The Yankees made their big move today by acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, but across town, there’s work to do at the Winter Meetings.
The Mets will be looking to come back with an outfielder, infielder, starting pitcher and some bullpen help. New manager Mickey Callaway will be looking to be in position to contend right from the start of spring training.
And the Mets are doing it right now by getting their current roster in order and trying to cut down on the injuries. The most devastating last year was the lat injury suffered by Noah Syndergaard, who is tailoring his off-season workouts to prevent the same thing from happening again.
“I’m still lifting heavy but in a more smart way,” Syndergaard said on Thursday, dressed as an elf at the Mets’ annual holiday party for children. “Last year was not the necessarily the most smart thing I was supposed to be doing in terms of exercises and choice. I did a lot of pull-ups, and that’s primarily a lat exercise, and this year I haven’t done one pull-up yet. So it’s different. It’s still taxing workouts, but my body never felt better.”
It’s going to be important for the Mets to have Syndergaard healthy all season, as new pitching coach Dave Eiland will be bringing the pitchers in early for a pitchers camp according to Syndergaard.
And he plans on being in the best shape of his life going into camp and trying to be a better athlete. He is working with a Canadian sprinting coach to get into shape.
“Worked with me on my sprint mechanics, not that I’m trying to become an Olympic sprinter anytime soon,” Syndergaard said, “but just working on overall athleticism so I’m not running like a fat guy in flip-flops anymore.”
Syndergaard looked good in his start at the end of the year and is now looking to increase his confidence.
“I’m extremely confident, just the way I finished the season that last start against the Phillies,” Syndergaard said. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way before, and I feel like my pitches, my repertoire, even increased even more in terms of like velocity and just straight power.”
It’s a good start.
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