What is the Mets’ greatest need for 2021?

If the sale of the Mets to Steve Cohen goes through, the presumption is that the Mets will be operating without the budgetary constraints that have plagued them for the past decade or so. That will mean that the Mets will, hopefully, be able to address multiple problem spots on the roster. But, the sale is not final yet, and there are a number of potential obstacles that could prevent the Mets from spending big even if the sale does go through.

Looking at the various needs the Mets have going into the offseason, we want you to tell us which one you think is most pressing. We’ve narrowed the choices down to four, though we aren’t saying that there aren’t other needs for the club. Rather, we just feel that these represent the most urgent roles that need to be filled.

The first option is starting pitching. With Noah Syndergaard still on the mend from Tommy John, Steven Matz mostly ineffective in 2020, and David Peterson still an unknown commodity, that leaves the Mets with just Jacob deGrom as a sure thing for 2021. Experimenting with Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman in the rotation was more or less a bust, and so the Mets don’t just need another couple of frontline pitchers, but also some depth if and when things go wrong.

Catcher is an obvious area where the Mets are in need of help as well. Although they have team options for both Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos, neither showed enough this year to be a slam-dunk starter for the team next year and, frankly, may not even be the best choices for a backup. There’s a name on everyone’s lips for the Mets to go after, but they will surely not be the only team in the J.T. Realmuto sweepstakes.

The Mets have been in need of a center fielder for some time now, despite being able to fake it with the likes of Brandon Nimmo and Jake Marisnick in 2020. While Marisnick didn’t get a ton of playing time, he is likely not a longterm answer in center due to his (lack of) bat, and Nimmo’s defensive abilities in center are extremely limited. With the rest of the Mets’ outfield not exactly Gold Glove caliber, a strong defender in center seems like a smart move, perhaps a necessity, for the team.

That leaves the bullpen for our last option. While the bullpen was better than it was in 2019, and it is very hard to judge any performance, let alone a relief corps’, in a 60 game season, there is still a lot of work to be done. Edwin Diaz was a mixed bag, but put up incredibly strikeout numbers and limited the home runs. Erasmo Ramirez came off the scrap heap to be a nice addition to the team. Jeurys Familia, Jared Hughes, Chasen Shreve, and Justin Wilson all managed to have decent seasons, even if there are some very clear issues with each of them.

Hopefully, the Mets are able to address all or most of these under the Sandy Alderson 2.0 regime, but if they had to focus on just one, which one would you prioritize? Vote in the poll below, and then defend your choice in the comments.