Q and A - Where To Go Next?

I’m at a loss for words at this point of this miserable season. I don’t know what I would do in July if they brought me in to take over Sandy’s job.

Do I sit the vets when they need to be showcased for a possible mid-season trade?

Do I can that approach and just bring up the kids that represent the future of this team in 2019?

Or what?

Thoughts?

Reese Kaplan says –

Play the vets full bore right now including pieces like Reyes who have no future here.  Then be prepared to sell, trade or cut them at the deadline.  THEN (this time) actually play the kids instead of giving ABs and innings to people who are not part of the future. 

There is risk, of course.  Another 3 weeks won't stunt anyone's growth but if the vets perform like they have been performing then NO ONE will want them.  In that case you need to swallow hard while you eat some payroll.  Failing to do that will signal once again that profits are more important than building for a competitive future. 

Mike Fiere says –

The first thing Sandy's replacement should do is to gauge the worth of anyone that isn't part of the future (2019 and beyond).   Once that is done,

I would trade anything that isn't "nailed down" since something is better then nothing.  I don't see any of the disposable veterans bringing much back in trade, but it is worth investigating.  In the event that I couldn't trade someone (Jason Vargas, perhaps), I am cutting them loose since the money is a sunk cost anyway.

Once I have whittled down the roster to my "core" players, I would elevate any of the younger kids with potential and see what they can do for the final weeks of the regular season (a prolonged tryout, if you will).   That way, you know what you have on hand and you know what  you need to obtain as the off season approaches.

Anything less then that is a recipe for the same crappy baseball that we have witnessed for the past two years.

Tony Bats  says –

I would say Cabrera, Familia, Bruce, Flores & Frazier should be showcased for possible mid-season trades, although I don’t think they will get that much in return for Bruce since he is having a poor season. Also, they should release Reyes. Since the Mets said they do not want to rebuild & want to contend in 2019 they should keep their starting rotation intact which is the strength of the team especially deGrom & Noah since pitching is 90% of the game. As for Vargas I think they should release him, because they have Oswalt & Peterson in the minors plus Montero can possibly come back in 2019. They need to bring in MLB ready position players at 2B,3B & at catcher. If none of the above cannot bring in that type of player then they should try to trade Matz who could really bring in a good position player. If the Wilpons really want to win, then they should try to make a big splash in free agency & try to sign Machado.

Gary McDonald says-

Play the vets until the all-star break.  Move who you can and bring in kids after the break even if you have to sit vets you don’t move.

Tom Brennan says –

I would minimize vets' playing time, as much to avoid getting them hurt as anything. Thor needs to pitch a few times to show he is good to go, if they do trade him.

But make trades.  Then get a very extended look at kids.

They just cannot "catch" the Orioles for the # 1, # 2 picks, because those teams are incredibly bad, but we can vie for the # 3 pick.

Kids will lose a lot, most likely, but that is OK.

Cespedes, Bruce, Conforto, Ramos, Vargas, and Swarzak have collectively been atrocious, and dug the team too deep a trench to compete in a veyr winnable year in this division.  

Very sad - injuries happen, but I had hoped the first 3 might hit 120 homers this year , and if they had 60 homers right now, we'd be in first - but reality is otherwise, so look to the future.

Jack Flynn says –

The month of July is meant to be a showcase for the veteran players on the Mets who may have value to other teams. That means Asdrubal Cabrera, Devin Mesoraco and Jose Bautista should be in the lineup every day, and Mickey Callaway should be aggressively deploying Jeurys Familia in late game situations (and not just as a traditional closer).

Yes, this strategy will take at-bats away from Kevin Plawecki and perhaps Dominic Smith for now, but it is only for the next three weeks or so. Come July 31, each of the aforementioned veteran players must be shipped to the highest bidder, even if the return is underwhelming. Doing so will open the door for Plawecki and Smith to start every day, while shifting Wilmer Flores to second base for the month of August.

August and September then become a showcase for three players who have reached the make-or-break phase in their Mets career. Plawecki must show he can be a competent everyday starting catcher, and he can only do so by catching five days a week. Smith has Peter Alonso breathing down his neck, but deserves a chance to start against righties for the rest of the 2018 season to show the Mets (and, perhaps more likely, the rest of the league) what type of player he is.

(Side note: Peter Alonso should not be recalled this year unless Smith goes down with a season-ending injury. Mets fans seem far too eager to casually toss Smith aside in favor of Alonso, despite Smith never having an extended period of time to prove himself on this level. That is a typically Metsian use of assets – which is to say that it is inefficient and short-sighted.)

Flores is a more interesting case. At this point, he has established himself as a major league player and is probably best served in another organization that will allow him 350 at-bats a year, Marwin Gonzalez-style. Giving him 30 days at second base is meant to enhance his off-season trade value more than anything else; once rosters expand the Mets can promote Jeff McNeil and give him a few starts as they play out the string.