Whenever a team plays a game, there are issues which are going to emerge, and it is likely going to be a topic of conversation in the hours leading up to the next game.  When there is a doubleheader, there is so much more to discuss that some things get lost in the weeds, or in some instances, it allows teams to bury stories.

Yesterday, before the Mets played the first game of the doubleheader against the Phillies, it was announced Todd Frazier was going to go on the disabled list, and to replace him on the roster the Mets were going to recall Ty Kelly.  The end result of this would be Jose Reyes taking over in the interim as the everyday third baseman.

Now, the Mets entered the doubleheader 16 games under .500, and the team decided to go with their 35 year old albatross instead of giving a young kid an opportunity.  That means Dominic Smith is still a 23 year old sitting on the bench not getting at-bats.  It also means Jeff McNeil, a player who has arguably been the best hitter in all of the minor leagues this season, remains in Triple-A.

The Mets are making this option despite Reyes clearly showing he’s incapable of handling a bench spot, and as a result, is really no part of the Mets future.  Worse yet, when he does play, he plays terribly.  On the season, Reyes has a -1.2 WAR.  He can’t hit with a a .168/.238/.235 batting line (32 wRC+), and he can’t field with a negative DRS at third and short.

In essence, the Mets have an old player who can’t hit and field taking away at-bats from young players in a seaosn where the Mets are selling at the trade deadline.

The joke continues with the Mets claiming McNeil is only a second baseman.  In his minor league career, McNeil has played 209 games at second base and 148 games at third.  Even if you as a franchise believe he’s only a second baseman, why can’t you temporarily shift Asdrubal Cabrera to third?

Cabrera is a much better third baseman defensively than he is a second baseman.  In fact, Cabrera is an MLB worst -16 DRS at second base.  Why can’t the Mets move him to third to remind teams of a versatility, to keep him healthy, and to give McNeil and/or Smith an opportunity?

When it comes to the Mets, this is by far the most pressing issue in what has become a nightmare of a season.

However, that’s not what we are talking about today.  We are not because SNY helped changed the narrative.

In the eighth inning in the second game of the doubleheader, Aaron Nola‘s spot was due up, and Gabe Kapler appeared as if he was going to use Odubel Herrera as his pinch hitter.  Before Herrera was announced as the pinch hitter, Mickey Callaway had sprung from the dugout out, and he brought in Jerry Blevins.

Initially, this looked like a gaffe from Callaway because it allowed Kapler to keep Herrera on his bench while bringing in the right-handed hitting Jesmuel Valentin to pinch hit instead.

In the postgame, Callaway explained this was not in fact a gaffe.  Instead, he opined he hoped Kapler would make the decision to pinch hit Valentin instead of Herrera.

In defending his position, Callaway noted how entering the game Valentin was a .190 hitter whereas Herrera was hitting well against left-handed pitching with a .804 OPS.

Ancedotally, while it is true Herrera is just 1-12 against Blevins, it should be noted only one of those 12 at-bats were this season.  That’s an important note because this year, Blevins has really struggled with left-handed hitters allowing them to hit .318/.392/.523 off of him.  It is important to note right-handed batter are hitting .150/.292/.250 off of Blevins this year.

Essentially, Callaway made the right move here.  He forced Kapler into the match-up he wanted late in the game.

However, instead of commending him for using data to make an informed and well reasoned decision and for his making moves to force the other manager into a decision where a .190 hitter stepped up to the plate, SNY had commentator after commentator after commentator who ripped Callaway for the decision.

With each commentator following the narrative, the Mets decision to give Reyes more playing time over Smith and McNeil became an even distant memory.  In essence, the Mets utilized their network to help shift the narrative from “How can you play Reyes and not give McNeil a chance!” to “Callaway is over-matched and doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

It’s infuriating, and it’s going to become increasingly infuriating as people focus on Callaway instead of what the real issue is.

Really, as the end of the day the biggest issue was the Mets insistence on playing a 35 year old who can’t hit or field instead of giving a young player a chance.  Anything else is just a distraction and a perpetuated false narrative.