The biggest mystery determining the win-loss record of the 2022 Mets is not who the general manager or manager will be.
It is how many games Jacob deGrom will start.
If he doesn’t make at least 25 at his now Cy Young standards, then having a front office led by an amalgamation of Branch Rickey, Pat Gillick and Theo Epstein in their primes is unlikely to make the Mets serious contenders next year.
The Braves won it all in 2021 despite losing their best player, Ronald Acuña Jr., midway through the season. Acuña blew out his knee on July 10. The Braves were 44-44 at that point. They went 55-34, including the postseason, from there forward. DeGrom started his final game on July 7. The Mets were 46-38 at that juncture, a first-place team leadingthe third-place Braves by five games. They went 31-47 thereafter.
