Mets begin spring training with similar lineup despite big-money offseason

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But the Mets won 101 games with an offense that thrived on contact, particularly with two strikes. The Mets were third in MLB with 552 two-strike hits. But their average exit velocity of 88.2 mph ranked only 19th and the Mets ranked 21st with a hard-hit ball percentage of 37.1. It begs the question whether the Mets’ scoring productivity from last season is sustainable. Or were they just lucky?

“For me it shows the importance of contact, of putting the ball in play, because nothing good happens on a strikeout,” the talent evaluator said. “Some will tell you a strikeout is just another out, but I respectfully disagree because nothing good happens on a strikeout and when the ball is put in play anything can happen, and the Mets proved that last year. Their ability to make contact is real important and they will need to do it again this year.”

Most of the Mets’ offseason energy was expended on bolstering the rotation, which added Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. Edwin Diaz returned to anchor the bullpen on a new five-year contract worth $102 million and the Mets traded for left-hander Brooks Raley and signed David Robertson before re-signing Adam Ottavino. The new position players are Omar Narvaez and Tommy Pham, who figure into complementary or backup roles, at catcher and in the outfield, respectively.

The wild card might be rookie Francisco Alvarez, whose right-handed bat could force his name into consideration at catcher/DH. But team brass wants the 21-year-old focused on his receiving skills this spring and could be inclined to start him at Triple-A Syracuse rather than bring him to Queens for just his bat.

The Mets agreed to terms with Correa, to play third base, after concerns about his right ankle scuttled his deal with the Giants. But the Mets ultimately had the same concerns and drastically modified their 12-year offer for $315 million. Correa signed instead with the Twins.

It leaves the Mets dependent on a rebound from Eduardo Escobar after a disappointing first season with the team. Escobar showed life in September by winning National League Player of the Month honors after returning from an injured list stint.

“I think we have a strong and deep lineup and I am confident in our group’s ability to score runs, but … you can always be better,” general manager Billy Eppler said earlier this offseason. “You have to look for opportunities out there and sometimes certain markets are a little bit quieter at certain times of the year, but you are always looking to get better. I do think we have a strong lineup as currently configured, but we can always be better.”