No deadline help coming this time
MIAMI — Another Yoenis Cespedes probably is not walking through the door between now and Aug. 1, so the players you saw on the field and in the dugout Friday night for the Mets need to figure out a solution from within.
Last year was different. The Mets were sputtering offensively, trying to make a run at the wideopen NL East using a lineup that often included the likes of Eric Campbell, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Plawecki, Danny Muno and other minor league players yet to prove themselves at the next level.
In the 2016 lineup, you see pieces that should fit nicely, but simply haven’t produced as expected, whether it has been Michael Conforto’s step backward, Neil Walker’s extended slump or the mixed results the Mets have gotten at third base, before and after David Wright was lost for the season.
But nights like Friday also offer a reminder there is hope for this bunch. Jose Reyes getting three hits and roaming the bases freely and James Loney coming off the bench to hit a monster home run in a 5-3 victory over the Marlins validate the idea the Mets are in better shape offensively than they were a year ago at this time. Sunday is the one-year anniversary of general manager Sandy Alderson’s first deal that began transforming the Mets. On July 24 of last year, he acquired Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the Braves for minor leaguers Robert Whalen and John Gant. Seven days later, he hit the jackpot when the Tigers sent him Cespedes for Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa. All along, Alderson made it clear he was looking to upgrade the lineup. But few could have imagined the sweeping changes that occurred between July 24 and 31. Included was Conforto’s arrival from Double-A Binghamton to fortify left field. This time, neither Alderson nor his lieutenants seem to view the possibility of adding another significant lineup piece — think Todd Frazier or Ryan Braun level — as realistic, given what the cost would be in terms of prospects in what has become a shallow pool. And the Uribe/Johnson-type reinforcements already have arrived. One of them was Johnson, reacquired last month from the Braves. The other is Reyes, who has scattered some big hits since arriving nearly three weeks ago, but still is searching for consistency. Left unsaid is the fact the Mets do not want to sacrifice a future that includes Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith for a rental that might not get them any closer to first place. And is the coin flip of a wild-card game worth giving up significant talent?
Adding another reliever is lowrisk, but chasing a bat could have lasting implications.
So if the Mets want lineup help, it would start with players such as Reyes, Walker and Conforto producing. Two other players, Curtis Granderson and Travis d’Arnaud, have shown recent life, but the Mets need more of it.
“We’ve got the pieces, they are here,” manager Terry Collins said. “We’ve got enough guys that have had track records.”
Walker hit .214 in June and has followed that with a .167 average in July. Nobody thought he was going to come close to continuing his April pace, when he hit nine home runs, but his decline also has been more pronounced than anyone could have anticipated.
“I’ve talked about it with the hitting coach a lot, and there is nothing mechanically wrong with my swing,” Walker said. “There is nothing I’m doing different. It’s just I haven’t gotten as many hits as I have in the past.”
Conforto hit only .146 over a seven-week stretch before departing for Triple-A Las Vegas. Now he’s back and trying to show he can be the player the Mets had over the final two months of last season. His arrival in the majors last year came on the same day Alderson completed the deal for Uribe and Johnson.
More than a big bat from another team, the Mets could use at least one from within their own clubhouse. If players such as Reyes, Walker and Conforto plan to become consistent contributors, now probably would be a good time to start.