3 UP
1. Amed’s Future Looking Rosey
Amed Rosario has so far had a breakout July hitting .455/.500/697. It’s more than a hot July as Rosario has been quite good for a month now with him hitting .378/.404/.561 since June 17. As noted in Tim Ryder’s MMO article, this has partially been the result of his hitting the ball harder and being more selective at the plate.
Another consideration is his defense. While this is an extremely small sample size to consider, he has actually played to a 2 DRS in the second half. Considering how Rosario entered the second half as the worst defender in the majors, this should not be overlooked. It also shouldn’t be overlooked as Rosario was seen as a potential plus defender at short before he was promoted to the majors.
Looking at his play, it is quite possible Rosario is on the precipice of figuring things out at the Major League level. If so, the Mets young core is considerably better than what we had already thought it to be.
2. The Bullpen
The Mets bullpen has looked completely different so far in the second half. In fact, the bullpen has a 2.12 ERA over 17.0 innings. This includes the bullpen putting together five scoreless innings to preserve a 3-2 win after Steven Matz was only able to go four innings in his first start since rejoining the rotation.
Overall, the Mets bullpen has a 3.78 ERA in July, which is tied for 10th best in the majors, and it is light years ahead of the Major League worst 7.53 ERA the Mets bullpen had in June.
There are factors to point out here, but one of the biggest ones may just be the bullpen getting healthy. Both Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan have pitched well since returning from the bullpen. We have also seen the team lean a little more on Seth Lugo who has pitched like Seth Lugo.
In total, the Mets have clearly righted the ship, and things are getting better with Ricky Bones getting through to Jeurys Familia.
3. Ya Gotta Believe?
Currently, the Mets are five games behind the Phillies for the second Wild Card with six games remaining against them. They’re also about to begin a stretch of 20 consecutive games against teams with a losing record.
The Mets just won consecutive road series including a series against the AL Central leading Twins. This is the best the bullpen has looked all year. As Noah Syndergaard once said, this is a second hand team.
This is a very similar situation to 2016. The team faced long odds, and they had teams ahead of them who failed to take advantage of their opportunity. There’s a legitimate chance for the Mets here. Let’s see if the Mets take advantage of it.
3 DOWN
1. Down Wheeler
One of the biggest second half story lines was supposed to be how much Brodie Van Wagenen could get in return for Zack Wheeler at the trade deadline. It should have promised to be an impressive haul with MLB Trade Rumors rating him as the third ranked tradable player. Now, with him landing on the Injured List, who knows what the Mets could get in return for Wheeler?
Much of that will depend on when or if he could return from the Injured List prior to the July 31 trade deadline. On that front, Wheeler was hopeful but could not offer any guarantees. That’s worrisome when you consider there is no longer an August 31 trade deadline anymore. In essence, Wheeler has 10 days to get healthy and make two good starts.
In the end, this all may mean the Mets may have to hold onto Wheeler because they may not be able to do better than the comp pick they would get in a loaded draft if they offered him a qualifying offer. If this is the route the Mets have to go this will mark the second time in four years the Mets were unable to trade an injured Wheeler at the trade deadline.
2. Mets d’Arnaud What They Have
It was highlighted with his three home run game against the Yankees, but the Mets once again made a mistake in letting a player go. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Travis d’Arnaud had just two rehab games before only receiving five starts over a three week span. After the worst game of his life, the Mets designated him for assignment.
He would eventually land with the Rays, who are a much smarter organization. Even with his putrid start, d’Arnaud now has a 0.9 fWAR, which is higher than Wilson Ramos‘ 0.3 or Tomas Nido‘s -0.1. This should just highlight how the Mets botched handling d’Arnaud, and how yet again the Mets got burned by a rash move.
3. A Series Of Terrible Trades
Of all the players Brodie Van Wagenen obtained via trade, Wilmer Font performed the best at a 0.2 WAR. Naturally, he would be designated for assignment for cash considerations. Those cash considerations should cover the $150,000 bonus given to Neraldo Catalina.
Catalina was what the Mets traded to the Rays to obtain Font. In the end, the Mets made moves to have Font pitch 15 games for the Mets to recoup the cost of the bonus given to a 6’6” 19 year old pitcher who throws in the mid 90s and is now Rays property.
