Random thoughts on the Mets as we’ve passed the halfway mark of the season

Didn’t expect to have to publish today so here are some random thoughts about the Mets now that we’ve passed the halfway point of the season.

At the beginning of the year, Buck Showalter got a lot of praise for keeping everyone involved. That was a good move on his part. But what’s the flip side of that coin? To me, it’s making sure everyone gets days off. Maybe Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor should each get a day here before the series against the Braves. Days off are a good thing.

It’s encouraging to see Jacob deGrom reporting no further issues with his scapula. Some are concerned that he’s only facing A-ball hitters but a pitcher with deGrom’s pedigree shouldn’t need to face Triple-A hitters before he’s ready to return to the majors. My question is if he gets to 50 pitches in his next rehab start, regardless of where that is, is that enough to bring him to the majors? My initial reaction is that if he can throw 70 pitches, that’s enough for me to want him starting for the big team. But only if he feels he’s ready.

And speaking of deGrom, it was less than great news that there are rumors that he will opt out of his deal after this season and sign with the Braves. Sure, it’s closer to his home in Florida, but it will be a sad day if this comes to pass. Of course, it’s one thing for mainstream media types to throw this out there but it’s another thing for the Braves to actually pay the freight. If he doesn’t suffer any more setbacks and pitches reasonably well, it’s likely he’ll be looking for a deal not too far off from what Max Scherzer got. The Braves refused to do what it took to keep Freddie Freeman. It seems far from certain that they’d break the bank to sign a guy for his age 35 and up seasons, one who has missed significant time the past two seasons.

People everywhere are banging the drum for the Mets to acquire a DH. That’s not a terrible idea in isolation. But how much are you willing to give up to get one? It’s likely that this has been said before but I’m not a big Jim Bowden fan. But just read in The Athletic where Bowden proposed the Mets get Trey Mancini from the Orioles for Dominic Hamel and Calvin Ziegler, which seems too much to me. Not sold on Hamel but Ziegler seems like a future rotation piece. And the only way to keep handing out big free agent contracts is to have some homegrown players on the roster.

The Mets also have the option to promote from within, rather than to make a deadline deal. Both Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos have been mentioned as possible additions to the big club. Alvarez makes more sense to me than Vientos but you could make a case for either. My opinion is that if the Mets make the decision to promote a top prospect or two, they need to commit to playing the guys and not have them rotting on the bench. It was one thing to have Khalil Lee up and not getting ABs but it’s another thing entirely to do that to guys who have a future starting role with the club.

Speaking of minor leagues, FanGraphs has released 29 of its 30 top prospect lists. Guess who’s the only team not to have their list published? If you guessed the Mets, you win a prize. Someone has to be last, which would be ok if these lists were released before the season. But it’s disappointing that at 11:19 on July 9th that we’re still waiting for the Mets’ report.

It’s nice knowing that Scherzer is going to start the first game of the series against the Braves next week. He looked good in his first start back from the IL and he should be primed for a strong effort when his club needs it most. Starting Monday, the Mets will have 76 games left in the season and 15 of them will be against the Braves. The Mets held their own against the Braves last year, going 9-10 in head-to-head matchups. They should do better than that this season with a better team. They’ll need to do better if they want to win the division.

Still don’t like the black uniforms.