Edgin Wasn’t Around To Lose This Sunday Game
If we are being honest, it has been a bizarre year from Sandy Alderson. The team had an outfield surplus that would have been solved by the Mets being willing to eat some salary. In turn, that could have allowed the Mets to build the bullpen they needed to build in order to win. Instead, the team was willing to start Michael Conforto, this team’s lone All Star, in the minors, so they could double-down on their curious Jay Bruce decision last year.
The team also has repeatedly refused to call-up Amed Rosario using many reasons as a smokescreen. The best one of those was Rosario not being a pitcher. Of course, that just overlooks the Mets pitchers having a major league worst .321 BABIP and the left side of the infield having a major league worst -33 DRS. How could Rosario, a player ticketed as a future Gold Glover, possibly help that?
Then we have the truly bizarre Josh Edgin DFA decision.
There is some things to like and dislike about Edgin. He’s both allowed the most inherited runners to score, and he’s prevented the most inherited runners to score on the Mets. He’s top three in both, but his 75% strand rate is still pretty good. He has a 3.65 ERA, but a 117 ERA+.
The Mets made this decision because they had to accomodate newly acquired AJ Ramos on the roster. They did this despite the Mets having room on the 40 man roster, and the team having some dead weight on the MLB roster. Certainly, the Mets could have easily sent Josh Smoker or Erik Goeddel to Las Vegas. If they wanted to DFA someone, Fernando Salas has been begging for it with his arm having apparently fallen off sometime in late April.
Well, it was a good thing the Mets didn’t have Edgin around to blow yet another Sunday game.
Like most Sunday games this season, this one was over early. After Seth Lugo allowed homers to Nelson Cruz in the first and Leonys Martin in the second, it was 4-0 Mariners. A second inning Robinson Cano double made it 5-0. With the Mets doing nothing against Mariners starter James Paxton.
Sure, Lugo settled in and didn’t allow any further damage keeping it at least plausible the Mets could get back into this game. Those dreams ended when the aforementioned Smoker and Salas allowed unearned runs effectively putting an out of reach game out of hand. Both errors were made by Neil Walker, but it doesn’t matter because Sandy told us defense doesn’t help pitching.
Having lost the series, the Mets are now leaving Seattle. It will be interesting to see who joins them in Colorado and who will be going to another destination.
Game Notes: Asdrubal Cabrera was given a day off for rest. When Jose Reyes left the game after getting hit by a pitch, Matt Reynolds shifted from third to short, and Cabrera played third.