Two days after I implored the Mets not to make the critical mistake of being buyers at the trade deadline and doing something stupid like trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano, general manager Sandy Alderson practically made it official and revealed that the team will be sellers at the deadline. (Applause!)
“We have to be realistic about where we are in the division race, and realistic about where we are in the wild card standings,” Alderson told reporters on Friday in San Francisco’s AT&T Park.
Alderson is far from perfect, and for many of his great moves he also has some stinkers, but you could always count on him to be pragmatic, honest and realistic in how he assesses his team. He is usually his own worst critic when one of his moves goes awry and he doesn’t hide in the shadows when the team is under-performing. I’ve never seen him throw any of his staff under the bus the way Steve Phillips and sometimes Omar Minaya used to do when things looked bleak.
I had this conversation with my editorial team just last week, about how important it is for us to ignore the hype and false hope that is so easy for an optimistic fan base to get caught up in. And just like our GM, we must view things realistically and in the present tense. I always implore them to write fearlessly, write objectively, and write honestly, and that the respect will follow.
After a brutal eight games against the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers, the two best teams in the National League, the writing was on the wall for this flawed Mets team that has been limping through the season from the word go on Opening Day.
Stating the obvious, no matter how deflating, doesn’t make you a bad fan. And on the flip side, remaining hopeful and optimistic no matter how dire things look doesn’t mean you’re delusional either. Believe it or not, we can all coexist while continuing to root for the team no matter how dreary things may look.
However, one thing that really bugs me is reading an article after a lopsided win against the second worst team in the league, suggesting, “Hey we can get back into this just like the Kansas City Royals.”
It was Gary Cohen who first floated this possibility during last night’s broadcast. But then this morning I saw two articles propounding a similar rallying cry.
Look, I have no problem with Cohen saying we can overcome our 13.5 game deficit in the wild card standings and jump over a half dozen teams. He has his marching orders and talking points all laid out before the first pitch. His job is to promote the team and keep viewership and attendance from falling. And he does his job well.
But we have an obligation to our readers to tell it like it is. We want to be straight with you and give you our honest appraisal at every twist and turn of this Mets season. And the likelihood is that there is not going to be some miracle run, or that the Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks are going to lay down and die for us so we can grab one of those wild card spots.
I’m looking at the state of the Mets with both eyes wide open and that doesn’t mean I’m down in the dumps.
In fact I’m actually very excited to see what we can get for some of our trade chips. I’m anxious to see what Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario can do once they come up. I’m looking forward to seeing Michael Conforto and Wilmer Flores continue to develop – both of whom had a great game on Friday night!
Despite the poor record and a 4th place showing in the NL East standings, I’m still going to watch each and every game – always rooting for the team – while also keeping an eye toward the 2018 season.
The Mets are not in need of a rebuild, just a retooling that can have us looking better than the current construct of this team. It’s going to be an interesting offseason to say the least, but in the meantime there’s still plenty of Mets baseball to watch this season, and I look forward to seeing every second of it.
