mike francesa
Peter Ackermann | Asbury Park Press

Mike Francesa admits everything has gone wrong for the Mets since Edwin Diaz’s freak injury in the World Baseball Classic. But the WFAN legend is not ready to give up on the Amazins yet.

“It is not as broken as you think,” Francesa said on his latest BetRivers podcast.

But …

“It is if (Justin) Verlander and (Max) Scherzer can’t pitch,” he continued. “If that happens, they’re dead. They’re dead and this year is going to be a disaster. They have to have those two get back and give them some big outings.”

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For now, Francesa believes the Mets can still get their two future Hall of Fame hurlers on track. Verlander will make his second start of the season Wednesday in Cincinnati; Scherzer is in limbo after being scratched from Tuesday’s scheduled start with neck spasms. Francesa said the Mets need at least 175 combined innings out of the duo; they have gotten 27 2/3 out of them so far and the season is almost a quarter of the way done.

What else do the Mets need to do? Francesa wants to see youngsters Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty become the everyday catcher and third baseman, respectively. And then general manager Billy Eppler needs to go add a big bat in the outfield and a few more arms for the bullpen and rotation. Yes, it will cost a great deal of money and/or prospects. But owner Steve Cohen has limitless resources. And the Mets cannot quit on this World Series-or-bust season without a fight.

One move Francesa says should be off the table entirely: Firing manager Buck Showalter.

“Buck is not the problem,” he said. “Buck will be fine. Buck will see the way through this. … The problem is they have holes everywhere. It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.”

James Kratch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.