Musings
Heading into the trade deadline, there were rumors the Mets were willing to eat salary in order to maximize the return for a player. There were also the rumors the Mets would be willing to trade with the Yankees.
Ultimately, both rumors proved to be false.
When it came to Lucas Duda, the return from the Tampa Bay Rays was arguably weak. In exchange for a top 10 first baseman, the Mets got a relief prospect. Sure, Drew Smith could ultimately be a good reliever, but he’s still a reliever in the Vic Black/Bobby Parnell mold – big arm, hard time putting batters away.
The argument in response will be there was a weak market for 1B/DH players, and Duda had an e luring deal. Lost in the argument was the Mets failed to create a real bidding war.
As Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports reported, the Mets didn’t make Duda available to the Yankees. As an unnamed Yankees official stated, “he Mets just wouldn’t trade him to us.”
To those who were skeptical of the report, please turn your attention to the Jay Bruce trade.
In exchange for a player on pace for a 40 HR, 100 RBI season, the Mets received Ryder Ryan from the Cleveland Indians. Ryan is a former 30th round pick who is a converted reliever. In the deal, the Indians took on all of Bruce’s salary.
For those Mets fans thinking Bruce should’ve netted more, you might be right.
According to Marc Carig of Newsday, the Yankees were interested in Bruce, and according to his sources, the Yankees were offering two prospects many teams inquired about at the trade deadline. According to Carig, “Yankees would have covered only a portion of salary, but Yankees offered better players it seems.”
If true, this is complete and utter nonsense. The Yankees possess a deep farm system with players who could have helped the Mets in the long run.
Who cares if Duda or Bruce helped the Yankees win a World Series? They weren’t helping the Mets win one this year. In fact, the only way these players would’ve helped the Mets win a World Series was to get an important piece in return who could have been a significant part of a winner. At the moment, it’s hard to make that argument for Smith or Ryan.
In reality, a Mets team who has been unwilling to spend commensurate with their market size and window of contention, once again took the cheap route. They dumped two players on smaller market teams and got underwhelming returns.
Their actions proved they were unwilling to ear salary for a better return, and they were unwilling to help the Yankees win. It was petty, small-minded, and it was bad business.
It doesn’t matter if this came from Sandy Alderson or Jeff Wilpon. What matters is it happened, and the Mets are arguably worse off for it. In the end, I really hope Smith and Ryan was worth it. Chances are they won’t be.
UPDATE: It gets better. Not only did the Mets care more about money than the prospect return, but they also cared about those four meaningless games against the Yankees
#Mets preferred savings to prospects NYY offered. Also were not eager to finance trade for NYY, whom they face four times from Aug. 14-17.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 10, 2017
Before yesterday’s game, Matt Harvey threw from the mound for the first time in what could have been the first step towards a rehab assignment. In fact, after the session, Harvey said, “I’m on track to get back hopefully pretty soon.” (Anthony DiComo, MLB.com).
Of course, Harvey is in this position because he was put on the disabled list with a stress injury to his right scapula. While we cannot state anything with certainty, there is the distinct possibility the stress injury was the result of the muscles in Harvey’s shoulder being roughly half the size of the muscles in his left shoulder. This could stem from the fact Harvey had surgery to alleviate the effects of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS), and he was unable to have his typical offseason workouts.
It should be pointed out that Harvey was not expected to be full strength in May. As Pitching Coach Dan Warthen said, “History says with that surgery that it’s 10 months out. That’s when you really start to feel strong. Generally when you open a season you gain two miles per hour. If he’s playing at 94, 95, it’s a completely different story.” (Mike Puma, New York Post).
Harvey was a different pitcher to start the season. He wasn’t just sitting at a lower velocity, but he was also unable to strike batters out. He tired as the season progressed to the point where he wasn’t even hitting 90 MPH anymore. It was at that point everyone had to face the truth – something was wrong.
However, that something wrong began in the offseason. The Mets knew Harvey wasn’t going to be at full strength, and they put him in the Opening Day rotation anyway. They did it because Steven Matz and Seth Lugo had injury issues. He was put in the rotation because the Mets refused to add a veteran depth to the rotation to protect against a rotation with a number of injury issues heading into the season. Frankly, Harvey was in the rotation because he pushed for it, and there was no one standing in his path telling him it was a bad idea.
There was no repeat of the 2015 Scott Boras controversy. The Mets were unwilling to sit back and wait to do what was best for Harvey and really for the team. Harvey being the competitor he is wasn’t willing to wait.
In the end, the Mets got 13 starts from Harvey, and he went 4-3 with a 5.25 ERA, 1.450 WHIP, and a 6.9 K/9. That’s not Harvey.
Overall, the Mets pushed Harvey forward because they didn’t want to wait for him to be 100%. Harvey pushed because he was a competitor. In the end, it became a forgettable season for both parties. Hopefully, they both learned from this season, and they will be smarter going forward. However, based upon past history, it is unlikely to happen.
It is interesting when you think about it. The Mets waited and waited and waited before they would bring up Amed Rosario. They waited for the Asdrubal Cabrera situation to calm down. They wanted him to be playing well. In essence, the Mets wanted the perfect situation to call-up Rosario to put him in the best position to succeed.
The Mets did this despite many believing he was ready. The Mets were willing to deal with poor defense at shortstop, and perhaps the 2017 to protect him.
The Mets handling of Rosario makes how they are handling Chris Flexen all the more curious.
Unlike Rosario, there was no calls for Flexen to be called-up to the majors. Even with the injuries, most thought the right call would have been to put Tyler Pill back into the major league rotation. There was nothing to lose there. The Mets season was already going nowhere, and Pill had some success in an earlier stint in the Mets rotation. Instead, the Mets made the bold and perhaps inspired choice to call Flexen up to the majors from Double-A. It was something the Mets have not done since 2006 with Mike Pelfrey.
Flexen was initially set up for success with him making his debut in San Diego. Petco Park is a pitcher’s park, and the Padres are not a great team. Unfortunately, Flexen would struggle, and he would last only three innings.
From there, Flexen took the mound in Coors Field, which was hardly the ideal spot for a any pitcher let alone one whose best pitch is his curveball. Like he did in San Diego, Flexen struggled, and again, he would last just three innings. He would depart that game with a blister.
Instead of sending him down after two tough outings, or putting him on the disabled list with the blister, the Mets are going to send Flexen back on the mound. This time it is against the Texas Rangers. While it is a down year for the Rangers, they do have veteran hitters like Adrian Beltre who can give a young pitcher fits. He’s doing this coming off two rough starts and with a blister on his finger.
Who knows? Maybe this is the best way to test a young pitcher and find out something about him. It’s possible he will be better for the experience. He could learn what he needs to improve to be able to get outs at this level. All in all, there’s an argument for made for letting him struggle. To that end, Flexen has shown poise on the mound despite him not getting results.
However, this all begs the question – if the Mets are so willing to call up Flexen before he was ready and put him in difficult situations, why wouldn’t they do the same with Rosario?
Look, we can all agree the Dodgers are a much better team than the Mets. There are several reasons why this is the case, and there is another time to re-evaluate how the Mets have gone from beating the Dodgers in the 2015 NLDS to being completely over-matched in a three game series where Clayton Kershaw didn’t even pitch.
Teams have bad series all the time. Even when the Mets are good, we see clunkers like this from time to time. However, this series seemed more than that. This was a team thoroughly out-classed on the field. It makes you shudder when you consider the Mets had Jacob deGrom and Seth Lugo going.
At this point, it’s time to press the reset button. We all know the Mets aren’t going to the postseason. With each passing day, even getting to .500 is a pipe dream. For what it’s worth, getting to .500 is detrimental. The Mets need to lose as many games as they can to get the best possible draft pick they can in the 2018 draft. You want the Mets to be able to go and draft the next Michael Conforto.
No matter what happens, we know the Mets are going to continue to lose a number of games to close out the season. That’s fine. We’ve all accepted it. What we cannot accept is turning on the game and watching a team lose without any purpose whatsoever.
What is the team accomplishing by playing Wilmer Flores and Jay Bruce at first base? Neither one of them are going to be the first baseman next year. That job is going to Dominic Smith. With each game Flores and Bruce play first, and Smith remains in the minors, the Mets have accomplished absolutely nothing.
What does playing Curtis Granderson everyday accomplish? He’s been a good Met and an even better man. He’s also accepted a role as the team’s fourth outfielder. It’s likely he will be gone after the 2017 season. With each game he plays, you learn nothing about him. All the while, Brandon Nimmo sits languishing on your bench not even getting at-bats in Triple-A to help him improve as a player.
For that matter, why is Gavin Cecchini in Triple-A? Do we really need to learn more about Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera? Isn’t one or two of them likely gone after the season? If not, aren’t their roles going to be much different in 2018? Reyes should be firmly on the bench in 2018, and Cabrera has shown he should be at third base. If that is the case, why isn’t Cecchini playing second base over these two?
Ultimately, you can justify playing any of the aforementioned veterans you want. Certainly, you want Neil Walker to showcase himself to teams after a lengthy disabled list stint. However, the aforementioned veterans have already been showcased and teams have passed on them for a variety of reasons. Playing them everyday serves this Mets team no purposes. That is unless the Mets are going to have a huge push to celebrate Bruce passing Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley for the Mets single season home run record like they pushed Reyes winning the Mets first ever batting title. Note, Reyes’ batting title didn’t exactly draw fans to the park.
Calling up Amed Rosario was a step in the right direction. Seeing Paul Sewald pitch in some high leverage situations is another step. Taking a chance on Chris Flexen was inspired. However, it’s simply not enough. Sooner or later, Mets fans are going to tune out these games . . . if they haven’t already.
To that end, it’s time to get Smith and Cecchini up here and play them everyday or close to it. Fans would rather see them work through some growing pains at the major league level than watch Bruce, Cabrera, Granderson, Reyes, and Walker lose in lackluster fashion.
It’s time to turn the page if for no other reason than it’s time to give fans a reason to watch what has become a dreadful team.
With the July 31st trade deadline having coming and gone, the Mets were able to trade Lucas Duda and Addison Reed for a quintet of hard throwing right-handed relief prospects. Unfortunately, the Mets were unable to move other trade assets in Jay Bruce, Asdrubal Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, or any number of the veterans on the roster who could help a contender.
Now, the trade deadline having passed doesn’t mean those players cannot be traded. Rather, it means those players cannot be traded unless they go through the waiver process. This is why you will see a number of players, even presumably untouchable players like Yoenis Cespedes, start to be put on revocable waivers starting as early as August 1st. All of these players are put through waivers so they can begin to facilitate August trades.
Typically, August trades are presented as being overly complicated. They’re not. In fact, there are three situations wherein a players is traded in August: (1) Player Was Unclaimed; (2) Team Claims Player; or (3) Player Not On 40 Man Roster.
Player Was Unclaimed
When a player is put on waivers, they remain on waivers for 47 hours. Should a player go unclaimed after that time period, that player can be freely traded to any other team during the month. The one caveat here is the player being traded can only be traded for another player who has cleared waivers, a player not on another team’s 40 man roster, or everyone’s favorite, a player to be named later.
Team Claims Player
In the event another team claims a player, there are three things a team can do. First and foremost, a team can revoke the waiver request on that player. In the aforementioned example of Cespedes, if another team were to claim him, the Mets can very simply revoke the request. If and when the Mets do that, Cespedes remains a member of the Mets, and he cannot be traded until the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Now, it is the situation where a player claims a player that things can get complicated. However, the complication is in the explanation more than in how it is handled.
During the the 47 hour time period a player is put on waivers, the other 29 Major League teams have an opportunity to put in a waiver claim. Keep in mind, this is not like a poker table where everyone knows if you pass or not. All teams make the decision ignorant of what the other teams are doing. If a player is claimed off waivers, his team can only trade him to the team that was awarded the waiver claim. That process is determined by waiver priority.
The team that has waiver priority is the team in the same league who has the worst record. For example, if the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks were to put in a waiver claim on Walker, the Pirates would be deemed to have claimed Walker off waivers because their record is worse than the Diamondbacks record.
If no team in the National League claims Walker, then the process is repeated in the American League. Using a similar hypothetical, the Tampa Bay Rays will be deemed to have claimed Walker off waivers over the Cleveland Indians because the Rays record is worse than the Indians.
In a situation where a player is claimed by teams in both leagues, the process first looks at the league and then the record. For example, if the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox both put in a claim for Walker, the Dodgers will have won the claim because they are a National League team. The fact the Dodgers have the best record in baseball and the White Sox have the worst record in the American League does not come into the equation.
Now, once a team has been awarded the waiver claim, the teams have 48.5 hours to work out a trade. If the teams cannot work out a deal in that time frame, the player returns to his original team, and he cannot be traded for the rest of the season.
The final possibility here is the player is claimed, and his team lets the player go to the new team without looking for anything in return.
Player Not On 40 Man Roster
The aforementioned rules only apply to players not on the 40 man roster. Hypothetically, another team an be interested in a player not on another team’s 40 man roster. For example, a team looking for left-handed relief help could reach out to the Mets about Alberto Baldonado, who has limited left-handed batters to a .222 batting average in Triple-A. As Baldonado is not on the 40 man roster, the Mets can execute this hypothetical trade at any time.
Caveats
These rules only apply to players put on revocable waivers. If a player is placed on irrevocable waivers, once that player is claimed, there are no trade discussions because that player automatically switches teams with the trade.
Another important consideration is once a player is a player can only be put on revocable waivers just once. If a player is put through revocable waivers, gets claimed, and is returned to his original team, that’s it. After that, the player can only be put on irrevocable waivers.
Another important factor is a player with a non-trade clause or 10-and-5 rights can still block a trade to another club. However, while that player can block the trade, they cannot block being moved to another team on a straight waiver claim.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, for the player to be eligible for the postseason, the deal will have to be consummated by August 31st. If a deal is not struck by that date, the player can play on the other team until the end of the regular season, but that player cannot appear on a postseason roster.
Lost in all the euphoria of Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson announcing the team will finally promote top prospect Amed Rosario to the majors was his statement that Rosario will not be playing every day:
“Rosario is not going to play every day,’’ Alderson said. “He’s never played that many games in a year.”
Rosario set his career high in games played last year with 120 games split between St. Lucie and Binghamton. In addition to those 120 games, Rosario did make an appearance in the MLB Future’s Game and the Florida State League All Star Game. His career high of 120 games had surpassed his previous high of 105 games played in 2015. That was a 15% jump in games played.
What is notable was when Rosario passed the 105 game mark last season, he didn’t wear down as one might suspect. In fact, Rosario got better. From his 106th game until his 120th game, Rosario hit .403/.456/.548 with four doubles, a triple, a homer, and 11 RBI with five stolen bases.
If Rosario were to have a similar 15% jump that he had from 2015 to 2016, this means Rosario would play in 138 games this season. Before his call-up, Rosario has played in 94 games meaning that he would play in 44 of the Mets remaining 59 games. As the Mets have not set forth a specific construct on Rosario’s playing schedule, it is possible the shortstop may play in more or less games than that.
Certainly, Rosario’s play on the field may dictate exactly how many games he plays to finish out the season. Should he play well, like he did at the end of the 2016 season, it is likely Terry Collins will be more inclined to put his name in the lineup in more games than originally expected. If he struggles, it is possible he will play in fewer games. You could also argue Rosario should stay in the lineup when he struggles so he can work on making the necessary adjustment. Ovearll, the specific amount of games he plays shouldn’t be the issue.
The real objective with Rosario is making him a better player. Yes, part of that is getting on the field and playing. Another aspect is just getting acclimated to the majors and learning from the veterans on the team like Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera. It is about making the adjustments he needs to make to become a better player not just this year, but for his entire career.
Yes, it will be frustrating if you are a Mets fan that rushes out to a game now to see him play only for him to be sitting that day. It will be even more frustrating for the Mets not to do everything in their power to insure Rosario becomes the major league player we all believe he can be.
After his warm-up act in Colorado, Mets shortstop Amed Rosario is finally coming to the bright lights of New York. He’s going to run out of the dugout before the top of the first, and he’s going to go to that area between second and third base. That’s the area that should belong to him for the next decade. Maybe more.
Already, we have seen glimpses why everyone is so high on Rosario. You’d be hard pressed to name a Mets player over the past decade who is as athletic as he is. We’ve seen him go from home to third quicker than anyone over the past three seasons. We’ve seen him make plays in the hole that no Mets shortstop since perhaps Rey Ordonez could have even contemplated making a play. We’ve also seen him adapt.
Nothing speaks more to that than the grounders hit by Trevor Story on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, Rosario took a less direct route, and he tapped his glove before throwing to first. Story would be safe on the bang-bang play. On Wednesday, Rosario took a more direct route and threw on the run. This time, Story was out on the bang-bang play.
It tells you a lot about a player who can adapt that quickly.
It also tells you alot about him the way he reacted to another tough play from that Tuesday game. Rosario was in no man’s land on a DJ LeMahieu groundball. He broke to cover second because it was his responsibility to cover the position. With the ball in play, he broke back, but he could only get a glove on it. From there, Nolan Arenado would hit an RBI single ending the game. It was a tough play that caused Jay Bruce, Neil Walker, and Terry Collins to reach out and speak to him after the game.
If the play truly bothered him, we saw no ill effects from Rosario. He played just as well over the next two games. In fact, he hit triples in consecutive games to spark the Mets offense. He was also flawless in the field again making plays we haven’t see a Mets shortstop make in 20 years.
Rosario is here, and so far he’s been everything we thought he could be. Actually, that’s wrong. He’s more than that. He’s already shown the ability to put the tough plays behind him and learn from difficult plays.
In this tough 2017 season where it is has been difficult to watch the Mets at times. We now have Rosario, who with this ability and effort level makes watching games for a team playing out the string worthwhile. Between him, Michael Conforto, and soon Dominic Smith, the Mets are showing us a young core of position players who can return the Mets to the postseason as soon as next year.
It’s time to get excited about the Mets again.
If you were paying attention yesterday, Assistant General Manager John Ricco told the press Mets Captain David Wright was in St. Lucie doing “low level” baseball activities.
Any optimism you may have had quickily faded when you realized what was meant by low level baseball activities. By no means do I wish to disparage one of the best players in Mets history, but he is essentially doing the baseball activities I do with my three year old:
David Wright is in Port St Lucie and has started low-level baseball activities. #Mets pic.twitter.com/syOYHdbs0o
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 2, 2017
In many ways, it is sad a player who had the talent to be in the Hall of Fame has been reduced to fielding grounders hit right at him, hitting off a tee, and throwing the ball.
On the other hand, this is still progress. Remember, Wright couldn’t do these things to begin the season. He was throwing away from the media’s view so as to save him from some embarrassment. Things went so poorly he was shut down from anything baseball related. The mere fact he is doing things yet again at least means he has made some progress. Hopefully, there is more progress.
If there is enough progress, maybe he takes the field again at some point. That may be this September. It could be at any point next season. It may be never.
However, if there is even the slightest chance Wright can step back on the field, I want to see it. I don’t care if he runs out to third base, or whatever position he is now capable of playing. I don’t care if he leads off the game to take just one more at-bat and tip his cap to the fans. I just want to see Wright play again.
I want to see him be able to set foot on the ground at Citi Field again because he’s working so desperately to do so. I want to see him do it because he’s a favorite player of mine. I want to see him do it because he deserves the chance to retire on the field as opposed to the trainer’s room.
So yes, anytime I see news Wright is doing anything baseball related, I’m going to be excited. I’m excited because I want to see him play again even if that means just one more at-bat.
The Mets have unofficially announced they are focusing their attention to the 2018 season. Gone are Addison Reed and Lucas Duda, and in their stead are four promising minor league relievers. The Mets have added AJ Ramos with an eye towards him being the primary set-up man for Jeurys Familia next year. Amed Rosario has already played his first game with the Mets, and according to Sandy Alderson, Dominic Smith is not far away.
Seeing Ramos in the bullpen is a good start. Rosario and Smith are even better. However, that’s not enough. As the 2017 season comes to an end, the New York Mets are going to have to find out about a number of players and how they factor into the 2018 season:
INF Wilmer Flores
2017 Stats: .287/.320/.486, 14 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 32 RBI, SB, 0.2 WAR
With Neil Walker being an impending free agent, Asdrubal Cabrera possibly having his option declined, and David Wright‘s continuing health issues, the Mets will enter the offseason with question marks at both second and third base. Ideally, Flores could slot in at one of those two spots.
It was just two years ago, the Mets thought Flores could be the everyday shortstop for a playoff caliber team. Since then, we have seen uneven performances at the plate and on the field. The Mets have seemingly come to terms with him being a platoon bat, but lost in that is the fact he is still just 25 years old and an improving player. That is exhibited by him being much better against right-handed pitching hitting .281/.326/.467 off of them. If Flores can continue hitting like that against right-handed pitching, he could conceivably play everyday.
The key for him is to find a position. That’s easier said than done, but he is a significantly better second than a third baseman. In 667.0 innings at second, he has a career -7 DRS and a 0.3 UZR. In 911.0 innings at third, he has a -16 DRS and a -4.4 UZR. With that said, let Flores focus on second and see if he can be a solution there next year.
RHP Rafael Montero
2017 Stats: 1-7, 5.56 ERA, 21 G, 7 GS, 56.2 IP, 1.729 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, -0.4 WAR
Montero has survived this long on the roster, and he has finally shown the Mets some glimpse of the talent that caused the Mets to keep him on the 40 man roster. Since his latest last chance to prove himself, Montero has a 4.14 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, and a 9.0 K/9. In this stretch, we have seen him pitch into the seventh inning, and we have seen him meltdown.
While there have been promising signs, his usage runs counter-intuitive to his utility to the Mets. If Montero is going to be with the Mets next year, it is going to have to be in the bullpen as there will be no room for the Mets to even consider him being a part of the rotation next year. This means the Mets should be utilizing the rest of the season to see how he pitches out of the bullpen whether it is using him as a long man or as a late inning reliever.
The Mets need to do this because Montero is out of options. This means he either makes the Opening Day roster in the bullpen, or the Mets stand to lose a player they have stubbornly held onto for so long. Before making that decision, they should at least see if the new and improved Montero can hack it in the bullpen.
CF Brandon Nimmo
2017 Stats: 16 G, 25 PA, 21 AB, 7 H, 2B, 2 RBI, .333/.440/.381
While the Mets left side of the infield defensive deficiencies have been oft discussed, not nearly enough attention has been paid to the centerfield situation. On the season, Mets centerfielders have a 0 DRS, which may not sound so bad on the surface. However, consider this is 19th in all of baseball. Also, consider this number has been propped up by Juan Lagares having played 216.0 innings at the position posting a 7 DRS.
The Mets answer lately has been Michael Conforto, who has a 0 DRS, which is remarkable considering he has never really played there full-time at any level. There is still the possibility he could be adequate there, but shouldn’t the Mets first find out about Nimmo first?
Nimmo has been a center fielder throughout his minor league career. While there is some debate over his ability to play the position, he does have the experience out there, and he deserves to benefit from the same major league coaching that has helped Conforto play there.
More than that, Nimmo has shown the ability to be a top of the order hitter who can get on base. At a minimum, he has showed enough to earn the opportunity to serve as part of a center field platoon with Lagares.
Lastly, Nimmo was the first first round pick of the Sandy Alderson Era. Doesn’t the team owe it to themselves to see what a player they heavily invested in can do at this level before looking to further address the outfield situation in the offseason. Consider that once the Mets sign another outfielder, whether that is Jay Bruce or Lorenzo Cain, the Mets have effectively made a first round pick a fourth or fifth outfielder without so much as giving him an opportunity to win a job.
RHP Paul Sewald
2017 Stats: 0-3, 8 H, 4.07 ERA, 35 G, 42.0 IP, 1.238 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, o.4 WAR
After being used in a variety of roles this season, Sewald has found himself being used in the seventh inning or later in his last 10 appearances. In those appearances, Sewald is 0-1 with six holds, a 2.79 ERA, 1.034 WHIP, and an 11.2 K/9.
Even with him walking five batters over that stretch, Sewald has shown he should get a closer look in one of the two primary set-up roles. With Reed going to the Red Sox, and Ramos presumably becoming the new closer, there is no reason why the Mets wouldn’t use Sewald as their eighth inning reliever to close out the season, or at least until Familia comes off the disabled list.
If Sewald shows he can handle the stress of protecting a late inning lead at the major league level, the Mets are that much closer to building a bullpen that can compete in 2018.
3B Neil Walker
2017 Stats: 63 G, 266 PA, 233 AB, 35 R, 62 H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 34 RBI, .266/.347/.455, 0.9 WAR
Since Wright went down with spinal stenosis, third base has been a black hole for the Mets. With Wright presumably missing the entire 2017 season, it is now clear the Mets cannot rely upon him to return to play third or any position next year. With no prospects coming through the pipeline, it is likely the Mets will have to address the position in free agency or via trade.
If they are going the free agency route, it may behoove them to re-sign Walker. The two sides were interested in a long term contract extension this offseason. Just because the two sides were unable to reach an accord does not prevent Walker from returning.
Considering Walker’s back issues as well as his getting older, he may be best suited to playing third base. Certainly, the way he has hit as a Met, he does have the bat to play the position. The only question remaining is if he can play the position. The Mets have 59 games to find out.
If Walker can do it, the Mets know they have a team player who has been a liked figure in the clubhouse. They will also have a veteran who can help show Rosario and Smith the ropes. More than that, they have a middle of the order bat to really extend the lineup.
All season long, Mets fans have been clamoring for the team to call-up top prospect Amed Rosario. It was more than just wanting hope for a season the Mets have mostly squandered. It was because Rosario addressed specific deficiencies this team has had all year.
Throughout this entire season, the left side of the Mets infield has been abysmal. Mets shortstops accounted for a -19 DRS, which is the worst in the majors. Mets third baseman also rank last in the majors with a -14 DRS. It should then come as no surprise the Mets left side of the infield accounted for a -33, which is by far the worst in the majors.
It should also come as no surprise the Mets pitching staff has yielded a league high .321 BABIP. This has been the under-reported part of the Mets pitching staff’s troubles. Certainly, it had a profound affect on a ground ball pitcher like Robert Gsellman who had .331 BABIP and a 6.16 ERA. We have recently seen some issues on that front with Steven Matz. The overriding point here is the pitching has been affected by the inability of the left side of the infield to make the plays that need to be played.
There’s also the matter of how the Mets run the bases. The Mets rank dead last in BsR, which is a stat designed to take into account all the different aspects of base running. For many fans, we don’t need a fancy stat to tell us what we already know. This team doesn’t steal bases. They don’t take the extra base. They’re thrown out on seemingly ever close play. In sum, they’re a bad base running team.
When you’re bad defensively and bad base runners chances are you are bad team. The Mets 48-55 record confirms as much.
Would Rosario have solved all of these issues? No, nor would he have prevented so many of the Mets from going on the Disabled List throughout the season. However, Rosario would have had a profound impact on this team.
Consider the defense for a second. The Mets have the worst defensive shortstop play, and Rosario is seen as a player who could be a Gold Glover at the position. Even assuming he has growing pains and is just worth a 2 DRS. This year, that’s the difference between having Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes at shortstop and having Brandon Crawford at shortstop. The separation between those two is vast, which would tell you how much better the defense would be.
There’s also the matter of Rosario continuously proving this year he’s ready. In 94 games, Rosario has hit .328/.367/.466 with 19 doubles, seven triples, seven homers, 58 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. He was also the starting shortstop in the Triple-A All Star Game and the Future’s Game.
All season long, Rosario has shown the skill set the Mets desperately needed all year. Now, with the team having sold off Addison Reed and Lucas Duda, and the team sitting with a 48-55 record, we are finally going to see the type of impact Rosario could have on this Mets team. It is more than likely it is too late to save the 2017 season. It is also impossible to tell if this is the right time or not.
Maybe if he’s called up in May, he struggles. Maybe he would have been the great player he has been. After all, this is a prospect that seems undaunted.
No matter what the case, the Mets promise to be a much better team for the rest of the 2017 season. Even if it doesn’t translate to wins and losses, there is now reason to watch because we get to see Rosario play. At this point in the season, that’s all we can ask.