A few days after the New York Mets clinched the National League East in September and general manager Sandy Alderson was doused with Champagne, looking happier than he had in years, he was told he had cancer. He dealt with the news quietly as he fine-tuned his roster and had two more Champagne baths in the Mets’ run to the World Series.
“It was a little surreal, you know?” Alderson said last week. “Having not been to the World Series in 25 years. Having never been diagnosed with cancer.”
He chuckled and added: “It was a little bit odd. But the great thing about the postseason was it was a distraction at that time. Distractions are always nice.”
Now another distraction — spring training, to be followed by another season — has arrived. Alderson cracked jokes as usual and discussing the state of the team’s pitching, David Wright’s back and his own health.
Until recently, Alderson had not divulged much about himself, and he still has not said what type of cancer he has. The Mets waited until the first week of December to announce his condition and the eight to 12 weeks of chemotherapy he would undergo. Alderson missed the winter meetings because of those treatments and has taken time off for the additional treatments he receives every couple of weeks, but he has been working full time.
“I feel great,” Alderson said, beaming. “I’m ready to go.”
Some of his enthusiasm could have spread from the general confidence of his players. Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom indicated recently that getting back to the World Series, and winning it, was the Mets’ goal this season — and it seemed reasonable.
If the Mets are contenders, it will probably be because of their pitching, and Alderson vowed to take care of his young pitchers, even if Harvey, a year removed from Tommy John surgery, deGrom and Noah Syndergaard would be let loose and not have innings limits.
To give his young starters time to rest, after they pitched through October, Alderson plans to have them sit out the first four or five spring training games and then start building their stamina and pitch counts.
“We’re going to be mindful of their health,” Alderson said. “Not necessarily looking at innings limits. But at the same time making sure they are as strong and as healthy and as capable as possible throughout the season. We may do some things this year that we did last year to ensure that.
“I think with any pitching, whether a pitcher has had Tommy John or not, in this day and age, as hard as many guys throw, and as hard as our guys throw, you’ve got to be very careful about it.”
Judging by his tone, Alderson seemed more concerned about the health of Wright, who is entering his first full season since being told he has spinal stenosis. Alderson said that he had not yet outlined a plan with Wright but that he expected the veteran to play 130 games or so. That suggests the Mets will use spring training to try rotating other players at third base, including, perhaps, Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores.
“We’re going to have to be mindful of his physical situation and anticipate rather than react to that condition,” Alderson said of Wright. “It’s hard to say right now, but certainly we’re going to go beyond just monitoring his health. We’re going to have to be proactive.”
In a change from years past, the Mets do not have position battles to sort out. Their to-do list seems far less dire: figuring out the outfield rotation, finding another position for catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki to play at times, filling out the bullpen and nurturing Zack Wheeler and Josh Edgin as they return from Tommy John surgery.
The culture around the organization has changed dramatically, too. As Alderson was packing his belongings for spring training, he brought with him a news report with a headline that referred to his statement two years ago calling for the Mets to shoot for 90 wins. At the time of that remark, given the state of the team, some analysts mocked Alderson. Then, in 2015, the Mets won 90 games.
A reporter asked Alderson if that meant the Mets were aiming higher now.
“Well, look,” he said, “we want to win enough games to win the division. Is that 90? Is it 92? Is it 94? I don’t know what the number is. I was with a team that won a division with 82. We certainly have higher expectations than that. But we have to go realize them.”
So, the reporter joked, was the number 95 then?
Smiling, and on cue, Alderson quipped, “That’s a freeway.”
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