Jun 23, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) wipes rain from his hair against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
(New York, NY) – Well, the Major League Baseball season is half over. For New York Mets fans, that likely brings a sense of relief – much in the same way you might feel when the dentist says “we’re nearly done here,” during a root canal.
Advanced dental surgery aside, the Mets season has certainly failed to live up to expectations. And with the team comically buried in the NL East standings (17.5 games back entering play on Friday), and more or less wishing on a hope and prayer in the Wild Card race (9 games back), there’s no plans to add at the trade deadline. Sure, the bullpen is horrid, the starting pitching lacks depth and productivity, and the DH position doesn’t provide much hitting. There’s plenty of places where the Mets could stand to upgrade. But it doesn’t make sense to pay a premium for an in-season pickup when the playoffs are basically beyond a pipe dream at this point.
In order for the Mets to reach 88 wins, (a safe benchmark for a Wild Card spot) they’d have to play at a winning percentage that’s only been posted to date by teams like Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Plainly stated, it’s just not happening for the Mets this season, for one reason or another. It’s just “one of those years,” – which for Mets fans feels pretty regular.
So should the Mets be embracing the mode of “seller” ahead of the August 1 trade deadline? Probably. At least to an extent. Certain players should certainly be made available, like Tommy Pham, Jeff McNeil, David Robertson, and perhaps Omar Narvaez. If anyone actually wants a Daniel Vogelbach, Adam Ottavino, or Mark Canha – by all means. The returns for these players won’t exactly be inspiring, but anything that helps to continue building out the Mets minor league depth is potentially worthwhile.
Plus, none of these aforementioned names are part of the long term future in New York. But the bigger question and debate surrounds names like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and – perhaps most shockingly for some readers – Pete Alonso. The Mets slugging first baseman enters free agency after next season, so a contract extension or a trade arguably makes sense. While Alonso started this year out with a prodigious power display, and was performing pretty well prior to being hit in the hand earlier this year, his .221 batting average and .312 (!) on-base percentages are just poor. Add in his always pedestrian defense and you have a fairly one dimensional player.
At the same time, Alonso has become a face of the team, power is nothing to sniff at (especially for a Mets team that largely struggles to hit home runs otherwise) and he seems to enjoy playing in New York. He profiles as the type of player where “you could do a lot worse” with him in the 5 spot of your lineup. Owner Steve Cohen isn’t hurting for cash, and an extension that carries Alonso into his early 30s makes sense. There’s little reason to move him – and there probably aren’t many teams lining up to offload blue chip prospects for him anyway.
Verlander and Scherzer are more compelling cases. Each may be attractive to teams making a run at the pennant, given they both have experience pitching in the playoffs, and likely still have some high-end starts left in their right arms. Neither has dominated this season, and that may just not be in the cards anymore at this point in their Hall of Fame careers. It’s unlikely that an A or B prospect is available for either – even if the Mets eat their (hefty) remaining salaries. For that reason, trading either away isn’t worth it. Scherzer can decide to opt-in to a third year on his deal this offseason, and Verlander is already under contract for next season.
As any Mets fan can tell you, building a starting rotation and getting through five innings every night is a struggle. Removing both of the Mets “aces” from the mix leaves two gaping holes next season. Even if they’re mostly mid-rotation level at this point in their careers, any hope for a competitive 2024 season likely still includes Verlander and Scherzer in some capacity.
So, blow it all up? No. Maybe some small moves? Sure, why not. No matter what, the Mets have a lot of work to do. For the fanbase, at least the root canal is halfway over.
