The Mets beat the Phillies yesterday afternoon, but they are still struggling. Their pitching has become suddenly inconsistent and their offense is practically nonexistent. Here are a few things that I think, while risky, could turn things around.
Call up Steven Matz
Steven Matz is killing it in Triple-A right now. He currently owns a 5-2 record and a 2.24 ERA over his nine appearances (he has eight starts and piggybacked another game). In 56.1 innings, he has 61 strikeouts (9.7 K/9) and 20 walks (3.2 BB/9). Keep in mind he is also pitching in the Pacific Coast League, home of some of the toughest pitching environments in professional baseball.
Matz has swing and miss stuff that Jon Niese, his left-handed counterpart in the Mets rotation, just doesn’t have. This season, 13 percent of his strikes have come from swings and misses, compared to just six percent of Niese’s strikes. Granted, they are pitching at different levels, but Matz even outperformed Noah Syndergaard in this category. In Las Vegas, 11 percent of Syndergaard’s strikes came from swings and misses, and that number falls to nine percent when you include his time with the Mets.
Jon Niese is a solid pitcher, and the Mets have been able to consistently count on him to be around league average. That’s valuable, especially from someone who is under contract for multiple years for not a lot of money and isn’t relied upon to be one of the team’s best pitchers. However, Matz has the potential to be something that Niese never will be — dominant. The Mets can’t let a league average pitcher get in the way of someone so promising. In fact, Niese is still a pretty valuable trade piece. With someone so promising behind him, the Mets should feel safe dealing him for a bat.
Shake up the bench
The Mets’ bench has just been awful this year. In pinch hit situations, the Mets have a .212 wOBA, 26th in the majors to go along with a 34 wRC+. It’s unreasonable to expect a bench to hit above league average (only six teams have this year and three did last year), but where the Mets bench is at right now is really hurting the team.
Dan Darbandi of Amazin’ Avenue brought up the idea the other day of trading for Red Sox utility man Brock Holt. With Boston’s starting pitching currently ranked 29th in ERA, the Mets may be able to flip Dillon Gee or possibly Jon Niese for a package that includes Holt.
26 years old, Holt was eighth in Rookie of the Year voting last year int he American League after batting .281/.331/.381 in 106 games. So far this season, he owns a .297/.379/.429 line in 30 games. He also has outstanding versatility, having played every position except catcher in the majors.
Trade for a big bat
As I wrote yesterday, the Mets offense is pathetic. And as much as someone like Brock Holt may help out the struggling bench, it isnt’ going to solve the Mets’ offensive woes. For that, they need a big slugger.
The obvious answer out there is Troy Tulowitzki. He is far and away the best shortstop in the major leagues. Like I discussed in-depth last year, even if Tulowitzki hits his career road splits, he is the best hitting shortstop in baseball and the best overall shortstop. If there is one guy who is worth the money and the prospects, it’s him, in my opinion.
If the Mets don’t want to give up quite as much as Tulo will require but still want to go big, there are certainly other options out there. The Brewers have the worst record in baseball this season and could look to deal Ryan Braun. Braun is slashing .272/.349/.543 on the season with 12 home runs and a 140 OPS+. That would require moving things around with established starters, but so would just about any move the Mets could make for a hitter.
Odds are, the Mets will look for cheaper, more available options like Casey McGehee, but like Holt, someone like McGehee isn’t going to make much of a dent, even if he is at his best.
If the Mets front office is serious about making the playoffs this year, it can’t allow this team to continue treading water like they are right now. Something needs to be done.
Another Original Article From Metsmerized!
