When the Mets decided to move on from Daniel Murphy, the team was gambling on two players – Dilson Herrera and Wilmer Flores.

The Mets doubled down on both with the Neil Walker acquisition. Walker only has a one year deal, and he only plays second base. He’s the proverbial stopgap who gives Herrera another year to develop in the minors before taking over second base next year.

When the Mets had Murphy, he could shift to first or third as needed. A David Wright or Lucas Duda injury would lead to Murphy moving over and Herrera, or someone else, playing second. With Walker stuck at second, the Mets needed someone who could play at each infield position – and play well. This was all the more important as Wright, and to a lesser extent Duda, have back problems. With Murphy gone, the Mets decided to lean on Wilmer Flores to take over that role.

With Wright waiting to see how he feels from an injection he received in his neck due to a herniated disc, the Mets’ gamble on Flores is once again highlighted.  So far, the gamble hasn’t worked. In 22 games, he’s hitting .172/.238/.276.  He has a -0.4 WAR, 46 OPS+, and a 49 wRC+. He’s spent almost three weeks on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

To be fair, Flores hasn’t received regular playing time. He didn’t receive multiple starts in a row until May 8th – 10th, and that’s when Flores was dealing with the aforementioned hamstring injury. He played three games in a row since he came off the DL, and he has gone 1-10. Not good, but also too soon to judge.

However, depending on how Wright responds to the injection in his neck, the Mets may need Flores to become the full time third basemen. When the Mets let Murphy walk, this became the plan.  The Mets put Flores in a position to be the everyday third basemen should Wright miss an extended period of time. With Wright’s spinal stenosis, this was always a very real possibility. The discussion about the Mets testing the third base trade market ignores this fact.

If the Mets are eventually forced to make a trade for a third basemen, it means it all went wrong. It means Wright broke down. Furthermore, it means Flores failed. Lastly, it means the Mets gamble failed.

When the Mets decided to move on from Daniel Murphy, the team was gambling on two players – Dilson Herrera and Wilmer Flores.

The Mets doubled down on both with the Neil Walker acquisition. Walker only has a one year deal, and he only plays second base. He’s the proverbial stopgap who gives Herrera another year to develop in the minors before taking over second base next year.

When the Mets had Murphy, he could shift to first or third as needed. A David Wright or Lucas Duda injury would lead to Murphy moving over and Herrera, or someone else, playing second. With Walker stuck at second, the Mets needed someone who could play at each infield position – and play well. This was all the more important as Wright, and to a lesser extent Duda, have back problems. With Murphy gone, the Mets decided to lean on Wilmer Flores to take over that role.

With Wright waiting to see how he feels from an injection he received in his neck due to a herniated disc, the Mets’ gamble on Flores is once again highlighted.  So far, the gamble hasn’t worked. In 22 games, he’s hitting .172/.238/.276.  He has a -0.4 WAR, 46 OPS+, and a 49 wRC+. He’s spent almost three weeks on the DL with a strained left hamstring.

To be fair, Flores hasn’t received regular playing time. He didn’t receive multiple starts in a row until May 8th – 10th, and that’s when Flores was dealing with the aforementioned hamstring injury. He played three games in a row since he came off the DL, and he has gone 1-10. Not good, but also too soon to judge.

However, depending on how Wright responds to the injection in his neck, the Mets may need Flores to become the full time third basemen. When the Mets let Murphy walk, this became the plan.  The Mets put Flores in a position to be the everyday third basemen should Wright miss an extended period of time. With Wright’s spinal stenosis, this was always a very real possibility. The discussion about the Mets testing the third base trade market ignores this fact.

If the Mets are eventually forced to make a trade for a third basemen, it means it all went wrong. It means Wright broke down. Furthermore, it means Flores failed. Lastly, it means the Mets gamble failed.