Reese Kaplan -- Mets Front Office Channels its Inner Neuman

Where is the proverbial line in the sand?  It’s hard to figure out what the future is for the New York Mets after the bevy of injuries threatens to capsize the pennant hopes for the 2017 season?

To recap:

• No Steve Matz
• No Seth Lugo
• No David Wright
• No Yoenis Cespedes
• No Noah Syndergaard
• No Lucas Duda
• No Brandon Nimmo
• Ailing Travis d’Arnaud 

Yes, that’s more than a fair share of injuries.  In some cases you have to blame management for trying to hold people off the DL when it’s clear that’s where they belonged.  In some cases you blame management for not dictating to its own employees how to handle injuries.  In some cases you blame management for not observing in practice and pre-game what physical condition a player is in.

Do you sense a theme here?

In the interim they continue to trot out players like Curtis Granderson who is at the bottom of the league in hitting simply because he earns a big paycheck.  It was suggested that just as former star players like Ed Kranepool and Rusty Staub transitioned to pinch hitting, it might be time to do the same with Curtis Granderson.

Of course, the veteran-obsessed lineup guys will keep trotting him out there, justifying the move with his one good game against Bartolo Colon on Wednesday.  Whomever returns first – Lucas Duda or Yoenis Cespedes – is going to force a decision to be made and your eardrums will never recover if it is Michael Conforto sent to a bench in Queens or Las Vegas just to let Sandy Alderson feel justified in giving the 4th year to Curtis Granderson.  Are the Wilpons even watching their investment anymore?

Granderson, of course, is not the only decision to be made.  The plan for now would seem to be to tread water until the walking wounded limp back to the lineup.  That seems to be a repeat of last year’s plan and the previous year’s plan.  Neither of them resulted in a World Series victory.  Do I really need to repeat the old definition about insanity?

At what point do they try something different?  For example, would it kill them to attempt a higher on-base offense by promoting and playing players who have that tool?  Would it kill them to sell off the players who likely aren’t going to be a part of the 2018 team to restock the barren farm system?  They say you can’t rebuild in New York but if there are solid pieces in the system such as Amed Rosario and Dom Smith to complement the nucleus of Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto and the pitchers then it’s not as if you’re putting all your money on a half dozen rookies to push the team over the top.

Right now the team stands just 6 games back so I wouldn’t anticipate much being done.  Even 10 games back may not motivate them.  How bad would it have to be to consider making changes?  15?  20?

Of course, any changes with the current management wouldn’t amount to much.  It would present a challenge to the Skipper – how do you get several newcomers into the lineup and all batting 8th?  Maybe the Skipper needs to change, too…but that’s another rant for another day.