The Mets are more than 10 games out of first place in the NL East and far enough out of the Wild Card that it will be a miracle if they can claim a spot. Their offense has been slacking all season and the bullpen is an inconsistent mess. Of course, the young players have succeeded in their roles and the veterans have been great role models for them. But let’s think back to this past offseason when General Manager Sandy Alderson promised the fans a 90 win season. The Mets can still technically win 90 games, but it will arguably be the greatest miracle ever to present itself in the history of sports. With 90 wins out of the picture, what will the rest of the season look like?
Just putting it out there: the Mets will not be in the playoffs this season. In fact, the Mets probably will not even hit the .500 mark. The team has a difficult schedule for the remainder of the season and they will be facing the Dodgers, Braves, and Reds all within the next two weeks (along with the Phillies and Marlins between the Braves and Reds series). The way I see things going, the Mets will go 15-19 for the remainder of the season, putting them a few games under .500 at seasons end.
Another thing to watch during the remainder of the season is the progress of Mets ace Matt Harvey. Harvey will not be pitching in the majors this season, but will continue to pitch in extended spring and rehab for the Mets. Right now, Harvey is being reassessed due to Jeremy Hefners’ set back after having the same surgery. I know what you are thinking: Hefner and Harvey are not the same pitcher, let alone on the same level of dominance. But still, the Mets see Hefner’s setback as a potential risk for Harvey, so they are changing his rehab process to protect him.
Finally, look out for Bartolo Colon and whether or not he will be on the Mets by season’s end. Any player can be traded if they clear waivers until the end of the regular season. With Chris Young officially released, Colon is now the go to player on the Mets to be moved by the end of the season. Organizations such as the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals could all benefit from receiving a player such as Colon who is an innings eater and still a dominant pitcher despite what people say. Will he be moved? Probably not until the offseason, if ever, but it would not be the worst idea for the Mets to try and get a few prospects and/or major leaguers in return for him.
The Mets are not the team of the year, and not many people ever thought they would be. Despite being fed with false hope this past offseason with the “90 wins” comments, the Mets have still managed to fail expectations and are in fourth place in the National League East. Again, the Mets could make the postseason this year, but it would take one giant miracle for that to even come close to happening.
Alderson said he thought the team could win 90 games. He didn’t make any “promise.” I hate defending this guy. One major reason, for this awful season is his choice of manager. A second major reason, is his misjudgement of talent of the free agents he signed. A third was his sticking with these players all season, while teams in a similar situation made changes. I could go on, just like most readers of this blog, why bother.
You misunderstood, Sandy meant that this team could “lose” 90 games.
But Joe who is he trying to convince? The fans? The players? Ownership? Certainly not Chris Young!
Seriously Dan! Did you really think this team could win 90 games with the opening day roster it had? Alderson implores the fan base to have patience with the kids to give them time to mature and TC sits them on the bench because he has a mandate to win. The GM and manager can’t get on the same page! And the best news is that they’re both back next year! Unless the FO makes some dramatic moves this team will not win 90 games next season.
I get confused. Which one is it?
The manager is just a puppet of the GM
or
The GM and manager can’t get on the same page!
+1
A few nitpicks:
-“Of course, the young players have succeeded in their roles and the veterans have been great role models for them.” I’d like to hear some further evidence to back up both of those statements.
-If the Mets do indeed go 15-19 the rest of the way, they’ll finish the season 13 games under .500, which I’d suggest is more than “a few” games…
-Clayton Kershaw is a dominant pitcher. Felix Hernandez is a dominant pitcher. Bartolo Colon is a solid major league starter.
Same difference. Our prespective on the Mets and the final results at year end will show the Mets closer to last place than to a playoff spot. Just relax and enjoy. Next year will be the same.
Good read here. Only thing I really object to are #1 Chris Young was never a trade candidate as suggested here when using the phrase “go to player to be moved” in referring to Colon after the departure of Young and #2 Alderson is on record stating Colon will have more value in the offseason. Which tells me, he’s gone but not until after the World Series.
For a number of folks the Mets have exactly met expectations. Having done nothing to change the net balance of productivity from last year, it’s was destined to be shuffling deck chairs in the Titanic. And so it is. The laugh at 90 wins, even if it was intended as a mindset change, shows a distinct lack of appreciation for reality over blind optimism. Again we will be 5-10 under .500.
It would have given SA more credibilty if he had said our goal is to improve. Small steps but positive ones in the right direction. The FO cannot afford another Chris Young fiasco this off season.
If the Mets play .500 ball the rest of the way they will have 77 wins which will put them at 8 games below .500. After the all star break they were 5 games below .500 and I was hoping that they would play .500 ball the rest of the season. The Mets keep failing at playing .500 ball for any length of time. The Bogata Casino had the Mets at 73 wins over/under which is a more reliable source than Sandy Alderson. I am beginning to think the over bet maybe a losing bet. I don’t think the Mets are moving in the right direction in the won/loss column and after another losing season, with no progress, that other people maybe better suited to lead the way. The stagnation is causing a stench.
The irony here is that in the beginning of the season the bullpen with the SA rejects cost the Mets how many wins? Now after cleaning house and finally commiting to play the youngsters the Mets are still only treading water and without Granderson or Wright contributing on offense. No more bargain basement shopping please this off season. It’s time for this organization to the next step to solidfy this team. Playing .500 ball is not going to get the Mets into the playoffs. Eventually you have to take a chance and commit to a trade