Psst. Come over here.... yeah, it's Mack. Guess you thought I was dead. Well, not yet. Yes, family and doctors have joined forces and hidden my laptop, but this is being written (slowly) on my phone. PAUL or TOM will be asked to pretty it up.
What I can do is guarantee no one can pretty up this season.
I've done this for too long and seen far too much. If you can't beat the Rockies one game at home, dim the lights... the party is over.
Where do the Mets go? Well, my suggestion is to a secure location and meet with ME (manager-expert) Alex Cora before some other team scoops him up. The Mendoza era is over. Trust me. Coming from a former 20+ successful years manager with a hard-ass reputation... if you’re not making budget and your staff tells everyone they love you, there first needs a manager change. You can't fire the entire staff.
If you can't land Cora, fine. Make a change anyway.
Now, do you fire all the coaches? Nah. Keep em' around this year and let them use the rest of this season as their resume. As I've said, I'm done with this season and l'm on to playing 2026 for 2027.
(Hey Steve. Get ready to throw away a shitload of money. Your boy David took you down this road and the two of you deserve what's coming)
I'm not saying the Mets have enough current top level talent to build a playoff team NEXT YEAR but they could pull it off if they use the rest of this season as a sort of extended pre-season for some of their prospects that need either polishing or positioning.
Let's talk OD 2027, my lineup, and what I would do with them post trading deadline:
1B - I'm gonna try something wild. I'm gonna play a first baseman on first base. And since I'm doing that, why not the only one I have. The good news, he has hit 33-HR/108-RBI (stats thru 4-26) since the beginning of last season. The bad news he struck out like other power hitting first basemen. His K/9 has been reduced this season, but he needs serious coaching attention to this matter for the rest of the season. And he'll get that from me THIS season as on-the-job training at the major league level.
1B - Ryan Clifford
2B - I will immediately promote my 2027 second baseman from AA-Binghamton to AAA-Syracuse and play him daily on second. Until then, Baty or Semien. Pick one. Promote this guy September 1st to get his feet wet. He'll survive it.
2B - A.J.Ewing
SS - no change here but no rush at the top either. Give the current leader of this team the proper time to heal and play Ronny Mauricio there until the healing comes to end. On the low end of the affiliate chain is the obvious replacement. I like Tom's idea. Play Elian Pena at A-St. Lucie for the rest of the season and come 2027, avoid the miserable fields in Brooklyn and Binghamton and jump him directly to AAA-Syracuse. This will make this future superstar ready on OD-2028.
SS - Francisco Lindor
3B - this is the one offseason move I loved. This is one of the best bats in baseball and I love that the Mets own him through the 2028 season. Don't worry. He will figure out third.
3B - Bo Bichette
C - I have to tell you. I'm still not totally sold on this guy; however, at worse, I think his bat will make a top 15-20 catcher in the league. "Likes to strike" out and defensively challenged but this position immediately upgrades on OD 2028 when Swiss Army Knife C/1B/LF/DH Chris Suero will be ready. 2026 is somewhat this guy's time to shine.
C - Francisco Alvarez
LF - Butter. Just stay healthy.
LF - Juan Soto
CF - Robert's bat is already starting to fart out while this guy continues is currently the best in the chain to replace him. His current 2026 stats are a little underwhelming so I'm still going to spend next offseason trying to upgrade here. Still, I would have this guy in Queens for a "tryout" by August 1st and pencil him in for OD-2027... if I couldn't hook a beluga.
CF - Nick Morabito
RF - this guy is going through, right now, the kind of OJT I am calling for here for other players. And it seems to be beginning to work. I'm sticking with him.
RF - Carson Benge
DH - Another OJT season here in 2026. I would play him as the designated hitter all season, against all pitching, with Sundays off. Still think there is the potential for 25 home runs here; however, as I start DFAing players and working out deals, I will be looking for the potential of this guy's replacement.
DH - Mark Vientos
Not talking pitching. Too screwed up at all levels.
That's it for me. Like Puff, I will crawl back in my cave.
8 comments:
Mack,
Interesting line-up, give us time to study it. Great to have you back.
I think it's time to move on from Vientos.
It is pretty unprecedented for a $360M team to blow up the team and rebuild in consecutive years. Unfortunately, this is where it is going. It is also sad to note that some of the unproductive players that will be shed from this team at or before the trade deadline will go on to have productive seasons with the team that picks them up. The CoF (Curse of Flushing) will become an everyday term in our vocabulary now that the team has coughed it up two years in a row.
I may tackle pitching down the road if no one tells Mrs. Mack about this
You probably are right
And...
they won't be offered much for who they DFA
A great “Guest Post.”
Vientos has just 7 RBIs. Argghh.
Clifford striking out too much right now - 11 times in last 6 games against inferior AAA pitching. A call up now is simply too soon. August 1? Maybe. His one goal: reduce Ks substantially by any means necessary.
Nick Morabito is right now more ready now than Clifford.
Robert is Nate Colbert II.
Fences stifle the Mutts.
A.J. Ewing to AAA-SYRACUSE
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