Most Mets fans want to see the team finish strong and end up with a record over .500 for the year. All things being equal, I would like to see that, too. But I would gladly finish under .500 if the Mets instead tried any or all of the suggestions below. I realize these run the gamut from “insignificant” to “counter-productive” to “not bloody likely” but I still like them. So, here are the top 10 things I’d like to see the Mets try.
10. Release Jason Bay
We have a better chance of seeing gas selling for less than a dollar than we do of Bay rebounding to 2009 levels. Give up the ghost, accept reality and DFA him already.
9. Call up Matt Den Dekker and have him play CF every day.
He’s not on the 40-man, doesn’t have to be added this winter and he’s hitting .204 in Triple-A. He also has a .253 BABIP in Buffalo, a .190 ISO and is supposed to be a top-notch defender in center field. Play him every day, tell him it’s okay if he goes 0-30 as long as he catches every ball that lands fair and see what we have.
8. Institute a 6-man rotation
Stop worrying about how extra innings are going to affect the old pitchers coming off shoulder surgery and reinstall Jeremy Hefner into the rotation. Wasn’t it just last week when everyone was saying how Jonathon Niese pitched better with extra rest? Here’s how you get that for him.
7. Mandate each reliever pitch a full inning
Now that Tim Brydak’s on the shelf, require each relief pitcher to finish what he’s started. No mid-inning pitching changes, no endless chasing of the platoon advantage for certain pitchers and no removing a guy who’s pitching great to get a different reliever who may or may not have it into the game. You might want to reconsider having Garrett Olson on the staff now, too.
6. Start Mike Baxter every remaining game
Call me crazy but I want the guy with the .429 OBP playing every day and batting near the top of the order. I realize he’s not this good but let’s see what he can do facing a LHP. I bet it’s better than what Bay has done.
5. Give everyone the green light on 3-0 counts
The idea of taking pitches is to wait for one that you can drive for an extra-base hit. So why should batters look at a cripple fastball down the middle on this count? Sit dead-red and look for a double or home run. Or take the curve and take a walk.
4. Promote Dan Warthen
The man is a genius and his talents are being wasted in the dugout. Everyone raves about what a great communicator he is. Give him a desk, let him call up season ticket holders and make sure that they renew and upgrade their plans. Put those communication talents to where they can do the most good – making money for the Wilpons.
3. Give Daniel Murphy a few starts at third base
Terry Collins deserves credit for committing to the Murphy at second base plan. But I like the fact that he has played him some at first base to get Ike Davis out of the lineup against LHP. This reminds teams that Murphy is pretty good defensively over there. Now let’s see him get a few starts at third base giving David Wright some time off down the stretch. I’m a big Murphy fan but his best value to the club may be as a trade chit. And it’s good to remind clubs that third base is his preferred position.
2. Trade for Wil Myers
The Royals like young, toolsy guys. Surely we could put a package together to get a RH-hitting OF who could bat in the middle of the order.
1. Hold early ST camp for LHB
Forget about insisting that Ruben Tejada needs to come to camp early and pouting when he doesn’t. The Mets should extend invitations to Baxter, Davis, Den Dekker, Duda, Murphy, Nieuwenhuis, Thole and Valdespin to come to camp early. At the same time, have Carson, Cohoon, Edgin, Gorski, Hampson, Kolarek, Nitkowski, Olson and any LHP on an NRI come in and pitch to these guys every day. Invite Niese and Santana, too.
Good call Brian. I agree completely with all but #3, and unsure who we would give to get Myers. Natural though it may have been, Murph is no longer a 3B guy. I believe he is part of the future and solution of the Mets problems and is now a second baseman—who on the team can replace Murph as an everyday 2B guy (and dont say Ruben, he’s a SS!)? I wouldnt move him off 2B unless Ike is pitching. Every rep off 2B hurts him. He needs more MLB-speed fielding attempts. With this season all but lost, the more experience at second the better. I think sending him to a place he hasnt played in years can only expose timing issues, long throw issues, and fielding the hot corner issues. He could be worse at 3B than 2B now. Anyways, the infield is not the issue and Im leery of making moves that could add doubt to the only thing that is working.
I’m okay if Murphy is here next year and is the club’s 2B. But I’m also okay if he goes in a trade to get a big OF bat. If the Mets have a 30-HR guy in one of the OF corners next year, I can live with either Turner or Valdespin at 2B.
One more thing you can add to that list: How about fire Terry Collins?
Good list. Although Wil Myers is never gonna happen. Why would the Royals give him up?
You’ve got to be kidding about Wil Myers. He would easily take our five best prospects and I’m not even sure that’s enough. Why would you even mention that as an option? The only way we could get him is if we brought a gun to the negotiations
Yeah, he’d cost Wheeler+ for sure, and I don’t know that we have anything that would be enough.
Let me start by saying that I love Jason Bay for his hustle, for his base running skills. But, the Mets would do him (and us) a great favor by releasing him. If there’s anything left in the tank (whatever Brian is paying for gas) it’s not going to happen in NY.
The problem with a six-man rotation is that it gives Dickey fewer chances to win twenty. That’s important to ownership as a fan-attraction device.
If each reliever had to pitch a full inning the season might last to Thanksgiving.
The Mets should trade either Ike or Murphy or both. The team is a losing team with them. I’m tired of Ike’s flailing away at the plate and of
Murphy’s lack of power without great speed to make up for it.
I think it’s time to start thinking outside the box (hate the expression, but it is useful) and that’s what Brian is doing. Go to it!
I agree with you about Murphy,and will add that he doesn’t turn the double play well enough to be a second basemen.He doesn’t hit well enough to play anywhere else that he can play either.
That is demonstrably false.
What,the DP thing?Mets are 13th out of 16 teams.
No, that he doesn’t hit enough to be a solid 1B or 3B
Ah,well I agree that is debatable.He’s certainly not the traditional 1st or 3rd basemen.You could get by with him if you had plenty of power on the rest of the team or say,a non power position guy with lots of power(Catcher,SS,CF)
I agree, Steevy. The lack of power at some of the other positions just places more emphasis on Murphy’s lack of power. If the team had great speed, like the Cardinals in the ’80s you could get away with a lack of power, but the Mets are a base-to-base club.
How about trade for Kelly Shoppach?
At long last they got a fairly good complimentary catcher.
I’m glad they picked him up, which of course means he’ll end up hitting worse than Nickeas for his Mets career…
MDD should start at AAA in 2013 and hopefully his hitting will improve.
Baxter should play every day and so should Valdespin with as many starts for JV in center field as possible. The Mets need to give them every opportunity to be evaluated with the hopeful result that they may be every day players.
Murphy at 3B once or twice is OK. Cedeno’s playing time at Ike’s expense doesn’t really help for 2013 because Ike should also play every day. Cedeno is not a major player for 2013.
Bay really should be released because any AB’s he has are AB’s that Torres and Hairston earned over Bay and when Duda comes back then he really needs to play left. The transition season really should not make it matter if the Mets face a lefty at this point, evaluation has to be the priority.
Ike DSaavis simply can’t hit lefties.Go look at his splits.
In 2010 he batted .295 with a .362/.443/.805 in a 136 PA vs lefties. I believe his timing was off since the beginning of 2012 and his splits will improve if given the opportunity, and what do the Mets have to lose ?
Another shutout tonight,that’s 3 in the last couple of weeks.