With the arrival of the All-Star break and the corresponding major league trade deadline, conversations are flowing regarding what the Mets need to do to improve themselves. A great many people state you don’t tamper with success and with the team being in first place in the NL East there’s some merit to that viewpoint.
Others feel that the anemic offense is operating on fumes and they need to add thumpers to the everyday lineup in order to increase their potential for winning. Names like Kris Bryant come up regularly and with the latest unencouraging news on the J.D. Davis front, it’s understandable.
Some feel the issue is the outfield and the number of castoffs the Mets have penciled into the lineup every day hoping for a miracle. Yes, there have been some impressive moments when healthy by the likes of Johneshwy Fargas, Kevin Pillar, Billy McKinney, Mason Williams and others, but there’s a reason none have been starting regulars in the Major Leagues for quite some time.
Then there are folks who cringe every time a Robert Gsellman, Jacob Barnes, Drew Smith or others who have already been disabled or kicked out of Queens take the mound. There’s some truth there as well. No one expected the fine performances from Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia after how they fared in 2020. The middle relievers like Trevor May and Aaron Loup have been hit and miss. Seth Lugo is back and hopefully he helps strengthen that cluster of setup guys. Miguel Castro has been surprisingly solid before the late inning guys take the hill.
That leaves the final piece of the Mets puzzle as the one to consider. How could anyone have predicted the results the team has gotten from Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker? Everyone expected deGrom to excel but an ERA of 0.62 and a WHIP of 0.52 wasn’t on anyone’s radar. Stroman was always projected to be a competent number three starter behind still-injured Noah Syndergaard, but a 2.41 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP again exceeds even the most optimistic Mets fans in terms of what they’d projected for him to do.
The biggest surprise of the starting trio, though, is former Seattle Mariner, Arizona Diamondback and Toronto Blue Jay Taijuan Walker. This young man has endured more than his fair share of injuries over his career, but when available to pitch he’s turned in impressive results. His career ERA of 3.67 was mostly the result of his 2015 and 2016 seasons for Seattle that were less praiseworthy. However, he’s done considerably better in the pieces of the five years since then, compiling a 3.02 ERA and striking out more than the number of hits allowed.
2021 has been a remarkable season thus far for Walker. With his last impressive start on Wednesday he has now lowered his New York Mets ERA to just 2.07. That goes along with a 1.07 WHIP, a 5-2 record and career best 60 Ks in 61 IP. He’s also leading the league with just 0.3 HRs allowed per 9 IP. He’s getting paid a somewhat modest $10 million for this output in 2021 and that fee drops to $7 million in 2022. The Mets hold an option on him for 2023 which could range from $6 to $8.5 million based upon some performance incentives, or they could buy him out for $3 million. Right now it seems like a real bargain the front office made in signing him.
The problem the Mets need to address is the remaining 40% of the starting rotation. Carlos Carrasco is returning more slowly than anticipated from his hamstring injury and now they’re saying perhaps in July he will see Queens for the first time.
Then there’s the oft-injured Noah Syndergaard who made one appearance on the mound before he was shut down for another six weeks. The optimistic are saying he’ll return in August which is both helpful for a late season closing of the division lead and to establish his value for his pending free agency for the off-season of 2021-2022.
Joey Lucchesi has been forced into the rotation as well after a very poor start. His bullpen work was pretty awful and his ERA is still an unsightly 5.32. However, over his last three starts he’s produced a sparkling 1.46 ERA. He’s not yet garnered enough faith for the club to have faith this strong effort is replicable, but he’s at least demonstrated that he deserves to hang around the starting five until the cavalry arrives.
So where the Mets could really use some assistance is in the 5th starter position to replace David Peterson ASAP. They do not have anyone lighting it up in Syracuse, so that roster change likely will require a trade to be made. Imagine having a pitcher with even a 4.00 ERA taking the mound every fifth day? That’s a quantum improvement over what the Mets are doing right now.
It’s time for Zack Scott to start earning his paycheck.
9 comments:
I have doubts personally on Szapucki - we can hope he'd be better than Peterson, but he needs to show more in AAA to me.
Megill goes tonight. I am hoping, now that he has one AAA start under his belt, he starts to dazzle.
Oswalt threw 3 good AAA innings last night, but one has to wonder why another opportunity for him would be any different than the prior.
And no, I'll pass on a Matt Harvey trade.
Jerad Eickhoff has a 5-0 AAA record, but is HR prone, so I think that would not bode for success.
I feel OK with Joey. That 5th spot? I dunno.
Odd it is that former Mets Flexen, Sewald, Dunn, Zamora and Montero in Seattle are a combined 13-8. Smoke and Mirrors? Sewald suddenly has 22 Ks in 13 innings. Go figure.
As John pointed out today, Zack Wheeler leads NL in Ks with 112, and his 2.29 ERA is nice too. Wish we coulda kept him.
Not signing Zach was the Wilpon's final gift to us Met fans and like the Murphy blunder having him go to the Phils just sticks the knife in a little further. With Conforto's long absence seemingly never ending and the recent play of McKinney as well as Boras as his client is there a possibility Michael walks at years end?
Hey we could have signed Springer who we all loved which means you never really know.
Last i heard, Springer has spent most of the year on the DL. He would have been a perfect Met addition.
You're so right - Springer has 15 at bats this year, still on DL. Earnings so far? About $9 million. Scary to sign a guy like him for 6 years at that more injury-pone age. Georgie Boy turns 32 in mid-Sept.
But, if he returns healthy, The Jays could be playoff bound with a bona fide CF.
After all, the Jays have Vlady - while we have his cousin Greg SMH
Sewald always scared me here. I felt like the team was conceding.
Wheeler was a huge (and not less) loss here. Huge. Personally liked his pitching mechanics the best of anyone back then. Georgia clay smooth.
The Mets need to get Drew Smith really to his optimal game. Think they can.
Even stretch out Familia on the rack if case need be. But Lucchesi and Peterson right now? No. They need a AAA assignment and a really good Pitching Coach to watch videos of themselves when on, and when off. Compare.
The bench here has been nothing less than sensational for the Mets thus far.
I never even have heard of half the guys that we are starting right now.
The bench players have kept this team in first place.
Bone up the starting rotation. Make a trade. So that in the event that Noah Syndergaard or Candy Carrasco cannot get back whole, this still holds up.
Otherwise, it's the Knicks all over again, Spike Lee walks out of the house early, and gets himself another pedicure with his good friend ARod.
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