Hanging around, hanging around. This team’s got alligator blood. You can’t get rid of them.
Sure, the immediate future looks bleak with like a dozen-and-a-half Mets on the injured list and the road got a little bumpier with Tuesday evening’s news of Noah Syndergaard’s setback in Port St. Lucie, but, hey, these are your first-place New York Metropolitans.
Can this group withstand the pressure and disadvantage of playing with an unimaginably short deck until the roster is whole again?
Maybe. They’ve certainly done their darndest so far.
The offense is understandably in shambles with their remaining healthy positional starters — Dominic Smith, Francisco Lindor, and James McCann — all struggling at the plate to varying degrees.
The likes of Tomas Nido, Jonathan Villar, and, cripes, that's about it, are keeping the wheels turning, and the pitching has unquestionably been the engine in this process, but at what point do the wheels simply fall off of this thing?
That’s a very good question.
Luis Rojas has done a terrific job of keeping his rotating cast focused despite the ever-growing avalanche of calamity this team has absorbed, as we’ve discussed here previously.
That little wrinkle of this conundrum can’t be undervalued and should be appreciated.
We’ve also talked about the benefits of compartmentalizing tasks as opposed to looking too far ahead and getting overwhelmed.
Get that W today and do your best to get another tomorrow. That’s pretty much the headspace that this team needs to be in right now.
Jacob deGrom returning to fan nine over five innings on Tuesday was certainly a jolt to the system, and adding Billy McKinney from the Brewers should bode well for the Mets’ decimated outfield depth (fun player, very good fielder, decent pop), as will Taijuan Walker’s impending return.
But will it be enough? I know we just talked about not looking past what’s in front of you, but the Mets’ June schedule is absolutely daunting. They may need a few more structural reinforcements before crossing that ocean.
Seven of their first nine games in June are against the currently first-place Padres with four against the half-game-out-in-the-NL-Central Cubs following that.
Pitching will only get the Mets so far, as we’ve seen. Maybe it’s time for Mets GM Zack Scott to begin looking in earnest for an emergency upscale addition to this positional stable.
Tim Britton of The Athletic rattled off a few intriguing names in his latest (Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar caught my eye, in particular).
We talked a bit last night about the Rockies’ apparent eagerness to shed every top-flight player off their roster before Labor Day. Ryan McMahon and his power stroke would look pretty good playing first, second, or third in blue and orange, no?
There will be options out there, especially as teams fall further and further out of contention. The Kris Bryant ship may have sailed for the time being, but what can you do?
Whichever way Scott & Co. decides to steer this ship — staying the course or getting aggressive to keep pace — this will need to be a fluid situation.
As we saw with Cameron Maybin over the last week (0-for-21, two walks), there’s a reason that some of these guys are available. And that’s not a knock on Maybin. He’s just getting his feet wet and could be a great bench piece if he picks it up.
It’s just that, if the Mets are going to be without Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil for a while and have to wait out the returns and reassimilation of key cogs like Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis, there’s going to be gaps to fill.
Contingency moves will continue to be made, as we’ve already seen. Revolving door-style, if they must. But if there’s a “come get us” move to be made, you kinda gotta consider doing it.
The pitching staff has been outstanding (3.23 staff ERA is fourth in MLB, 3.02 starter ERA is fifth, as is their 3.52 bullpen ERA). Support that elite consistency and make a push.
We’ve seen this movie before. In the past, losing a sizable portion of the core to injuries meant the season was virtually a wash. In 2021, that situation has changed a bit.
This team now has the resources to weather any storm as a major market team should. As it always does, that lucky old sun will reappear at some point. Why not make it a beach day when it does?
You know Steve Cohen is up in his office with his foam finger and a souvenir helmet full of Carvel, just waiting for this team to make a run. Give the boss what he wants.
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