3 UP

1. Young Players Stepping Up

Despite beginning the season as the team’s fifth outfielder, Michael Conforto took advantage of the playing time he received, earning his first All Star nomination. He wasn’t the only young player that impressed during the first half of the season.

T.J. Rivera has received uneven playing time as a result of Terry Collins almost outright refusal to play anyone but his veteran players. He’s on a hot streak now, and he’s now taken command of the third base job much in the same way that he staked a claim to the second base job last year.

Paul Sewald has emerged this year to be one of the better relievers in the Mets bullpen. He has shown the ability to perform well in various roles, and he has certainly made the case he should be considered as a part of the Mets bullpen beyond this year.

Gavin Cecchini and Brandon Nimmo have similarly shown the Mets they can be pieces in the future. Cecchini had a four-game hitting streak, and hit his first career home run off of Clayton Kershaw. Nimmo has been an exceptional pinch-hitter getting on base in five of his nine appearances. Both players were upgrades defensively over what the Mets have had there for much as the season.

With the Mets having a number of expiring contracts, there is going to be a large roster turnover. Frankly, it’s overdue considering how poorly the Mets have performed this year. Each one of these players have made a case why they should be given larger roles for the 2018 season. For that matter, they have given the Mets every excuse to play them more in the second half of the season.

2. deGrom Has Returned To Form

After an uneven start to the season, and a bad May, Jacob deGrom spoke with John Smoltz about changing his routine between starts. As a result of the conversation, deGrom changed his routine where he threw two light bullpens between starts to help hone his mechanics. The results have been remarkable.

Over his last five starts, deGrom is a perfect 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA, 0.795 WHIP, and an 8.3 K/9. In each of those starts, deGrom has pitched at least seven innings including his second career complete game. Arguably, this is the best stretch of deGrom’s career. He has once again reminded everyone he should be considered the ace of the Mets staff.

3. Mets Have Good Players to Sell

During the offseason, the Mets couldn’t quite find the right value for Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson leaving the team with five outfielders – all capable Major League starters. With the way both are playing, the Mets should be able to move both of them at the trading deadline.

Bruce is having the best season of his career hitting .266/.334/.538 with 23 homers and 59 RBI. With him being an improved hitter, and his showing some versatility playing first base, his market should be higher than it was in the offseason.

After a disastrous April, Granderson has hit .282/.394/.593 with 12 homers and 31 RBI. Over that stretch, Granderson’s 156 wRC+ is the second best among Major League outfielders, and the best among players presumably on the trade market. More than that, he can capably play all three outfield positions.

On top of that, Lucas Duda is having another good year at the plate hitting .238/.351/.524 with 14 homers and 30 RBI in 62 games. Like the outfielders, Duda presents a real power threat that could reshape or deepen a contender’s lineup.

Even with how well the position players are playing, the real haul should come from trading Addison Reed. Last year, the Yankees were able to move Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman for an impressive haul at the trade deadline. Considering how Reed has established himself as a dominant closer after his already establishing himself as a dominant eighth inning reliever, the Mets should get their own share of top prospects at the trade deadline.

There is also value is players who are not on expiring deals. Jerry Blevins leads all Major League relievers in appearances, and he is limiting left-handed hitters to a .167/.221/.181 batting line. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .261/.358/.457 since moving to second base. Between his infield versatility and the difference maker he can be in the second half of the season, there should be a market for him.

And as we know, selling is an area where Sandy Alderson shines. He turned Carlos Beltran into Zack Wheeler. R.A. Dickey became Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud. Marlon Byrd was flipped for Dilson Herrera, who eventually was moved for Bruce. Given the assets the Mets have, Alderson should be able to obtain prospects that can help turn this team quickly around.

3 DOWN

1. The Injuries

This is becoming a broken record, but the Mets have been riddled with injuries yet again.  We can choose to blame Mike Barwis, or Ray Ramirez, or someone else. The fact is, we don’t know who is to blame, and worse yet, neither do the Mets. In fact, they seem to find new injuries while exacerbating pre-existing issues. Here is a full list of all the Mets who have wound up on the disabled list this year:

d’Arnaud (17 games), Duda (18 games), Neil Walker (Since June 14th), Wilmer Flores (11 games), Conforto (10 games), Cabrera (19 games), Yoenis Cespedes (37 games), Juan Lagares (Since June 15th), Nimmo (Since July 8th), Robert Gsellman (Since June 27th), Wheeler (10 games), Matt Harvey (Since June 14th), Steven Matz (59 games), Josh Smoker (Since June 13th), Noah Syndergaard (Since April 30th), Tommy Milone (Since May 21st), Jeurys Familia (Since May 10th), Seth Lugo (60 games), and David Wright (Since Opening Day).

Keep in mind, this list does not include all the players who have sat on the bench without the team putting them on the disabled list.

2. The Bullpen

Part of the problem with the bullpen is poor performances, and the other part is how they were handled. With the way Terry Collins handled the bullpen, we have seen Hansel Robles go from dominant to struggling in Triple-A seemingly overnight.  After pushing Smoker past his limit, he wound up on the disabled list. While you may not be able to pinpoint how he has been used this season, Familia has gone from being the most used reliever from 2014 – 2016 to fixing an arterial clot in his shoulder.

Blevins has gone from a dominant reliever who was used more than any other reliever in baseball to a 6.75 ERA since June 1st.  Fernando Salas was dominant to open the season leading Collins to use him time and again. He now has a 6.44 ERA and 1.817 WHIP, and he is completely unreliable.

No matter what the reason, the end result is a horrible Mets bullpen.  The team has a 5.03 bullpen ERA and .270 batting average against both of which are the third worst in baseball.  It’s more than the numbers.  There have been multiple occasions when the Mets have been tied or leading only for the bullpen to blow up leading up to disheartening loss after disheartening loss.

3. The Team Just Isn’t Good Enough

When you get down to it, the Mets are a flawed team. Instead of making improvements to the roster during the offseason, Alderson brought back a roster who could not even get past the Wild Card game. All of the issues that plagued that team have resurfaced, namely the injuries and bad defense.

The end result is a team that is just not good enough to compete. The Mets are 12 games out in the National League East and 10.5 games back of the second Wild Card. Against teams in playoff position, the Mets are 5-21. If you are a glass half-empty person, you look at this and say there is little no hope whatsoever.

If you are a glass half-full person, there is some reason for hope. The Mets do have a number of games with the teams in front of them in standings. There are a number of players who could come off the disabled list and have a profound impact on the team.  Even if there is a fire sale, players like Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith could give the team a jolt of energy.

We will find out what is in store for the Mets as the team opens the second half hosting the reeling Colorado Rockies.