Phillies’ division rival raked over the coals for disappointing offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies have been pretty quiet so far this offseason when it comes to trades and free agent signings, but for the rival New York Mets? Well, nothing is going right at the moment.

For those keeping track of offseason Mets news, they were recently slapped with a $101 million luxury tax hit while fielding a fourth-place team, failed to sign Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and have gotten nowhere in a contract extension with All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso.

Former MLB general manager and current co-host of SiriusXM's Inside Pitch Jim Bowden was a recent guest on the Foul Territory podcast with Scott Braun, Eric Kratz, and A.J. Pierzynski and was highly critical of the Mets' moves so far this offseason.

On the Mets failing to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Following his introduction from Foul Territory lead host Scott Braun, Bowden began his critique of the "mediocre Mets."

"I love the fact that they [Mets] made the run at Yamamoto," said Bowden. "They were the highest bidder for him. Unfortunately, Yamamoto grew up a Dodgers fan, so when the Dodgers had a chance to match the [Mets'] offer, they did."

On the Mets' rotation being a clear weak spot

After speaking about how he thinks Kodai Senga is a legitimate No. 1 starter, Bowden was less kind in his assessment of the Mets' rotation three through five.

"You have thirty-five-year-old José Quintana, soft-tossing lefty," continued Bowden. "You bring in Sean Manaea [for] two years, $28 million, another soft-tossing lefty, [Luis] Severino who has had shoulder problems and watching him last year, really inconsistent, not the guy he was at one point."

Where does Bowden think the Mets will finish in the NL East in 2024?

The Mets' chances of contending in a tough division that features playoff-caliber teams like the Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Miami Marlins were already looking bleak following last season's failures, but Bowden envisions an even worse outcome for the Mets this season.

"I look at this rotation and I say to myself, 'This a fourth-place team,'" Bowden said. "And watch out for Washington [Nationals] because they might go past them [Mets]. This is not a contending team for me; it's not a Wild Card team."

The Mets' failure to add another quality starter this offseason clearly has many baseball insiders not expecting much for a team that only one year ago was expected to make a run at the World Series.

Recent reports have the Mets battling the Red Sox for prized free agent starter and 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. If they prove to be unsuccessful in this pursuit, Bowden's final comments will be hard to deny.

"It's all of a sudden an aging team," concluded Bowden. "I just don't think that they've done enough in the starting rotation to be competitive this year."

There's plenty of time to make moves before the season starts, but right now, the rival Mets look to be down and out in 2024.

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