GREAT SHAKES
3 big moves that could put jolt of energy into Mets clubhouse
LOS ANGELES — Terry Collins already tried the motivational tactic, addressing the Mets earlier this week to inform them the hole is deepening and time is shortening.
But speeches by the manager aren’t going to save the Mets, who began play Thursday a season-worst nine games below .500 and trailing the Nationals by 11 ½ games in the NL East. The wildcard scenario was even worse for the Mets, who trailed the Rockies by 14 games for the second berth.
The Mets’ starting rotation is a mess, and Collins’ squad is an eyesore defensively. After receiving better-than-anticipated results offensively for the first twoplus months, the Mets have regressed at the plate.
Any possible turnaround will start with resurrecting a rotation that has mutated constantly because of injuries. A bullpen that sabotaged the Mets in May has at least stabilized recently.
“Since I have been here, we haven’t given up a lot of walks and haven’t given up a lot of home runs,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “If you look at it sta-sta tistically, we are doing both of those things this year, and that is a real bad combination.”
Can the Mets still salvage this season? Their options for a shake-up that might ignite a turnaround are limited, but here are the possibilities that resonate the loudest:
Promote Amed Rosario
Even if the organization’s top prospect isn’t fully ready offensively — club officials have concerns about his plate discipline — there is little question Rosario would help thithis defensively chalchal- lenged team at shortstop.
With Neil Walker on the disabled list, Asdrubal Cabrera could be shifted to second base, a position he played with the Nationals in 2014, and third base would employ some combination of Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes.
Remember, Alderson was hesitant to promote Michael Conforto in 2015, but with the lineup struggling, he took a chance and summoned the outfielder directly from Double-A. Conforto’s addition ranked only behind the trtrade for Yoenis Cespedes as the biggest factor in the team’s emergence to win the NL pennant.
Fire Collins
It would be a complete Hail Mary, but replacing Collins and Dan Warthen as the manager and pitching coach, respectively, might send a jolt through the clubhouse to get the team rolling. The Mets saw that effect in 2008, when Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson were fired on June 18 with the team 34-35. Under Jerry Manuel and Warthen, the Mets went 55-38 over the final 3½ months, but a late-September fade denied them a postseason berth.
But if the Mets were to dis- miss Collins, who would replace him? The Mets do not have a manager in waiting within the organization, and there isn’t a hotshot free-agent sitting in a TV studio somewhere who inspires confidence as a difference-maker.
Alderson has indicated neither Collins nor Warthen is a candidate for a pink slip, and both baseball lifers are well respected by ownership.
Trade for a veteran pitcher
The Mets obviously aren’t going to sacrifice Rosario or Dominic Smith to land a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, but adding a veteran presence who would give the Mets options other than Tyler Pill and Rafael Montero when the need arises might work. Assuming Zack Wheeler will miss only one start while on the DL, as Alderson has suggested, the Mets could then move Robert Gsellman to the bullpen to add depth. How about a reunion with R.A. Dickey?