“Develop the pitching, buy the bats.” That was a recurring theme during what has been a five year rebuild. It was drilled into our heads. And yet here we are, with a pitching rotation and bullpen packed with some of the most elite arms in the league, and the offense is sputtering.
The team is at the precipice of this enduring run of championship baseball they’ve been telling us about since December, 2010, built on a foundation of young and mostly homegrown elite pitching.
But the offense is firing blanks, ranking at or near the bottom of the Majors in batting (27th), runs scored (26th), home runs (25th), and OPS (29th).
After having a taste of success that included an 11 game winning streak, the Mets have lost seven of their last 10 games, and are 10-15 in their last 25. They have blown an eight game lead over the Nationals and relinquished their hold on first place.
And still we stand, hands firmly under our asses, doing nothing but waiting for David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud to get back. Both of whom, especially Wright, keeps getting his return pushed back.
What if it’s too late when they return in two or more weeks? What if we lose even more ground and fall behind the Atlanta Braves next? What if we lose eight more games in the standings the next two weeks as we just did in the last two weeks?
What if the cost of waiting means we’re in third place on June 10th and ten games back? How would that sit with you?
Where’s the sense of urgency?
The Mets are reeling. If these last 17 days happened in September instead of May, they’d be calling it an epic collapse and a historic choke.
But that doesn’t mean we should ignore this glaring warning sign without any gumption to do something about it… We talk about having a team with fire, how about a front office with fire?
“I think everybody needs to take a deep breath,” Sandy Alderson said last weekend.
“Nobody’s panicking,” said Terry Collins last night.
Meanwhile, as those two chill out without a worry in the world, that sense of urgency they were being lauded for in spring training is nowhere to be seen.
Where’s that offense Kevin Long was being put on a pedestal for in March?
When does our difference maker Michael Cuddyer start making a difference?
This offense is running on fumes and are on the verge of flat-lining. And nobody seems to give a damn about it.
Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom deserve better. Hell, we deserve better. And by better, I don’t mean more Free Shirt Friday’s and Daniel Murphy Refrigerator Magnet Days.
