Although most of New York City can actually feel the New York Mets are on the edge of breaking through, there is still improvement needed.
By Ernie DeFalco
You can actually now feel it. The New York Mets are on the cusp.
They are on the cusp of either playing meaningful games late into the summer, or once again becoming the butt of most jokes industry-wide.
Pitching, OK, nobody is going to make jokes about the Mets starters, at least four of the six anyway. Although moving to a six-man rotation will give Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard less starts, it’s admittedly a bit comical and defies logic.
But lets not forget, this is the same group that paid Curtis Granderson lots of money to hit home runs despite the fact they’ve forced him into a lead-off role.
While the pitching is strong, it is hard not to laugh at what is going on at second, short and third.
.@MattHarvey33 on WFAN: Mets’ starters can’t worry about 6-man rotation http://t.co/6YLPpljXrr via @BoomerandCarton pic.twitter.com/maoQlsPs5b
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) June 3, 2015
Currently, the Mets best fielding shortstop is playing third-base. Third-base is usually reserved for big bats and strong arms. Ruben Tejada gives them neither (despite hit hot-hitting ways at the moment).
The other two guys, Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy, have skill sets most suited for third base and the outfield. That is madness. Terry Collins needs to make an adjustment immediately and forget the name David Wright even exists.
What is the right adjustment?
Does he move Murphy to third full-time and leave Flores as shortstop, while allowing Tejada to play second until Dilson Herrera comes back? As it stands now, both Murphy and Flores have to play, as they are cogs in the Mets anemic offense.
David Wright is confident he’ll be back this season, but he just isn’t exactly sure when. http://t.co/AQ6pHEiy9m pic.twitter.com/MuG6MB1A5O — ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) June 3, 2015
Then there is the outfield.
The Mets have basically given themselves no room to maneuver out there. Juan Lagares, Michael Cuddyer and Granderson are basically locked into their positions.
Lagares has to play, even if he hits .220 due to the fact his glove is more sparkly than anything you can buy as Zales. Because Cuddyer and Granderson are locked in with such hefty contracts, they’re now Mets for life. So there is absolutely no room for improvement out there.
The Mets predicament is obvious: they’re a team who needs a lot of help on defense and offense, with no real easy solution.
he Mets are the opposite of the St. Louis Cardinals, who everybody has come to realize as the model MLB franchise these days.
The Cards are full of multi-dimensional players with multiple positions. The Mets are full of one-dimensional players with no positions. It’s a tough thing to remedy.
The Mets have pitching to move, but let’s be honest, Dillon Gee and Jon Niese have no value right now, and Bartolo Colon isn’t going anywhere.
This leaves the big three and Steven Matz as prime candidates to be on the move. If one of those guys is moved it better be for a Kris Bryant-type and not an aging star.
So how do the Mets get better?
As suggested in the title, it’s not so easy. Unfortunately, that solution is to start giving up players Mets fans do not want to see go. Guys like Noah Syndergaard, Matt Reynolds, Micheal Conforto, Kevin Plawecki, Matz and Flores.
Regardless, the time to act is now, before we start looking forward to 2016, which, is also one year closer to free agency for Harvey and deGrom.
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