, sometimes lefties take longer to develop. 

Let's hope Matz figures it out. Fellow Long Islander Steve Cohen hopes so, too.