Mar 31, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets manager Buck Showalter (11) looks on from the dugout prior to the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: New York Mets at Miami Marlins
(New York, NY) – Late Thursday night, just days shy of the calendar turning to August, the Mets 2023 season came to a close.
Ironically, it was made official just moments after New York had won a game in come-from-behind fashion, at home against the Washington Nationals.
But as the saying goes, “too little, too late”.
Just moments after the Mets victory was official, any excitement or temptation to check those disappointing Wild Card standings were dashed – the Mets had traded away closer David Robertson, the team’s best reliever and arguably most important player.
Now, it seems experts who know and scout prospects aren’t too upset with what the Mets received in return.
Although it’s undoubtedly a gross feeling making a trade with the Miami Marlins – similar to being stuck waiting for a train during this heat wave, getting sweaty, wondering when it will end. It’s not a great thing to help a division rival during their pennant push, but the teenagers New York received in the trade could one day be solid players – and if nothing else, the Mets have time to wait. They weren’t going anywhere this season and Bill Eppler (amid his flaws) was wise to start the teardown process now.
So, with the Mets’ dwindling playoff hopes essentially lit on fire following Robertson’s departure, what comes next?
There’s the official trade deadline that will come and go on August 1, followed by a couple months of major league baseball games. Perhaps the Mets will see fit to give Mark Vientos more playing time. Hopefully Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez can continue their development at the big league level. It’s even possible that top prospect Ronny Mauricio makes his debut for a “cup of coffee” in Queens. And then, after the Mets are officially eliminated, and the locker room gets cleared out, and fantasy football drafts get completed, Buck Showalter will be fired. I don’t see how any other option is possible given the Mets were essentially awful this year in every way, shape, and form.
Did the Mets run the bases well this year? No. Solid defense? Negative. Situational hitting? Zip. Clutch pitching performances? Yea, from Robertson – who just got shipped out. Otherwise? Absolutely not!
Let’s imagine, then, what the exit interview will be like for Buck and Mets’ team brass. Billy Eppler will be there, most likely (unless he suffers a similar fate). For sure, team owner Steve Cohen will be there. The longtime skipper owes that group of names nothing.
Was he a strong manager this year, in terms of on the field decision making or massaging team culture? No. But he’s crafted an almost, or arguably at least, Hall of Fame worthy resume. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride in terms of the World Series, but a solid manager nonetheless. Yet I can’t help but wonder if it’s fair to ask one thing of Showalter.
He obviously wanted to help bring a championship to Queens. I truly believe it wasn’t just to put a cherry on the top of his career, but because he respects the orange and blues’ fans – he essentially came out of retirement, or at least left the comforts of the TV booth, to give it a shot.
So, respect to Showalter for taking that chance. Now, one last request. The manager should tell the Mets straight up, and give them an unvarnished look at the truth. Baseball is broken, and the New York Mets are helping the keep the sport traveling down a mediocre path.
Longtime baseball scribe Kevin Kernan penned a terrific piece recently regarding the downfall of the .300 hitter. He noted how analytical types, or sabermetricians, have decided that strikeouts doesn’t matter. Home runs are to be pursued at all costs – and launch angles with loopy swings and reduced hard contact and boring baseball games – that’s gospel.
That’s where Buck comes in. The man who’s managed over 3,300 games, who was drafted in the 5th round by the Yankees in 1977, and who batted .294 across seven minor league seasons, is highly qualified to share his opinion on the game of baseball. He should tell the Mets front office that their strategy sucks, that this type of baseball sucks, and that if Cohen really wants to craft a legacy and reward the fans – he’ll focus on bringing in a bunch of .300 hitters.
And here’s a crazy idea – some young, durable, starting pitchers who can throw 200 innings a year.
But more importantly, getting back to the basics of hitting: making hard contact, with a level swing, and the idea that getting a hit 3 out of 10 times gets you to Cooperstown.
Throw us a bone here, Buck. Tell Cohen he’s way off the mark. Something stinks in Queens, and it’s the brand of baseball that nerds have convinced everybody we ought to pursue. Moneyball is what it used to be called. Can we get our money back?
