STEVE PHILLIPS
they’re talking about Conforto playing some first base, there’s even more chance for him because Duda is coming off a back injury.
“So even with Bruce there I believe Conforto will get his chance to play. And I think Bruce will hit in New York. You could see he lost his confidence there last year, but he’s a streaky hitter anyway. He’ll give them power. And for all the talk about run prevention in the game now, you still need to score runs.”
As mentioned earlier, Phillips, now an MLB radio host, would do whatever he could to dump Bruce’s contract and spend money on relievers, but if it were him, he said he would have been even more aggressive in trying to re-shape and balance the Mets’ roster.
“It’s a cumbersome roster that has a pretty high level of uncertainty because of injury questions,’’ Phillips said. “It’s one of the most talented but unpredictable rosters in baseball, and as a GM you’re always looking for predictability.
“With all the corner outfielders, I would have tried to trade Bruce and (Curtis) Granderson, and I think you could have done that early in the offseason if you were just trying to free up money. From there I would have nontendered Duda and signed (Edwin) Encarnacion to play first base.
“Then, I would have tried to trade Conforto and (Steven) Matz to get either Charlie Blackmon or Andrew McCutchen. I like Conforto but I don’t think he’s going to be as good as those guys. And I worry about the injuries with Matz.
“Blackmon is a great player and I’m convinced McCutchen will bounce back and play at an MVP level. With either of those guys you get a true center fielder.
“But, listen, I wasn’t as patient as other GMs. And I have as much respect for Sandy as any GM in the game. Maybe his patience will pay off. If the Mets’ pitching stays healthy, they should be really good. They’re not really lacking in any area other than a lefty in the pen and a little more relief help overall.
“I don’t blame them for the Bruce situation. I would have picked up the option too. They got caught in a market where some bigmarket teams, the Red Sox, the Angels, the Giants, they backed off because of the new luxury-tax penalties, and that allowed teams like Cleveland to sign Encarnacion, or teams like Toronto and Baltimore to be patient on their own guys.
“But the Mets need to sign a reliever. There are still some good lefties out there. Boone Logan. I like Travis Wood as a guy who can give you one inning or multiple innings. Or (Jerry) Blevins.
“Whoever it is, they really need to get out and sign someone. If this doesn’t work out they can always trade Bruce or Granderson at the deadline.’’
Left unsaid: if the Mets are in the race as expected, for a third straight year, then spending millions more than they wanted to should be well worth it.