Suffice it to say it’s been a rough month for the New York Mets. I’ll spare you all the negative rants about losing streaks, poor offensive rankings, and a disintegrating run differential. I think we’ve all had enough of that.
It’s tough to put your arms around what exactly is going on with this team. Some will say we’re seeing the adverse effects of missing David Wright and Daniel Murphy, arguably the team’s top two pure hitters. Is that what this is? Or do the problems run deeper than that?
Some will lay the blame on Terry Collins, while others place the blame squarely on the architect of this team, Sandy Alderson. And of course there’s the progenitor of all things bad, Mets ownership.
The truth is that all three have a hand in this recent rash of unfortunate events, and neither one should escape the ramifications of the confluence of issues that plague this team.
I find it remarkable that this team is as close to first place as it actually is. Of course it’s a function of the poor state of the National League East in general, quite possibly the worst division in baseball.
But then I can’t ignore the cavalcade of calamities and adversity the Mets have had to endure thus far this season. I’m not making excuses, I’m not one for that. But it’s somewhat encouraging and hopeful to see this team hanging around first place for as long as they have despite the duress of historic injuries and some extreme bad luck.
I’d say the Mets have accomplished what they have at basically half-strength. We haven’t really seen what this team can do when they are whole and healthy, have we?
I mean we got a tiny taste of it before Wright and d’Arnaud went down in week two, and in that small span the Mets were the hottest team in baseball with the league’s best record after 20 games.
The problem, as I see it, was not so much the overwhelming injuries to key players, all teams have to deal with injuries.
Instead what’s held the Mets back is two things: the way the front office responded to those injuries, and the failure of high-priced veterans like Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson to step up when the chips were down.
I’m disappointed that the front office has been so slow to respond to the loss of David Wright in particular. That their response to replacing Wright was Eric Campbell and Daniel Muno was very questionable. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, I’m shocked they were not able to find an external fix – even if all it was was Juan Uribe.
This players needed the front office to throw them a life preserver when they started to drown, and not doing anything was detrimental to the team, who were crying for help. Not to mention a disservice to a loyal and patient fan base that has been largely supportive of this long rebuild.
At this point I’m looking at the schedule and see two things; lots of baseball left, and a wide open opportunity for this team to make the playoffs.
However it’s going to require a lot of effort, focus, and execution for that to happen. Execution by the players and execution by the front office.
With Steven Matz just a week or two away, the rotation of the future is finally here – front and center. It’s now time for action and by that I don’t mean the flurry of half-hearted reactions and bandaid type fixes that never work.
We’ve waited six long years to get to this point with our starting pitching, and we cannot continue to squander their incredible efforts.
As the Mets veer toward .500 or even worse, it’s evident the team needs some bolstering, and by that I don’t mean chasing superstars. Just a couple of useful pieces that can help alleviate some of the pressure on offense and defense.
If not now, then when? I guess what I’m really saying is that the era of procrastination and half-measures should be at an end, and now is the time to be bold and convincing. It’s your move, Sandy.
