It's gotten to be the time of the year when a sports fan's heart and mind turn to the subject of football when their chosen baseball team has decided to end the season well before the conclusion of September. For the New York Mets fandom, this development is a familiar one and despite their long hold on first place this season it was clear there were too many injuries, too few resources and too many players who seem to have forgotten to do with a wooden stick in their hands.
Of course, for the pigskin based brethren, it likely won't get much better. Neither the local New York Giants nor New York Jets seem to have the tools to advance beyond rudimentary competition with the rest of the league. Rookie quarterbacks, rookie running backs, rookie receivers, rookie defensive linemen, rookie cornerbacks and rookie special teams players could theoretically develop into something special, but it's not likely to happen in year one.
While there's a lot of hashing and rehashing of what went wrong during the 2021 baseball season, the fact is that the Mets may need to embrace a full rebuild. There are times some of the players on the club look to be solid contributors like Pete Alonso, then there are others who appear miscast, over-the-hill or simply not all the fans and front office expected.
There was some good news today when Sandy Alderson announced that Jacob deGrom had a partial UCL injury (strain, tear or whatever euphemism they choose to describe what caused the pain and kept him out of the rotation). Anyway, he announced that deGrom is over the issue and that suggests the Mets fans have something to watch for the final few weeks of the year.
Now the cynic in me wonders if deGrom's recovery is coincidentally timed to get a few more money-paying fannies in the seats between now and the start of a Mets-less postseason. After all, if you are indeed out of contention it would seem to be fairly silly to risk rushing back your primary pitching arm when the games really don't matter. In fact, if you're not going to the playoffs then you're better off finishing as low as possible to drive up your round in the amateur draft.
Still, there is something to be said for letting deGrom find out how he feels against real competition and not simply on a rehab assignment somewhere in the minors. He would not have to wait through the entire winter off-season wondering if he was still capable of throwing with authority. He doesn't have enough time left to qualify for the ERA title, and his meager win total suggests no one would be considering him for a third Cy Young Award.
No, at this point it's not merely about players coming back from injuries, but it's also about seeing who might become a part of your future. For example, some folks are willing to test drive a new closer given Edwin Diaz' horrific episodes in that role lately. Still, Diaz is a Met for 2022 unless they choose to trade him away. It's unlikely they would do that without knowing who would replace him, yet the club doesn't seem inclined to test out possible firemen this September.
The club also needs to make a decision about third base. With Dom Smith having been rendered into a part-time player and Brandon Nimmo on the IL yet again, it would seem that the primary recipient of those innings on the field is Jonathan Villar. I can't criticize the thought of seeing as much of him as possible, yet I'm also curious to see more of J.D. Davis.
The bigger decisions, of course, have less to do with who is on the field throwing, fielding, running and hitting than it does with who is in charge of putting that roster together. We've covered the Zack Scott territory already and have also pondered the future of Luis Rojas. It's the changes from the very top that need to be made to try to propel the club forward in the standings, not a quick-fix of Travis Blankenhorn or Albert Almora or Brandon Drury.
So, like many Mets fans, I'm ready to throw in the towel on 2021 and write it off as a combination of bad luck, injuries and bad decision making by the folks in charge. I'm willing to give any new regime a year to get their feet wet. Well, they're soaked through to the bone and it's time to head for drier ground.
7 comments:
Those 2 recent one run losses against weak teams may well be the final dagger. Can’t win them all, but had they, they’d be just 2 out. 4 out is daunting.
I agree with you Reese.
We always have hope as a fan, but the numbers don't work here.
Now... let's talk about my undefeated Clemson Tigers.
Wait.
Two championships in 60 years, we probably should do better, and how about a crazy idea of using our best reliever Loup in the ninth? I often think that maybe it's me ( you know that old saying "the first step is admitting you have a problem") because as a Met, Jet AND Giant fan I must be masochistic although I must say the Giants have come through for me and anyway it's way to late to change teams now so my mantra will remain LGM LGJ LGG
Well, if you look at the Mets' record this year against the probable NL playoff field, they are sporting a "stellar" 16-23 record (.410 winning percentage). And, that record is buoyed by an 8-8 showing against Atlanta, oddly enough.
On the off chance they make it into the field, you are going to battle without your ace (despite what Sandy said).
I agree with Reese here.....the team is cooked and it is time for Steve Cohen to clean house.
Side note, anyone else find the timing of Sandy's comments on Jake, odd? Clearly, they hid his UCL tear earlier in the year, but why suddenly reveal it now when he is supposedly healed and it's no longer an issue? If Jake is coming back for a few cameo appearances later this month, why the need to mention the UCL at all?
This team makes me scratch my head.
Yes, our hopes have once again been dashed. This was a very good team on paper but clearly underperformed in 2021. But why are we so compelled to get rid of those same players who got us excited during the spring? Maybe they are as good as they were on paper, but just not given the right environment.
One would expect that a NY team would have the best possible medical resources, but the Mets lost a staggering amount of player-games to soft tissue injuries. Why did it take 5 months for Carrasco to return from a hammy? Nimmo, McNeil, and others had similar longer-than-expected IL stints. The Mets parted ways with Matz and Wheeler who have had very healthy seasons with their new teams while the Mets have not had the expected 5-man rotation for a single cycle this year. I could go on, but the moral of the story is to clean house in the health staff as a priority. Second priority is something to help the anemic batting by capable players.
I agree with you that there have to be a few changes. Dom Smith is a great player that is not being utilized well. He could bring some value in a trade for a left fielder, third baseman, or right fielder (if Conforto doesn't accept a QO).
Or, more fun with numbers.........the following puts the team's season in proper context;
Record against LA/SF (best teams in the NL) = 2-11
Record against AZ/COL (worst teams in the NL) = 10-3
Divisional Record (NL East is the worst division in 2021) = 34-30
Record against everyone else = 36-39
The 2021 Mets are simply mediocre, however you slice it.
Miss you writing Mike.
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