In A Bind

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The New York Mets entered the 2016 Major League Baseball season with high expectations after winning the National League Pennant last year. After a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on May 30, the Mets found themselves with a record of 29-21. But since then the Mets are 2-5 and they’ve also been dealing with a glut of injuries. In the past two weeks the Mets have seen third baseman David Wright and first baseman Lucas Duda sent to disabled list with injuries that are going to see them each miss a significant amount of time. Wright has been diagnosed with a herniated disk in his neck, while Duda is dealing with a stress fracture in his back. This past weekend saw outfielder Yoenis Cespedes scratched from the Mets lineup due to an issue with his hip, while outfielder Juan Lagares suffered a partially torn thumb ligament while making a diving catch against the Miami Marlins. And once you factor in that catcher Travis d’Arnaud has been on the disabled list since April 25 with a shoulder injury, the Mets are now down four starters from their opening day roster.

The Mets offense has been painful to watch as they’ve only managed to muster 3 runs in their last three games which has seen them fall in the standings. The Mets are now 3.5 games behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the National League East, while they have a 0.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final wild card berth in the NL.

The Mets have one of the top pitching staffs in baseball as their team earned run average of 3.15 is second in the National League entering play today. But you cannot expect the pitching staff which is loaded with studs to constantly put up dominant outings without giving them some run support.

Sandy Alderson

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson now finds himself in a very tough spot as he needs to make some moves to improve his team’s offense, but we’re at a point in the season where teams aren’t willing to wave the white just yet. And as they know that the Mets are desperate for a bat or two, their asking price is going to be astronomical.

 

 

Today the Mets were able to acquire utility man Kelly Johnson from the Atlanta Braves. The Mets had previously acquired Johnson from the Braves last summer, and he was used as a bench player for them during the stretch run. But Johnson’s return to the Mets is only going to serve merely as being another body in the lineup as he is not the difference maker that they could use.

There are some teams that already appear to be out of contention such as the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Braves who have players that the Mets could use, but Alderson is attempting to hold off of on making a mega deal for now. Padres outfielder Jon Jay has picked the right time to have the best offensive season of his career as he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this winter. And even though that the Padres are in last place in the National League West, I doubt that they’ll pull the trigger on a deal now as they will more than likely want Jay to represent them in the All-Star Game next month since it will be held in San Diego. The Reds have a first baseman that the Mets can use in Joey Votto. But Votto is in the midst of his worst Major League Baseball season, while he is still owed nearly $175 million on his contract which runs through 2024. The Braves also have a first baseman that the Mets could use in Freddie Freeman. However I don’t see the Braves making a move that would keep Freeman in the NL East.

Now we get a chance to watch baseball’s version of high stakes poker as teams are attempting to call Alderson’s bluff. When healthy Alderson knows that the Mets are a World Series contender. But even if the Mets are able to make it back to the postseason, it won’t be easy since the National League has greatly improved from last year. In the NL East alone, the Nationals have found new life under manager Dusty Baker and they don’t appear to be the pushovers that they were last year. Wright and Duda aren’t coming back anytime soon, and although that Cespedes can carry a lineup, he only gets four at-bats per game, while he is also currently attempting to fight through an injury. Alderson cannot simply wait around for guys to get healthy as the small holes that are currently in the Mets dam are not going to stay like that for long if they aren’t properly addressed. And a season that began with so much promise for the Mets could get away from them in a New York minute if they don’t take care of their business.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

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By | 2016-06-08T19:19:07+00:00 June 8th, 2016|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , , |0 Comments

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