How do we feel about the Mets after the trade deadline?
The July 30th trade deadline has come and gone, and the New York Mets roster is set for the pennant race. The Mets were active, but in the eyes of some, not active enough. With rumors swirling most of the day, the Mets chose to make one big trade on deadline day, addressing the offense but not their pitching staff.
The Good
Back in black — The Mets brought the cult favorite black with blue and orange trimmed uniforms Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Although the offense has calmed down yet again, seeing a packed Citi Field with the black uniforms back for the first time in nearly a decade was a treat.
Cookie didn’t crumble — Carlos Carrasco made his Mets debut Friday night, towing the rubber for the Amazin’s for the first time since tearing his hamstring in Spring Training. Besides a home run from Jonathan India on the very first pitch of the game, the right handed looked comfortable. In four innings of work, he gave up three hits and one run while striking out four. He only threw 56 pitches, which was expected. Look for skipper Luis Rojas to stretch him out over his next few starts.
El Mago is a Met — One bright spot to look forward to this weekend besides the black jerseys, is Javier Baez’s Mets debut is scheduled for Saturday night. His debut comes with some drama, as a potential match-up with rival Amir Garrett could happen. Zack Scott, the acting General Manager of the Mets, told the newest Mets infielder that “we are playing your buddy’s team.” A story to keep an eye on in the remaining two games of the series.
The Bad
Scooter’s wheels fell off — Michael Conforto has been lost since coming back from his injury. He is in a 4-40 slump and is hitless in his last ten at bats. It seemed as if he was bouncing back after hitting the go-ahead home run to cap a seven-run come back against the Pirates last week, but since then, he’s been invisible. For someone who is in the last inning of his contract, super agent Scott Boras might be need to do some extra leg work to make sure his client gets paid this next offseason.
Decisions, decisions — Depth is never a bad thing, especially infield depth. In today’s day and age, players are platooned more than they used to be in decades prior. With the addition of Baez, ultimately that moves Jeff McNeil to third base, which leaves JD Davis, Luis Guillorme, and Jonathan Víllar without every day jobs. Luckily, the absence of Francisco Lindor will allow them to play a bit more, but once he comes back, there will be tough decisions to be made.
The Ugly
Jake is in Timeout — According to Scott, the Mets received word that there is additional inflammation in Jacob deGrom’s right arm, shutting him down from throwing for at least two weeks. It poses the question “Why not go after another starting pitcher?” Although Tyler Williams did come with Baez from the Cubs, he was almost immediately optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Combine with the shut down of the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner with Taijuan Walker’s recent struggles, this puts A LOT of pressure on Marcus Stroman, Rich Hill, and Tylor Megill. Although all three have been solid, the absence of a true ace in a tight division race could be costly.
Going forward
Following the weekend series with the Cincinnati Reds, the orange and blue will spend the next two week on the road, facing division foes in the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies. They return home next weekend for a series against the now depleted Washington Nationals. With each series becoming more and more important as the season winds down, it is important this team battles adversity with with the same attitude it has had all year, the next man up mentality.
