In our last roundtable, we answered the question, “which injured player will bring biggest boost to the Mets?” While we wait for our players of choice to get back, we know that upgrades need to happen for the Mets. But, what position do the Mets need to upgrade first while we wait?
The Mets desperately need some outfield help, I know they’ve added Billy McKinney and Cameron Maybin (terrible to this point), but they need a legit player they can put into the lineup that’s going to hit.
I know that’s easier said than done in late May, but the Mets are struggling to hold onto first place and are taking too many non-competitive at-bats.
A guy like Robbie Grossman would be a good fit, maybe David Peralta, Adam Frazier has experience in the outfield and so does Eduardo Escobar to a lesser extent.
Regardless of the name, it needs to be someone that’s a legit starting player and not another scrapheap deal.
It’d probably be a shorter list to name spots the Mets couldn’t use an upgrade at right now.
For this exercise however, I’ll go with an outfielder. Even after trading for the Brewers’ Billy McKinney, the Mets could still use more depth and a veteran bat in the lineup.
After somehow losing four center fielders to injury, I’d probably focus first and foremost on someone who could play that spot. Cameron Maybin can still play from a defensive standpoint, but he isn’t hitting at all and the team can’t afford to run out someone hitting .000 every day. Not with the current state of their roster.
Dee Strange-Gordon seemed like a fit, but that never materialized for whatever reason. I know Met fans want a splash move, but the prospect pool is shallow and top-heavy and I don’t see the organization trading away a high prospect when they’ve made it a point to say they want to build back up the farm.
My guess is they take a flyer on a struggling veteran that could use a change of scenery, that type of deal would seem to make the most sense for both parties at this point.
The Mets need help all over the diamond with the unprecedented amount of injuries they have had. It’s hard to pick one position as most in need of assistance. Clearly, the outfield is a priority, as Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis should be back fairly soon the solidly the infield.
In looking at the outfield, center and right fields rise to the top in terms of needing an upgrade, because Dom Smith is still standing to play left field. With the recent addition of Billy McKinney, I’d have to zero in on center field for some new blood. Cameron Maybin can still play defense, but he’s lost at the plate and the Mets can’t carry his hitless bat much longer. I’d like to see the Mets look for a center fielder. The problem is who may be available, and at what cost? For the record, I’m disappointed that they did not sign Dee Strange Gordon, who can play multiple positions and could have been had without sacrificing a player. After all, the Mets don’t have many players they can deal, and teams know of the Mets’ predicament, and any trade will likely cost a hefty price.
If I was asked this question last week, I probably would’ve said the outfield for all the obvious reasons. That’s still probably the most logical answer, but I’m going to choose the pitching staff just to be different. More specifically, I’d like to see the Mets gain just a little more depth in the rotation moving forward.
This is something they did a very good job of during the winter months, but we’ve seen that depth get tested to lengths we likely never thought imaginable two months into the season. While it’s not that they didn’t plan well enough, they could still use some more pitching with how things have gone on the injury front. Someone once told me that you can never have enough of it.
While Jacob deGrom is back and Taijuan Walker was scheduled to be back on Friday before the Mets’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves was postponed, the depth has taken a hit in recent weeks. Carlos Carrasco may not make his team debut until sometime in July, and with Noah Syndergaard recently getting shut down, there’s a chance he may not pitch at all in 2021. Plus, to make room for Billy McKinney on the 40-man roster, Jordan Yamamoto was transferred to the 60-Day IL. Joey Lucchesi has looked much better in his last two outings, but he still has yet to toss more than four innings in a single appearance.
The Mets’ pitching has been a huge reason behind their early-season success — and especially the bullpen. The workload management of that group has been good thus far, and it’ll be important to keep that in mind as the season wears on. Finding another arm or two to stick in Triple-A (in addition to what New York has left there) wouldn’t be a terrible idea. I mean, look at what the Mets have had to do so far — who knows what the next four months will bring.
I also want to say everything, But, if I had to choose just one, I would have to go with pitching. The Mets’ arms have just continued to take huge losses — both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Defense wins games, and when it comes to what the Mets pitchers were supposed to be, that should’ve been a very easy thing. The Mets “Bench Mob” has really stepped up, but they can’t do the whole thing on their own.
