AMAZIN’ DISGRACE (AND THAT’S BEFORE THEY LOST 25-4!)

Mets make no big-splash moves, stay rooted in belief they can contend in 2019

Aweek before the deadline, an executive of a team that was trying to engage the Mets on a deal for Zack Wheeler told me that it was likely a pipe dream. The Mets were so vague and noncommittal about dealing the right-hander that the team felt it was more of a fishing expedition than a real negotiation.

“They were talking about it more in the hypothetical than reality,” the executive said. “It was a dream.” More like a recurring nightmare for Mets fans. After repeatedly talking about “thinking outside the box” and being “aggressive” to try and improve the team, the reality is the Mets made the minimally acceptable moves, the very bare minimum, before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline.

They dumped pending free agents Asdrubal Cabrera and Jeurys Familia for prospects that are not gamechangers and also some international bonus pool money, which can be helpful depending on how they use it.

By holding onto four of the biggest chips that could have been on the market at the trade deadline — Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Wheeler — the Mets defined the “current inertia.” That is how deGrom’s agent Brodie Van Wagenen described the Mets’ situation when asking them to trade his client to a contender if they didn’t extend his contract.

It’s the perfect description of the Mets’ current state.

“I don’t think that necessarily means we’ve committed to one direction or another heading into the offseason,” John Ricco told reporters regarding the lack of moves. “It gives us another two months to evaluate not only the players themselves but our club in general. It allows us to make a more informed decision this offseason with regards to the direction moving forward.”

Ricco cautioned Tuesday that just because they did not move one of their pitchers did not mean that they won’t this offseason. In fact, industry sources said they expected the Mets to shop at least Syndergaard this winter and possibly deGrom because of his demand to be extended or traded at the All-Star break. But as executives across baseball have pointed out, contrary to what the Mets believe, you will get better returns on deals in season. DeGrom is the best pitcher in the National League right now and Wheeler has never had a better streak in his career, so the Mets may have missed their chance to flip these assets at their peak value.

The Mets could be excused for their extreme caution with deGrom because of the fact that they do not have a GM in place. The committee serving in the interim denied that they were held back from making any deals at the deadline, even though team ownership has let it leak out that they will go outside this triumvirate to replace Alderson. Without the leadership for the future, how can the Mets know where they are heading?

Instead, building off Ricco’s comments from earlier this month, where he said they believe that it won’t have to be a two or three-year rebuilding process, the Mets look to be heading into familiar territory: hope for health and try to ride the starting pitching into the playoffs.

Heading into Tuesday night’s game, the Mets had a 44-59 record and a team that is heavy with contracts going into next year for older players on the disabled list currently. They also have a core of solid starters to build around — if they stay healthy — few young prospects to supplement them and an atrocious defense and lack of athletic ability. That sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it? “It’s the same approach they took into this year really,” one industry analyst said. “The problem is that pitching almost always regresses. The players are only getting older, so are they going to be healthier? And the division is getting stronger around them.”

The Mets went into 2018 thinking that they could compete with the Nationals behind their strong starting pitching; instead, they watched the young, athletic Phillies and Braves blow past them in the division standings. Both teams made deals for a playoff push this season before the deadline and are going to be making plays for the postseason for the next few years to come.

The Mets need to make changes if they are going to be dreaming of making a playoff push anytime soon. They need to make some moves this winter if 2019 isn’t going to be just another recurring nightmare.