Reese Kaplan -- So What is the Root Cause of 2023's Results?

When the 2023 season draws to a close and the NY Mets fans who still have the stomach for watching this team will settle down and try to ascertain just when did everything go wrong for this francise, there will surely be a great many equally valid answers.  

For some people, the season ended before it even began when uber-closer Edwin Diaz hurt himself celebrating his country's victory in the confounded World Baseball Classic.  That poorly timed injury immediately took the wind of the club's sails.  

Still, good teams face adversity all the time and somehow they weather through it and take corrective steps.  The Mets did not do anything to address a Diaz-free season and simply shrugged, figuring David Robertson, Adam Ottavino and newcomer Brooks Raley were enough ammunition to withstand the loss.  They were wrong, of course.

Then came the other injuries -- Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, Omar Narvaez and a multitude of others of varying degrees.  Once again the Mets didn't take any corrective actions, relying upon previously flawed AAAA players to take the place of All Stars.  Somehow thinking David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Gary Sanchez would make up for the loss of those three longer term missing pieces was admittedly irrational. Looking back now it would seem that the actual results that happened were rightfully to be expected.

Then there were the slumps that affected not just 1 or 2 people at a time, but rather wide swaths of both the pitching and the hitting.  Even now Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brett Baty, Mark Canha, Omar Narvaez, Luis Guillorme, Mark Vientos, Daniel Vogelbach, Tomas Nido and countless others were not even hitting .240.  Tommy Pham and Starling Marte only recently eclipsed that modest level.  

The starting pitching staff has an ERA that would look more in place on the 1962 Mets than the 2023 team.  The bullpen has managed to turn from fireman into arsonists.  

Then there were the curious lineup decisions made by the team of analysts, the front office and the man who actually holds the scorecard's pencil.  While they were quick to say goodbye to some folks who weren't getting it done such as Darin Ruf, at the same time they took raw talents who were dominating in AAA and refused to let the player into the lineup on consecutive days.  Somehow benching Eduardo Escobar was possible and Brett Baty was given ample opportunity to get it together while others seemingly must have held incriminating blackmail photos to justify seeing their names in the lineup day after day despite not producing.  

No single midseason player acquisition is going to turn the club from hapless loser into celebratory winner.  Changes most definitely need to be made starting at the very top of the baseball food chain.  Billy Eppler can take some credit for Brooks Raley and David Robertson but beyond those two positives, he's hauling an awful lot of MLB ashes around on his cart.  If players can be forced to hit the road, Jack, then it's time for front office personnel to be held to the same level of accountability.  

Some folks will suggest that Eppler is indeed safe until Shoehei Ohtani is off the board.  Others think he's merely holding the place warm until a more accomplished leader becomes available at year's end.  Still others feel that Steve Cohen who did not hesitate to swallow costs like Ruf, Robinson Cano and others has not shown the same level of decisiveness when it comes to the management team he chose to employ.  

Something's gotta give...and soon!