Monday Morning Quarterback- 2017 Mets Edition

The disaster that is the Mets season looks to have come to a fitting close on Sunday. Fitting for Sunday as anytime the Mets needed a series win or a sweep on a Sunday, the team would lay down and pack it in for the weekend. On this particular Sunday, with the Mets looking to sweep the Rockies, Steven Matz took the ball and proceeded to give up 7 runs on 9 hits without recording an out in the 2nd inning. This performance embodied the Mets season as a whole. Another piss poor outing from the starter, followed by 6 runs allowed from Salas, Bradford, and Ramirez (Not exactly the Three Musketeers), and hitters not coming through in big spots again. Two consecutive blow out wins in a row vs the current 2nd Wild-Card team, made it seem as if the Mets were bound for another 2nd half run. In '15 and '16 the Mets had the pitching to help carry this team to the playoffs, this season it's just deGrom/Lugo and then pray for rain.

Steven Matz leaves in the 2nd inning without recording a single out

The biggest issue coming into this season was whether or not the Mets starting pitching could maintain a healthy status and continue their dominance of the National League. The Mets putting all their marbles into thinking that their starting pitching would be healthy enough and not worry about constructing a bullpen because they were 7 deep in the rotation and they could just toss Gsellman and Lugo into the pen, came back to bite them where the sun doesn't shine. When Matz and Lugo went down, the Mets were left with an average bullpen. Once Familia underwent surgery and Salas/Robles showed their true colors, the bullpen regressed to the lackluster group of misfits that Sandy Anderson cooked up. Alderson's lack of spending on non-Mets free agents is quite embarrassing. The moves to re-sign Cespedes, Walker, and Blevins were clear no-brainers, as well as picking up the option of Jay Bruce, which turned out to be a terrific move. Not non-tendering Lucas Duda, signing Fernando Salas, or bolstering the pen in any way shape or form is why the Mets stand at 8 games under .500.

Where do the Mets stand now? They should sell all valuable assets that will be free agents this off-season. I would sell high on Jay Bruce and Addison Reed while trying to find trade partners for players like Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Lucas Duda. The only way I'd trade Jerry Blevins is if the Mets can get a Kings Ransom back, as he is a terrific lefty specialist, under team control until 2018. The Mets can still pretend to contend like the 2016 Yankees while trading off assets and gaining back top prospects, who can potentially help the Mets in the near future. With close to $60 million coming off the books and two top prospects waiting in the wings, there is no excuse as to why the Mets can't contend in the 2018 season. The Mets need to add a 3B like Mike Moustakas to help improve their offense. You can absolutely live with TJ Rivera at 2B, a potential Lagares/Nimmo platoon in CF (Or just re-sign Bruce and have Conforto man CF), and promote top catching prospect Tomas Nido, with Rene Rivera as his steady backup. The Mets then need to add a veteran starting pitcher, who can eat innings and 2-3 relief pitchers that can hold down innings 6-8.

An interesting article from Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record came out today, speculating whether or not the Mets refuse to call-up Amed Rosario due to the cancerous situation that surrounds starting 2B, Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera after being moved to 2B because of his age and therefore lack of range threw a fit, in which he demanded a trade and that the Mets pick up his option for 2018 at the same time. Cabrera is simply not a good enough player for the Mets to keep holding Rosario down at AAA-Las Vegas. It's time for the Mets to send Cabrera into orbit and just let the kid play. He is the #3 prospect in all of baseball after all and the Mets shouldn't let a mediocre journeyman with a bad attitude, prevent them from calling him up.

If the Mets win, say 75 games this year, somebody has to take the fall for that, and Terry Collins is the perfect man for the job. Collins, the Mets manager since 2011, is a terrific player's manager but lacks any skill at in-game managing. His bullpen management, lineup cards, lack of emotion/arguing calls, and playing footsies with the media has put his job on the hot seat and helped this conversation even come into fruition. The Mets overall as a team lack basic fundamentals, such as bunting, base running, and defense, that falls on the lap of the manager and so does under performing with big expectations. Looking beyond this loss of a season, there will be three options at manager for the Mets: Bob Green, Chip Hale, and David Wright. Geren and Hale are both Alderson guys, who will read you the company line, and probably do a decent job, but the Mets can't keep going with status quo. Wright is a ballsy choice as he has no managing experience, but the guy is clearly the leader of this team and it's crystal clear that the team responds positively to his leadership. Wright would certainly be my pick, but as long as Terry Collins is no longer managing the Mets in 2018, it's a win-win situation in my eyes.