Reese Kaplan - You Can’t Tell The Players Without a Scorecard

Mack had told us that it would take 4 weeks or so for the Mets to get serious about making some player moves and he was on target with that revelation.  Let’s recap all of what’s happened in the past few weeks:

Ike Davis Traded and Lucas Duda Named Regular 1^st Baseman

This one truly came from out of left field.  Ike seemingly was in favor with the on-field management but out-of-favor with the front office.  Neither Duda nor Davis have particularly distinguished themselves with the bat but yesterday Lucas Duda flashed some leather we’d never before seen and helped seal the Mets come-from-behind victory over the Yankees.  The spoils of the trade will be revealed next month, but it was a move that had to be made to rid themselves of an unnecessary spare part.

Andrew Brown Out, Bobby Abreu In

It seems like the Mets pretty much put themselves right back where they were with a one-dimensional pinch hitter with power from the left side.  Abreu was certainly tearing it up in AAA after a one year absence from baseball, but has done little to distinguish himself upon his arrival except to let Terry Collins burn through multiple players to ensure whenever he gets on base there’s someone to run for him and play the field for him.  Right now Andrew Brown is the one tearing it up in AAA and more people would be advocating for his return if not for the lefty/righty thing that the manager loves so much.

John Lannan Languished, Dice-K Delivers

While the idea of having a second lefty in the pen to help get Terry Collins past his steady daily diet of Rice (Scott), it just didn’t work out for the Long Island southpaw.  The Mets made their first somewhat puzzling move by promoting Daisuke Matsuzaka to take over the reliever role vacated by Lannan.  There was one early game and one injury game in which he stumbled, but for the most part he’s actually done pretty well, striking out 18 in 13.2 IP while sporting a 2.63 ERA.  Unfortunately he’s also got 13 BBs in that time frame, so all is not perfect.  Still, the up and down nature of the pen is such that he’s been more good than bad.

Mets Say Adios to Omar Quintanilla and Bienvenidos to Wilmer Flores at SS

It’s Déjà vu all over again, as Yogi would say.  Flores arrives and promptly gets 2 hits in his first game, playing the field flawlessly, only to be felled by whatever it is going around the clubhouse that thus far has taken out Lucas Duda and Gonzalez Germen as well.  Last year he had 9 RBIs in his first 27 ABs before destroying his ankles.  In his brief return to a starting role, Ruben Tejada has shown more life in his game than he has for the past 2 years, but hopefully Terry Collins remembers what motivated the promotion from AAA and returns Flores to the starting role once he can hold food down once again. 

Jenrry Mejia to Pen and Rafael Montero to the Rotation

Yes, there were rumors afoot about this change being made, but after all of the Super Two hoopla it was pretty much considered a pipe dream that the Mets would promote a player on merit and thus address two problems at once – improving the rotation and bolstering an overworked and ineffective pen.  Then, lo and behold, it happened.  Mejia pitched in with 1.1 IP last night with a couple of Ks for good measure (helped out by a spectacular stop turned into DP by Lucas Duda) and even celebrated with a moonwalk of sorts getting one batter caught looking.  He got the W for his late inning efforts and Montero gets to make his major league debut taking over Jenrry’s slot on Wednesday.  Montero’s minor league numbers out-Harvey Harvey and out-Wheeler Wheeler.   Even in the hitter’s paradise that is the PCL he has pitched to  a highly respectable overall ERA of just 3.25.  For his minor league career he’s had a 2.63 ERA, a 1.031 WHIP and 4-1 K to BB ratio.  Let’s hope some of that talent translates to the next level.  The assumption by most folks is that Jose Valverde will be handed his walking papers for the job he’s done. 

Gonzalez Germen Down for the Count, Jacob de Grom to the Rescue

Another very surprising move given the Super Two thing was the decision to promote Jacob de Grom who’s been absolutely dominant in AAA this year to the tune of a perfect 4-0 record to accompany his eye popping (for the PCL) 2.58 ERA.  Oddly, though, he’s being positioned as a relief pitcher which is partially due to the Mets’ inconsistency there and partially to preserve the number of innings he pitches.  Germen’s bout with the intestinal virus that’s hit the clubhouse gave them an easy albeit temporary roster solution and probably bought Kyle Farnsworth another 10 days or so on the team. 

Josh Satin Slides to Vegas While Eric Campbell Feasts in New York

At 29 it’s unlikely Satin improves over what he’s shown thus far and playing sporadically has had a detrimental effect on his numbers (so bad that they made you long for the offense prowess of Ruben Tejada).  Campbell got the call and in his first AB hit a sac fly to drive in a run.  He didn’t do much in his first start but again pinch hitting yesterday  he delivered a key double and scored a run.  One of the highlights of the past week was his mother proudly snapping photos of her son in his first ever big league game. 

Whew!  That’s a lot of movement from a team known more for its inertia than is proactivity.  The question is why?  Some have surmised that Sandy Alderson feels some pressure in that his option has not yet been picked up, so it’s motivating a win-now sense of urgency that’s been absent since before the current regime was installed.  After preaching the fiscal wisdom of the Super Two all of the sudden two of the players for whom it might become an issue – Montero and deGrom – are headed to New York.  Perhaps too it is the vulnerabilities shown by the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals that suggest the division is actually ripe for the taking. 

However, if that’s the plan, where are the soldiers necessary to make it happen?  The offense is still regularly an embarrassment (except in Yankee Stadium) and there are too many pitchers for too few slots.  For once it appears the Mets might be buyers at the deadline instead of peddling off veterans (though if I was either Chris Young or Bartolo Colon, I wouldn’t necessarily sign any long-term leases). 

Times are interesting for the Mets and their fans – something that could not be said for many, many years.  It’s an odd feeling – some pride, some excitement, some anxiety and a lot of lingering resentment.  Still, it’s different and different is what is needed to make the fans become loyal New Yorkers.   The same old same old simply wasn’t cutting it.