It’s 114 games into the season and Mets have lost 10 more games than they’ve won. That’s a helluva lot.
Two future hall of fame pitchers, an elite reliever, and three veteran position players have been traded. In return the Mets received 13 minor leaguers including the Astros best prospect and the younger brother of a baseball superstar who may be our second baseman for many years.
Many stories in the western world are circular and the Mets are back where we belong. Fourth in the division and who cares how many out of the wild card. The games in August are statistically meaningless and trees are evergreen.
We’ve been here before many times. But this one feels different. Because this year at the trade deadline the Mets actually had assets to sell. And when you sell you get something in return.
From day one Mets owner Steve Cohen said building up the farm system was a top priority. And it should be because that’s how you build a strong ballclub long-term. As I’ve mentioned before, you can’t just buy winning. You need a pipeline of talent at all positions to call up and trade away when the time comes.
I loved, loved, LOVED watching Justin Verlander pitch in a Mets uniform this season. Verlander’s stuff is still ridiculous, he works fast, never complains, and instills a confidence from the mound that permeates to the rest of the team. The guy is special and he’s been that way ever since he came into the league.
But the Mets weren’t going anywhere near the playoffs this season. Sure we kept up hope as the trade deadline came barreling towards us but the wins didn’t keep pace. The awful truth is even if all the Mets were firing, this team still wasn’t as good as the elite ones at the top of the league.
The Mets would’ve had to get ridiculously hot just to make the playoffs and then go on an insane run to beat anyone in the tournament. Hope always lives in a ballpark but so does delusion.
True, the starting pitching was rounding into form, especially with Jose Quintana in the mix. But Max Scherzer has been inconsistent and unreliable this season. Plus he got buried in a high-stakes game against the Braves last season and then torched in the playoffs against the Padres. I love Max, I really do. But I sure as hell can’t trust him.
The bullpen was just atrocious for most of the season. Some of that was because Edwin Diaz has been absent. But most of it was becasue the middle relief talent simply isn’t there. It’s hard to believe this unit was going to put it together and pitch lights out the rest of the way. They simply aren’t capable.
The lineup has been erratic all year. Everyone’s numbers are down. It seems like a miracle if the Mets can put more than two hits together at any time. None of us imagined a world where both Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil would be hitting .253 but here we are. The only guy having a marginally good year is Pete Alonso and even his average is lower than usual at .227.
An argument can also be made for Francisco Lindor as his average has climbed to .246 while his power numbers have been impressive. But he has 104 strikeouts in 426 at bats. I love Francsico, especially his defense, but that’s too many K’s. Strikeouts don’t move runners over, besides that they’re fascist.
The bottom-line is this Mets team simply wasn’t good enough. And that’s fine. We’re used to it. But we’d all like to get less used to it real soon.
Management hasn’t officially punted on next season but the expectations will certainly be lower. It’s hard to imagine the Mets legging out the division next year over the Braves, Phillies, or even the Marlins. They’re all stronger and they’re all a bunch of farts, especially the Braves.
But unlike the Wilpon years where losing was a way of life, in the Cohen era the losing will be temporary. The Mets have been building up talent in the minors, both position players and pitchers. Gardening takes time and those seeds will flower soon.
Some of them already have. Look at Francisco Alvarez. That dude can play and the whole room knows it. Brett Baty has had a rough time of it but he’ll be back. The talent and the demeanor is there. He’ll find his confidence in the minors and come back productive. That’s two position players for the future potentially set. And we got more coming.
So let’s enjoy what’s left of 2023. Let’s cheer on our heroes as they succeed, fail, and become better. Even though the games are statistically worthless, they have value. It’s still a magical, maddening game with aesthetic pleasures and mystical dreams.
Sure, we’re used to being near the bottom in August and September. It’s the same as it ever was. For now anyway.
