The Mets are in a bit of a pickle right now. After spending $350-plus million on the payroll for 2023, they’re entering the month of July as a sub-.500 team and as possible trade deadline sellers. What would Mets legend and Hall of Famer Mike Piazza say to rally the troops?
He’d talk about cars and windshields. But it makes sense.
Piazza joined the guys on Foul Territory and had this to say about the Mets and their current struggles:
Yes, I agree — winning is hard. It’s something the Mets haven’t been able to do consistently for long stretches of time throughout their history. But Piazza provided some perspective. At least the Mets aren’t doing this 30-40 years ago before the divisional realignment and institution of Wild Card teams, right?
Even though their postseason chances look grim right now, there’s at least still a glimmer of hope. Without an expanded postseason field, New York would already be selling off players and just going through the motions while waiting for next year.
I do love the metaphor Piazza used with the windshield being big and the rearview mirror being small. But then again, his advice to the Mets kinda sounds like what manager Buck Showalter has been saying for a while now: play better. Win today and then try to start stringing a couple together.
Easier said than done, of course. At least, that’s what it looks like when it comes to the Mets. They have a stress-free and impressive win about once every week or two to get our hopes up before they fall back into the same frustrating pattern of play. I’m still convinced they need to let Terry Collins loose in the clubhouse to give a speech, but the rallying of the troops this week between Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler will have to do.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
