Time to do a quick autopsy, to determine the cause of death.
A lot went wrong with the Mets last season.
A lot has gone wrong this season, too.
Last year, the Mets team won 77 games despite a pen that was in the bottom 3 of all of baseball and finished with a 4.96 pen ERA.
This year, through Saturday, the Mets were ranked an almost-as-dismal 23rd, at an 4.87 ERA. Only somewhat better because Edwin Diaz is here.
The Yankees are doing remarkably well, but one big reason is a pen that has a 3.47 ERA. Oh, and their 2018 pen was slightly better, 4th in all of baseball.
If the Mets are ever REALLY serious about winning, they will get Craig Kimbrel (assuming he wants to come here), and combine him with Edwin Diaz to give the Mets a 3.47 pen ERA.
If that means Edwin doesn't close, so be it for now. Those 2 would make the pen go from limp...to lethal.
They'd win a whole lot more games. A whole lot more.
In fact, if the 2018 Mets had Diaz and Kimbrel in their pen, they'd likely have won the pennant.
The Mets are the type of team that tries to get by with many marginal relievers, including the likes of Tyler Bashlor and Paul Sewald. Last I checked, those 2 combined are 0-19 in the big leagues. OH AND NINETEEN. OH AND "OH MY".
How many nanoseconds would guys like that remain on the Yankees?
Simply, it comes down to this:
Do you want to win, or do you want to lose?
If you do want to win, don't skimp on the pen.
Just remember one thing:
IF THE BULLPEN SUX, THE TEAM SUX, TOO.
Brief Draft Observation so far:
Brief Draft Observation so far:
I constantly clamor for power bats and power arms in the draft. The Mets got a HS guy named Brett with a big, bad, booming bat in round one, and another HS fella named Josh with a 97 MPH power arm and wicked curve.
If Brett does not have to switch to 1B, I am happy so far. If he has to, the NL better add a DH quick.
My brother said the guys at ESPN were scratching their heads over the Brett Baty pick. I hope the Mets were right on that pick.
Lastly, Mr. Mack again deserves mucho kudos for all the draft info he shares in this site leading up to, and during, the draft. It is what first got me interested in the site as a reader and, eventually, a writer.
5 comments:
Tom, Yogi said it best when managing the 1974 Mets, "If ain't got a bullpen, you ain't got nothing."
John, Yogi would have a few more things to say about this bullpen, John, that only he could understand completely. But we'd catch a glimpse of his brilliance on the subject after spending time interpreting.
But my take of right not, from a Yogi standpoint, is without a real bullpen, it will get late early.
I thought it was more Yoda than Yogi: "Bullpen sucks, why team loses."
The Mets realized the need to improve the pen this past Winter, adding "proven" talent besides Diaz, but injuries have left them in limbo.
With few options, the back-enders have been overused, and it shows in the blown saves and the high ERAs of Gsellman and Familia.
No one could have seen that we'd get so little from Wilson, Avilan and Santiago.
Santiago is back in action, but ineffective. Who knows when the other two will be back (anyone?). If they're close to returning, and Lugo is healthy, there's hope.
If not, then we have to look to the trade market. The farm products haven't helped, and the bright spots upstate (Nogosek and Villines) may not be ready.
I still believe that with Lugo taking the pressure and workload off of Familia and Gsellman, there's hope, but we need the walking wounded back.
Bill, last night was another night where the season is slipping away due to the pen. They should break the bank for Kimbrel before it is too late, and before a competitor grabs him.
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