The Mets were lucky and good over the first half. But teams behind them, especially the Phillies, are waking up. Now is the time for Cohen…
The Mets’ dramatic come from behind win yesterday diverted attention to the fact the team has gone 13-17 over their last thirty games.
Miraculously, the Phillies have picked up only three games on the Mets over that span, but how long can that last, given the current composition of the team and the indefinite loss of both Jacob deGrom (forearm strain) and Francisco Lindor (oblique)?
If you believe in the adage “I’d rather be lucky than good” as I do, especially when it comes to baseball, then the Mets have given us our fill this year.
How else, for example, can you explain a Travis Blankenhorn, selected off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on June 1, coming to the plate as a pinch-hitter to hit a three-run home run yesterday to pull the Mets within one run, a game they eventually would win after falling behind 6-0?
Mets Can No Longer Count On Luck
These things happen in baseball, but if you count your season on being lucky, as was this case, that’s not a good bet.
I’m not in any way lessening the Mets for what they’ve accomplished this far. But yesterday was then, and this is now.
So when you look at the Mets’ upcoming schedule for July and up to the trade deadline, it makes you wonder if they have what it will take with Taijuan Walker, Trevor Magill, and Marcus Stroman, their only proven major league starters, and Magill still in his infancy.
The Mets schedule for July is equally compared to those of their major competitors, the Phillies and Braves, but that should not negate the need for Acting GM Zack Scott to bring relief to the team.
After the Reds, the Mets are looking at a five-game set with the Atlanta Braves, including a doubleheader on July 26 that begs the question, where are these starting pitchers coming from…
Mets manager Luis Rojas showed his players he has their back yesterday, with an outburst that cost him (MLB announced today) a two-game suspension.
Mets Hand The Ball To Steve Cohen
However, it’s time for the Mets front office, namely, their new owner, Steve Cohen, to step up in the same way.
Only this time it means Cohen fulfilling his promise to Mets fans he is not averse to exceeding the luxury tax limit – if it means the Mets have as good as anyone to capturing the NL East, with another chance to move well into the playoffs.
While Mets fans have been blistered by the Wilpons for more than a decade, you can argue the grass may be greener on the other side of this season when talent is abundant among 2022 free agents.
But given the Mets proven resilience and dedication in overcoming all they have this year, the players in the clubhouse deserve more than that.
Even Pete Alonso, one of the youngest players on the Mets, sees his career realistically saying (paraphrasing), “I’ve only got a certain number of years in baseball, and I mean to make each one of them count.”
Mets: Go All In On Kris Bryant?
Kris Bryant stands alone as the lone position player who can pay immediate dividends for the Mets this year.
At 29 and pending 2022 free agency, Bryant can fill the slot at third base while giving JD Davis, unless he is included in a trade with the Cubs, free to move to left field while keeping his bat in the lineup.
Please make no mistake; while the Mets have been less than quiet about their pursuit of Bryant, the competition is severe.
If they acquire Bryant, they will be on the hook for about $9 million of his salary this year, with no assurance they can sign him during the offseason.
According to Spotrac, the Mets are covered in that respect from exceeding the $210 limit on payroll before the luxury tax kicks in.
But then, where are the four and five starters and a centerfielder coming from, and at what cost?
We’ll know soon as Sandy Alderson and Jake Scott work the phones, ultimately making their proposals for trades in place to Steve Cohen.
As fans, along with the players in the clubhouse, we await his call.
But a virtual certainty says the Mets can’t do this with what they have now…
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Mike Rauch The Phillies don’t have a good bullpen. This is just an upswing for them right now. Even Pittsburgh has them as we saw.
Christopher Galagotis And I got negative comments on my post that Cohen needs to make moves. This is what I mean
John V Costello Agree 1000 Percent
John Jet For as much as Cohen says he doesn’t want to exceed the cap he will do it if it gives the Mets a better chance to win.
Ken Smith Cohen said he wanted to win within 3 years, doesn’t have to be stupid and trade away the future to try to win this year
Michael O’Neil They should go after Bryant and sign him immediately
Closing Published Comments And Final Thoughts
With this, published comments are closed for this post.
Readers remember Cohen’s opening statement when he said “Three Years”. Soon we’ll learn if he was covering his tracks but ready to roll if an earlier time was right to make his mark on the Mets.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
