Reese Kaplan -- Who Gets the Ax When Cohen Places Blame?

So who is to blame for the current state of the Mets?  Some say it started with the Edwin Diaz injury-caused celebration.  Some offer up the various other injuries that curtailed the plans for a division dominating team.  A small but loud contigent would volunteer it is the hitting that is the root cause of the fall from grace.  Another plurality would contend it is the pitching.  

The truth is that all of these factors have contributed to the below .500 team that is excruciating to watch.  The problem is very much with the players on the roster not performing as they have done historically, but even more obvious is the combination of folks at the top of the food chain in charge of making these players execute more productively.  

Let's start with the subject of hitting.  Last season the club didn't struggle so regularly to score runs.  Eric Chavez was your man in charge of getting the guys swinging their bats to do so effectively.  As often happens when you succeed at what you do, you are moved up into a new role.  The Mets did just that with the man who succeeded in getting strong offense from the hitters and gave him a role on the bench next to his skipper as potentially an apprentice to take over for the role when Buck Showalter decided he was ready to drop the lineup pencil.

Unfortunately, the man they brought in to replace Chavez has done very nearly the polar opposite type of job.  Yes, Pete Alonso is on another planet when it comes to hitting home runs and driving in the runners on base when he comes to bat.  Brandon Nimmo is hitting rather well but not at .300.  Batting champ Jeff McNeil is doing similarly.  That is about it from the entire offense.  Jeremy Barnes is responsible for those few good things, but he's also to blame for pretty much everyone else having their career worst year.  I'll make an exception for young slugger Francisco Alvarez but if you're only helping 4 out of 14 players, then perhaps it is time to go.  

On the pitching side of things it's a lot murkier.  Young Jeremy Hefner had done a wonderful job of getting his pitchers to succeed whether starting the games or coming into them as relievers.  His track record over the past few years was way more good than bad, so the 2023 output he's getting from seemingly everyone is uncharacteristic.  Some of it likely related to the frustration of not having runs scored to take pressure off the guy throwing the ball to prevent the opposition from generating RBIs.  Another aspect is the huge number of injuries the staff as faced.  Then there was the sticky fingered Max Scherzer suspension.  Let's not forget the across-the-majors issue with the pitch clock that should be affecting every team equally.  Another question is the adaptation of Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga to how to deliver in the Major Leagues.  

It seems a little too trite to dismiss someone with Hefner's good track record over one bad season, but he must be held accountable to get the most out of the pitchers he has.  It is also incumbent upon him to let the higher ups know when some pitchers simply are not getting it done and are occupying roster space that could be better served with someone else.  He needs a bit of a stern talking to, but terminating him would seem in the longe range counterproductive.  

Now all of these coaches (as well as the balance of that group) report up to manager Buck Showalter.  Many are saying that the lack of winning, hitting, pitching and questionable lineup decisions are all connected to the sitting NL Manager of the Year and it is time for him to go.  Just yesterday someone online advocated having Showalter walk the plank and giving in-house candidate Carlos Beltran the reins a bit earlier than anticipated to see if he could turn things around.  Of course, just as valid in-house would be Eric Chavez.  Neither have the managerial experience nor pedigree of Buck Showalter yet even a seasoned veteran currently available to be hired wouldn't necessarily fix things that Showalter has failed to address effectively.  No, you can't go from Manager of the Year to just another bum in the dugout in a little over two months.

The real man at the top of this mess is general manager Billy Eppler.  He brought to the Mets a rather mediocre track record primarily with the Angels and nothing he's done thus far has made anyone write off that resume as just coincidental effort.  He's made some bad signings, bad trades and has lacked the fortitude to take decisive actions when necessary.  A strong segment of the fanbase and media would be ecstatic to see Steve Cohen give Eppler an express ride to his next gig with another employer, but I can't see it happening.  There's one very key things that needs to be done in the off-season that likely is keeping Eppler's paychecks with "Mets" written on them -- Shohei Ohtani.

With no significant action being taken by Art Moreno to lock up the hitting/pitching superstar who is headed into free agency, the Mets would want any inside track they could find to help lure the man to Citifield.  Enter the GM who helped secure his services in the USA, the very same Billy Eppler.  While the GM is not held in high regard by the NY market right now, he does have greater familiarity with Ohtani and succeeded once in making him a part of the Angels.  It would seem to me that it would be incredibly short sighted to fire Eppler before the great Ohtani free agency auction begins.

Now if Ohtani does indeed re-up with the Angels before year's end, then all bets should be off on retaining Eppler in a front office capacity.  Furthermore, if he does hit free agency and the Mets fail to secure his services then Eppler could find himself unemployed. Similarly, if they do get Ohtani onto the club, Eppler will have bought himself at least a full year of appreciative longevity but the truth of the matter is that his mediocrity wouldn't instantly change into brilliance by virtue of a single transaction.  

A more Macchiavellian owner might say, "Thanks for getting Ohtani here...we don't need you anymore."  

Steve Cohen hasn't shown himself to be that harsh but billionaires don't necessarily get their wealth by being Mr. Nice Guy to everyone all of the time.  For the Mets, it's a frustrating wait and see...the only change forthcoming that appears likely is the hitting coach.