Selfish Mejia takes some juice out of positive spring

ATLANTA — Let’s not pretend to be surprised, or that any Mets were surprised, by news that a teammate was popped and suspended for PEDs. We’re shocked about Jenrry Mejia’s drug use in the same way that Captain Renault was shocked, just shocked to learn of gambling in Casablanca.

That’s not a shot at Mejia, but a comment on the state of the game. Drugs are all around, and everyone is a possible user. Major League Baseball’s efforts to end cheating have brought progress, but not eradication. This weirdly retro wave of Stanozolol suspensions — as commissioner Rob Manfred admitted last week, the re-emergence of Ben Johnson’s drug of choice is “really is hard to explain” — is the latest example.

Here is a hard shot at Mejia, though, and one that has nothing to do with moralizing about the integrity of the game, or any soapbox nonsense. This is about the fragile progress of the New York Mets, and the good vibes cultivated in Florida, and carried north.

Mejia’s bad news is an unforced error, a selfish act that leaves a ballclub without its closer, and teammates having to answer questions in his absence. Mejia said in his statement that he “can honestly say I have no idea how a banned substance ended up in my system.”

Uh-huh. Well, we can honestly say that this is the first major bummer in a Mets season that needs to go well.

After the Mets’ second straight loss to Atlanta, the mood in the room was especially low. David Wright, in a sharp voice that conveyed genuine agitation, offered strong words. For a man who rarely doles out negativity, Wright’s demeanor and answers were telling.

“I think everybody in here would say that it’s pretty disappointing,” he said, among many other similar comments. Dillon Gee, who is active in the Players’ Association and last year was named a charter member of the Taylor Hooton Foundation’s Advisory Board, echoed the captain’s sentiments.

“It’s disappointing,” Gee said. “Not only for him and his career, but also for us as a team.”

The news broke as the Mets finished batting practice. Reporters mobbed Terry Collins as he trotted off the field, which itself was evidence of the unwelcome distraction that Mejia created.

“It happens in the business, but it’s a damper,” Collins said. “I understand everything about it, I really do, but you know what? There are 24 other guys in that locker room that need him, too. That’s why it is so disappointing.”

Knowing that some players would be angry and disappointed — particularly the contingent disgusted by PED use — Collins had earlier addressed his players.

“Extremely disappointed in him,” said one veteran player shortly after, shaking his head with what appeared to be genuine contempt, while pulling his lumber from the bat rack.

From a baseball standpoint, the Mets will probably be OK. When Mejia hit the disabled list after Opening Day with a sore elbow, the Mets took solace in the presence of talented but unproven Jeurys Familia. They continue to view Rafael Montero as a starter, but the phenom can help in the bullpen, for now. And they expect Bobby Parnell to return next month.

Because of these internal options, the Mets have no interest in free agent Rafael Soriano, according to a source, and do not appear overly concerned. The longterm issue with Mejia is his elbow, which is merely inflamed now, but has already required several surgeries. The Mets have never been confident in Mejia’s ability to remain healthy.

Still, the 2015 team is better

with him than without him. His stuff is high-end, his carefree personality suits the ninth inning, and team officials do not believe that they saw the best of him in a mostly successful closing stint last year.

Life was better for the Mets when they expected to see Mejia again in 10 days. His loss is hardly crushing — but is completely unnecessary. It’s probably too much to ask for players to avoid banned substances, with so much money at stake. Teams know this. But teams also really appreciate when their players can avoid testing positive. For all these reasons, Metsland — a happy place in Port St. Lucie, and during the opening series win in Washington — was populated by cranky people on Saturday evening. And it was all Jenrry Mejia’s fault.