Sandy Alderson Acknowledges Mets' Lack of DH Productivity

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Sandy Alderson admitted Wednesday that the productivity from the Mets’ designated hitter position has been “poor.”

Joining Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman’s The Show podcast, Alderson talked about a host of topics surrounding the Mets, including how they’ve performed so far, what the team needs at the trade deadline, Francisco Álvarez‘s future and more.

When talking about the trade deadline, Alderson acknowledged the team has “among the lowest DH productivity in the game.” And if you take Pete Alonso‘s stats at DH (.823 OPS, 17 RBIs), their stats are even worse.

He mentioned later on the team has waited for “one or two of those players to ignite” in the DH spot, and they haven’t. It’s evident those one or two players are J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith. Davis has a .745 OPS and 3 HR in 148 plate appearances at DH, and Smith has a .649 OPS with no home runs in 50 plate appearances at the position.

Overall, the Mets have just four non-Alonso home runs from the DH position and are well below league average in OPS.

Alderson also mentioned he feels the price for a good DH won’t be that high come the trade deadline. (He also joked a team in their division could try to hold out for a top prospect. Think: the Nationals and Josh Bell/Nelson Cruz.)

Though Alderson didn’t mention any names, the team should be in on guys like Trey Mancini, Josh Bell, Nelson Cruz, Brandon Drury, and others at the trade deadline.

What the Mets Need

Alderson said the team’s trade deadline plan is “defined by need and defined by cost.” So, they’re not going to pay a high price for a position that 1) doesn’t command a high cost (DH), or 2) they don’t have an extreme need (starting pitcher).

Starting pitching hasn’t been an issue the last six weeks, noting the rotation has remained afloat while Max Scherzer, Tylor Megill and Jacob deGrom remained sidelined. (Scherzer has allowed just one run in 13 innings since he returned.) While Alderson said they’d look around at starters, he said the team’s primary pitching need is bullpen help. They should be looking for guys like Andrew Chafin, Jorge Lopez and Michael Fulmer.

All in all, though, he said the team wants “to preserve some of the prospects we have,” so their top young guys look to be off the table. Some are “off limits,” with Alderson noting Brett Baty, Álvarez and Matt Allan.

Jacob deGrom’s Return

The Mets’ ace, Jacob deGrom, still hasn’t pitched this year, but his 2022 debut in on the horizon. “Everything points toward a return by the end of the month,” he said.

He also said he expects deGrom to be “highly motivated” to pitch for the Mets as he’s coming back during a pennant race.

A post-All-Star break return seems likely, and it will allow the Mets to start the second half with deGrom, Scherzer, Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco taking turns in the rotation.