It was a rough weekend in Boston for the New York Mets, who now look destined to be sellers at the Trade Deadline after losing a tough series to the Red Sox.

Now 4-5 since the All-Star break, 7.5 games back of the third wild card spot, and with just a 14.6% chance to make the postseason, per FanGraphs, the Mets have a razor-thin margin for error, which they didn’t help after losing two of three games at Fenway Park. A stagnant offense coupled with two garbage outings from the starting rotation doomed this team. Given how they’ve been an inconsistent hot mess all year, it will now take a miracle for the 46-53 Mets to snatch a wild-card berth.

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3 Up

Canha The Assist King

There were very few bright spots from a weekend where the Mets lost two of three. However, one of the rare positives was a slice of history provided by Mark Canha on Sunday. The veteran, who could be a candidate to be dealt at the Deadline, became the first Mets’ outfielder with three assists in a game since Endy Chávez on June 4, 2006, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Canha displayed his versatility and professionalism in all three plays. He began his special night by throwing out Jarren Duran at home plate, who was trying to score on an errant throw to third base. Canha then got Rafael Devers out at third in the top of the third inning, before throwing out Triston Casas at second base.

In a week where some of his teammates committed a comedy of defensive errors, Canha proved on Sunday night that he’s a steady and reliable presence who can get the job done in a multitude of different ways. That is surely going to be an attractive proposition for a contender looking to add a solid veteran to the mix at the Trade Deadline. Canha has played pretty much everywhere for the Mets this season, and his versatility is a skill set that offers superb value to any team.

Mauricio’s Big League Case

What else does Ronny Mauricio need to do in order to earn a call-up to the majors? It was yet another big weekend for the prospect who has mashed at an insane level all year long. And, if the front office weren’t paying attention before, they will be in the wake of Saturday’s events. Stepping up to the plate for Triple-A Syracuse, Mauricio sealed an 8-7 walk-off win over the Buffalo Bison in the most dramatic and explosive way possible by absolutely blasting a 440-foot monster of a home run with an exit velocity of 113.2 mph. It was Mauricio’s 16th home run of the year and he’s currently hitting .295 with 56 RBIs and a .851 OPS. He also reached base four times on Sunday with two hits and two walks.

If the Mets do end up selling, then it would make perfect sense for the front office to call up Mauricio sooner rather than later so they can assess what they have in-house. Mauricio has held up his end of the bargain by absolutely raking in the minors, and now he deserves a shot in the bigs. With the offense continuing to come up short, it makes perfect sense to give Mauricio a chance to showcase his talents on the biggest stage sooner rather than later. There’s nothing to lose at this point.

Alonso Shows Sign Of Life

One of the biggest and most significant driving forces behind the Mets’ struggles this year has been the inability of the offense to get things going. A lot of the buck lies with Pete Alonso, who began 2023 on an absolute tear but has since been mired in an all-time slump. Alonso is on pace to record career lows in a number of offensive categories, and he’s also committed a handful of unfortunate errors at first base recently. Prior to July 20, the slugger was a meager 5-for-44, batting just .113. That came off the back of a miserable 10-for-66 stretch in June.

However, the Red Sox series teased tantalizing signs that maybe Alonso is on the cusp of breaking out of his slump. He went 5-for-11 at the plate in three games at Fenway, hitting two doubles and a triple. During the doubleheader on Saturday, Alonso recorded three extra-base hits, two of which were mighty close to being home runs. He looked locked in again at the plate and, while a second-half comeback may come too late to save the Mets’ season, Alonso returning to the peak of his powers will be crucial for his confidence heading into 2024.

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3 Down

Is Scherzer Cooked?

We may be reaching the point where Max Scherzer‘s time as a Met can officially be labeled as a bust. And there’s a big enough sample size now to suggest that the future Hall of Famer may have waved goodbye to his best days. Scherzer has struggled all year, and he endured yet another nightmare start in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. The 38-year-old matched an unwanted career-high by allowing four homers against the Red Sox, and he’s now given up a total of 22 home runs in 100 2/3 innings this year. Oh, and to add further insult to injury, Triston Casas became the first rookie to hit multiple homers off Scherzer in a single game. Not great, Bob, not great.

Overall, Scherzer allowed five earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over six innings. His ERA has now ballooned to an ugly 4.20. It hasn’t been a good year for the veteran ace to say the least, and it is feasible to wonder if Scherzer is cooked. He’s unlikely to be moved at the Trade Deadline, but there may be some tough discussions to be had in the winter if Scherzer is unable to right the ship and get back anywhere close to his usual dominating best.

Carrasco Implodes

Max Scherzer wasn’t the only Mets starter who was tormented and beaten up on at Fenway Park over the weekend. Carlos Carrasco didn’t fare much better, either. In fact, Carrasco’s start on Sunday can only fairly be labeled as a disaster such was the rapid nature of the implosion. The righty was shellacked early and often as he allowed five earned runs on 10 hits with two walks, before being taken out of the game in the third. Carrasco has now endured two consecutive rough outings, and Sunday was the fifth time in 14 starts that he has allowed at least five earned runs. A collision with Jarren Duran in the first inning added to Carrasco’s pain, who gave his team no chance to win on Sunday thanks to a nightmare start.

The offense Comes Up Short Again

Sunday’s finale in Boston highlighted two troubling trends for the Mets, both of which are connected. Firstly, this offense continues to be consistently bad, particularly in big spots, and secondly, this team is now 4-9 in rubber games of a series this season. That latter stat is a key reason why the Mets are in their current predicament, and the lack of offense has been a driving force behind that. It was on full display on Sunday as the Mets put up just one run all night, who had two runners on in the eighth but just couldn’t take advantage. Granted, the offense did put up a combined total of 11 runs in Saturday’s doubleheader, but the inability to produce in rubber games has hurt this team all year long.