The New York Mets season ended over one month ago, and now baseball playoffs are also over. While the Mets won’t start the next season until March 31, offseason trade and free agent acquisition rumors are starting to bubble.
The Mets have not made the postseason since 2006. Next year is anticipated to be brighter than recent years, but just finishing the season with a winning record would be an accomplishment in itself.
Mets fans still miss their team throughout the fall and winter, even though the team is rarely in the spotlight. Here are a few tips on how to get through the offseason if you are true to the orange and blue.
Enjoy other sports
There are several other New York teams to follow from November to April. The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets make up the city’s basketball scene. The Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and New York Jets offer football entertainment statewide. And for hockey, New Yorkers often cheer for the New York Islanders or the New York Rangers.
Some Mets fans are fortunate enough to root for successful teams in different sports, but for others the fall and winter offer frustration and heartache. If your main passion is baseball, these other sports only fill part of the void.
Watch old highlights
The Mets lost 88 of their 162 games last season, but there were sporadic moments of triumph. It is hard to imagine that first baseman Ike Davis hit any home runs based on his performance in 2013, but the ones he hit were towering shots and are worth watching again.
Any Mets walk-off victory is an astonishing feat. In mid-September, the Mets came back from a considerable ninth inning deficit to hit a walk off home run against the San Francisco Giants against a closer who led the Giants to a World Series title in 2012.
Oh and the Mets swept the New York Yankees in Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. That is more rare than a comet striking Earth.
Voice your opinion
The Mets need a first baseman, some outfielders, relief pitchers and a few starting pitchers. Fans have their own opinions of the team’s most pressing needs and best way to improve. Since there are no current Mets games to discuss in the offseason, there is plenty of room for debating hypothetical situations.
Is Daniel Murphy worth a one-year, $5.8 million contract? Will anyone from the minor leagues establish themselves? Will they shock the baseball world with a groundbreaking trade or free agent acquisition?
Twitter is a great place to discuss these topics. Mets fans are awake at all hours of the day to defend their favorite players. You are not alone in your passion for the Mets.
Tour Citi Field
If you cannot wait until Opening Day to return to Citi Field, you can take a tour. Instead of being restricted to sitting in the seats, fans are permitted to venture onto the field, into the dugout, the clubhouse, press box and check out the Mets Hall of Fame.
The walking tours begin on Nov. 9 and last one hour. Tickets cost $13 for adults and $9 for seniors and children 12 years old and under.
Michael Mandelkern is a contributing writer. Email him at [email protected].