Some Thoughts as the Trade Deadline Nears

I don't enjoy watching my high-priced team sell at the deadline, even if I agree with the decision. I hope the players that remain and are unhappy with this sell-off find motivation to avoid another next season.

I was surprised to learn that the Mets had traded Max Scherzer to the Rangers on Saturday. I really wasn't expecting Steve Cohen to fork over the amount of money it would take to trade Scherzer for any worthwhile prospect return. The Mets ponied up over $35 million of Max's salary this year and next, while the Rangers are paying him $22.5 million. In return, New York received Luisangel Acuña from Texas, a 21-year-old currently in Double-A. From what I read, Acuña has a chance to be a really good player, if not quite a superstar like his older brother Ronald.

Turn the Page

The Mets turning their focus to the future was the only logical move left. But the future depends on getting better at developing some kids into major league ballplayers.

As someone who has endured his share of ups and downs over the years, I've had experience with what comes next after a big disappointment. The hardest part is understanding that you've put a lot of effort into something that won't reward that hard work. Trying harder won't repair what has proven to be unfixable. It's time to coldly assess what went wrong and then decide what's next. It's all too easy, if ultimately completely useless, to fall into the "what if" trap, or simply wallow in self-pity until you get disgusted enough with yourself to get back out into the world and chart a new direction. It can be a bit liberating to finally admit that something that has been going south for a while is finally a lost cause, but it's also quite a blow to be around at the death of an enterprise into which you placed your hard work and greatest hopes. Therefore, I can't help but feel some empathy for Billy Eppler and his front office as midnight has fallen on the 2023 season that began with great hopes and massive outlays of the owner's cash.

Rise and Fall

For my own sake, I'm just refusing to react to every peak or dip in the New York Mets' season.

There have been a handful of times in my life when things are going so well that I wish I had some mechanism to freeze things exactly where they were. Not a permanent suspension of time, of course. Just a long enough period of stasis where I could truly enjoy the place I found myself without having to wonder when the inevitable moment of returning to reality would come. Because, no matter what, something will always come along and knock you back off the pedestal of good fortune. But the knowledge that nothing good goes on forever is also why I've learned to not fast-forward recklessly past a terrific moment in anticipation of the tantalizing possibility of another one.

Man The Lifeboats, Part 4

We wrap up our 4-part series on the Mets' chances for turning the season around with thoughts on the manager and front office and summing it all up.

It's incredible how much has happened with the New York Mets just since I began writing this series on Tuesday. First, there was Wednesday night's epic win fueled, in part, by call-ups Francisco Álvarez and Mark Vientos. The Mets didn't even decide to bring up Vientos until Wednesday. Next, the Mets put forth a solid effort to defeat the Rays (and finally win a series) on Thursday afternoon. After the game, we learned that the decision had been made to bring up catcher Gary Sánchez. As of the time of my writing this piece, no corresponding roster move has been made. (Update: it has.)

Man the Lifeboats, Part 2

Today we look at the New York Mets' position players as we search for some reason to hold onto hope for the 2023 season.

We're doing a series of posts looking at the current state of the struggling New York Mets. Yesterday, we discussed the starting pitching, which was supposed to be a strength for this club but has, at least this far, been their Achilles Heel. I intended to move onto the bullpen next, but with today's callup of prospect Mark Vientos, let's look at the position players instead.

Reasons For Hope and Concern in Week One

Even this guy might not be
able to fix Carlos Carrasco

Some analysis and one big item of worry from the first few games of the New York Mets' 2023 season.

Since I last wrote here, the New York Mets enjoyed a pretty good opening series in Miami, followed by a very bad first game in Milwaukee. The Mets have now navigated a full turn through their starting rotation. While Kodai Senga showed promise of being a good MLB pitcher in his first time pitching here in the States, Carlos Carrasco did nothing to alleviate the concerns I had about him heading into the season. Every pitcher in their bullpen has pitched at least once, with Dennis Santana already appearing 3 times.

Thoughts on the Mets Opening Day Roster - Position Players

With the MLB regular season merely days away, we look at the position players who will break camp on the Mets' 26-man roster.

In our last post, we attempted to forecast which pitchers might travel south with the Mets when they open the season in Miami on March 30. This time, we'll look at which position players will join them in the "Magic City" when things get underway next week. While there are far fewer decisions to be made with the 13 position players the Mets will likely carry, there certainly are a couple of tough choices for Buck Showalter, Billy Eppler, and the rest of the club's brain trust.

It All Begins Again

I'm excited by the return of baseball this week, with the opportunity that 2023 represents for the Mets to continue to turn the page on their past struggles and build something special.

Spring training officially begins for the New York Mets this Wednesday. I've always looked forward to the day pitchers and catchers officially report, even in years when I knew the Mets wouldn't be very good. These days it feels more special, knowing that the Mets are heading into action with a powerful ballclub that will likely repeat as a playoff team this year. Think about that for a minute because that hasn't at all been common for this franchise. The Tom Seaver-led Mets of the 60s and 70s never did it. The powerful Keith Hernandez/Gary Carter mid-to-late-1980s juggernaut never appeared back-to-back in those pre-Wildcard days. Indeed, they only made two playoff appearances during that entire run. A late-season collapse in 2007 doomed the David Wright/Carlos Beltrán edition from accomplishing that rare feat.

The Road to Sustainability

The Mets are making the final tweaks to their roster. Also, will the club finally figure out how to successfully integrate their prospects into the lineup?

With the excitement (and disappointment) of the Carlos Correa chase abated, the Mets are moving into the home stretch of the hot stove season. They're still making moves to strengthen their club three weeks before the official report date. By signing Tommy Pham as their fourth outfielder, the club thrilled approximately 0% of their fanbase, but it was a significant signing nonetheless. It was important to have a better option than Khalil Lee and Abraham Almonte for that spot. Pham may not be the dream choice of Mets fans, but he was a solid pickup for the club.