Last night during the Mets broadcast, Steve Gelbs said that while discussing Jenrry Mejia and what the plan was when he completes his PED suspension on July 6, he was taken back by how the Mets general manager responded.
Actually, I was a bit surprised as well. Alderson told Gelbs, “I hope there’s no spot for him in the bullpen when he’s done serving his suspension.”
“We feel like he betrayed us. He let a lot of people down. He let his own teammates down.”
When Gelbs asked Sandy if his comments can be construed as anger toward Mejia, he responded that it was a combination of anger and disappointment. “It feels like a betrayal.”
While I really loved Mejia and was expecting big things from him this season, I can certainly understand where Alderson is coming from. Mejia blew it. He violated a trust that players have to their team and to their teammates.
What makes this even more complicated is that once Mejia is eligible to return, he must be activated or designated for assignment because the hard-throwing righty is out of options.
Another thing to consider is that if the Mets continue their solid play and earn a trip to the postseason, as part of his punishment Mejia is prohibited from being on a postseason roster.
So the question becomes, why would you expend a valuable roster spot to a player who can’t even contribute in the playoffs, which is where the Mets appear to be heading?
Then there’s the players, many of whom openly expressed their dissatisfaction and disappointment at the situation, with David Wright saying Mejia deserves all the punishment he has coming to him. Will they welcome him back with open arms? It doesn’t appear that way to me.
Anyway you slice it, this has the potential to snowball into a very bad and negative situation at a time when the Mets are trying to turn the page and keep everything positive in the clubhouse, with their fans, and especially in the media.
Honestly, the best play might be cutting bait with Mejia and designating him when his suspension is over. There’s a strong chance he won’t make it through waivers given his youth and upside, but the alternative could prove more costly to the Mets and the chemistry they’ve built in that clubhouse.
