Reese Kaplan - A Shake-Up SHOULD be Forthcoming, But Won’t

A Shake-Up SHOULD be Forthcoming, But Won’t

With the Mets ahead of schedule for their post All-Star-Break collapse, it seems like a rational organization would try to change some things in order to jumpstart the moribund offense and the laughingstock pitching beyond “Harvey and Niese, then watch winning cease” is living up to that slogan.  The bullpen is being overworked due to the inferior starting and it’s ironic to me that the 14 year journeyman Scott Rice is becoming the sole dependable non-closing arm out there.  I feel bad for Parnell because now that he’s seemingly turned the corner there are no closing opportunities for him to save. 

Ike Davis is looking as he did last season.  For some reason a two-week cold stretch by Lucas Duda warranted him a ticket to Buffalo, but Davis got a free pass.  He did eventually turn it around power-wise, though finishing with a Kingman-esque average.  Perhaps that’s what he will be, though before his season ending ankle contusion he was hitting line drives and earning his spot in the batting order.  For just the same reason the Mets are loathe to send pitchers to Las Vegas for fear of what it will do to their confidence, they should be ready to send underperforming hitters there where they should have a great chance to rebound with offensive prowess.  If the team did so with Davis they have the hot hitting Josh Satin who could step in for him at 1B temporarily. 

Daniel Murphy is simply ice cold right now.  It’s not a long term trend like Ike Davis.  You ride it out, perhaps occasionally penciling in Justin Turner for an occasional start.  He’ll come back.

Ruben Tejada may have lost the mojo with his glove, but this past week he was one of the only positive notes with the bat.  He always seems to work deep counts and fouls off a great many pitches.  According to what we’re told, that’s the formula that Dave Hudgens is preaching to everyone. 

David Wright is performing like an All-Star.  Considering what’s around him in the lineup I’m surprised he’s even getting a single strike per at-bat.

Lucas Duda may be taking that whole Hudgens philosophy a little too much to heart.  If I’m an opposing pitcher, I throw the first pitch right down the middle for a giveaway strike because he never swings at it.  That being said, it’s good to see the high OBP as a result of his good eye and patience.  That refusal to swing at pitches out of the zone may be why he’s driving the ball with more authority this year than in 2012.

Then you have the first of three clown cars arriving – the rest of the outfield.  Sandy Alderson’s “What outfield?” jokes are not so funny now.  He did nothing to improve the team in that regard and it shows. 

There’s Marlon Byrd, he of the hot spring who’s fallen hard back to earth when playing nearly every day.  Maybe his PEDs really did help.

Collin Cowgill was similarly anointed the everyday centerfielder.  That proclamation lasted two whole games.  After a couple of early long balls, the diminutive centerfielder hasn’t really done much of anything.  He’s rapidly descending down the Kirk Nieuwenhuis path. 

Mike Baxter has played some shabby defense, but continues to get on base via the walk if not the hit.  Maybe there’s a reason he’s never been a starter.

Jordany Valdespin seems to hit when the game is on the line or when given the chance to start regularly but this past week he’s been as bad as everyone else. 

Juan Lagares was having a terrific start to his season in AAA, so they promote him to sit on the bench in order to start some combination of the aforementioned underachievers ahead of him.  To be fair, he’s not gotten a hit in his 10 ABs, but then again how is someone expected to develop rhythm if he doesn’t play?

The second clown car contains the bullpen.  Again, perhaps there is truth to the old notion that spring training stats are meaningless since Greg Burke looked unhittable and even Aaron Laffey seemed like a good bet.  Thus far the Mets are trailing every other team’s bullpen and getting nothing out of anyone other than Bobby Parnell and Scott Rice.  I will give credit to Alderson for at least trying to improve here. 

The third clown car is the starting rotation.  First he signs an injured Shaun Marcum.  Then he believes that the scotch tape and Krazy Glue holding together Johan Santana’s shoulder and arm will somehow miraculously hold.  You could afford a Dillon Gee if he was fully recovered with a starting four that, if healthy, included the aforementioned names.

However, the club left spring training with a two-man rotation plus Gee, Jeremy Hefner and Laffey.  Remember, Hefner couldn’t even stay on the Mets own 40-man roster and Laffey was already a cast-off from four other teams by age 28. 

As the season started they pitched as you might have expected – gasoline on the fire.  Gee was something of a wildcard in that he had shown himself to be 5^th starter capable when healthy, but maybe losing the beard damned his chances at success.  He was pitching nearly as badly as the other two.

What did Sandy Alderson do to remedy the situation?  The usual – nothing!  Remember that old definition of insanity about doing the same things over and over again yet expecting a different result?  That’s Alderson in a nutshell. 

So what can the club do to try to change its fortunes? 

Clear up the outfield logjam and get some infielders.  Right now unless you consider Valdespin a viable 2^nd baseman or shortstop Justin Turner is your sole infield backup player.  At the very least consider Zach Lutz or Josh Satin in place of one of the 7 outfielders on the roster.  That way you could spell Ike Davis if you’re not inclined to send him down. 

Man-up and make a trade for a viable outfielder.  You have to give something to get something.  The obvious somethings at the major league level are Jordany Valdespin and Daniel Murphy.  The one remaining in town plays second base and the other hopefully brings back someone worthwhile for the outfield – not the next Ryan Braun but this team would actually improve with the addition of the next Ryan Raburn!  That’s how pathetic the outfield is right now.

Consider a trade of Ike Davis and a swap of Lucas Duda to 1^st base.  Yes, you’ll sacrifice some defense there though likely not nearly as much as you do in left field.  Unfortunately this trade is something of robbing Peter to pay Paul because then you create three outfield vacancies instead of two.  However, Davis should fetch something fairly decent on the open market because he hit 30+ home runs last year.  There are teams for whom Davis would represent an upgrade at 1^st base and perhaps have outfielders to spare. 

There’s not much else you can do on the big club with Travis d’Arnaud injured.  That takes any John Buck trades off the table until he’s healthy.

Now comes the part that requires guts and rolling of the dice.  The Mets have a number of pitchers in the minors who appear they will have a bright future.  Other clubs have position players with bright futures in the minors.  Maybe it’s time to trade stud prospect for stud prospect.  The Royals did so with Wil Myers.  Even d’Arnaud was traded twice before reaching the majors. 

If nothing changes, then we simply have to wait for 2014 when there’s money to spend (not that it will be).  Without some changes it appears 2015 is the earliest the club can contend. 

Maybe getting swept by the lowly Marlins will shame them out of their inertia.