Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USATODAY Sports
With the pain of losing in the World Series (hopefully) starting to fade for fans of the New York Mets, the page can start to turn towards the 2016 season. Many Mets fans assume that with a young, dynamic starting rotation that could be even better in 2016 than in 2015 due to further growth and development, not to mention the expected mid-season return of Zack Wheeler, that a return to the World Series next season is not only possible, but expected. It’s certainly hard to argue against the Mets being well set up with a promising future, but getting back to the World Series in 2016 won’t be as easy as some may think.
The assumption is that if New York’s rotation was good enough to take them to the World Series in 2015, it will be equally if not more capable of doing the same in 2016. That’s a fair assumption, but it requires not only the members of the Mets’ rotation to remain healthy and Wheeler to come back strong from Tommy John surgery, but also the likes of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard must show no ill effects of heavy workloads in 2015 where all three of them pitched substantially more innings than they ever have before. At the moment, the Mets have every reason to believe all three will be fine, but considering their innings count and a shorter-than-usual offseason, there are no guarantees.
The Mets were also fortunate in 2015 that July acquisitions made via trade and key players returning from the DL late in the season were able to jump-start New York’s offense enough to carry them into the postseason. The Mets now have to find ways to replace the offensive production of Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy, who will both likely leave in free agency. There will also be questions about the long-term health and availability of David Wright, as well as the injury-plagued Travis d’Arnaud. The Mets are hoping that the development of d’Arnaud, Wilmer Flores, Michael Conforto and Dilson Herrera can help make up for the losses of Cespedes and Murphy and give them enough offense to get back to the World Series.
Finally, the Mets have to worry about competition from the rest of the National League, which could impede a return to the World Series in 2016. If the Washington Nationals can stay healthy and add a couple pieces in free agency this winter, they will be formidable challengers in the NL East, while the Miami Marlins could surprise people and become a factor in the division in 2016 as well.
Elsewhere, the Chicago Cubs looked poised to take another step forward in 2016 after reaching the NLCS this season, while the St. Louis Cardinals, as always, will be among the leading contenders in the National League with the return of Adam Wainwright. And so will the San Francisco Giants, who have won the World Series thrice in the last six years. The Mets are certainly among the top contenders to win the National League pennant in 2016, but there are more than a handful of other teams fully capable of reaching the World Series from the NL.
The Mets will still have to play 162 regular season games next year and earn their way into the postseason, just as they did this year. There will be challenges, both expected and unexpected, along the way that the Mets will have to overcome, just as there were in 2015. New York will have a great opportunity to return to the World Series in 2016, but it’s never as easy as people assume.
Bryan Zarpentine is a Featured writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
