Kallet: Banged-Up Mets Likely Will Need Alderson To Work Magic Again
By Brad Kallet
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It's starting to feel like June 2015, isn't it?
Well, not quite. Despite the fact that the injury bug has hit the Mets hard in recent weeks, last year's pre-trade deadline lineup didn't feature Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker. (Though it did have Daniel Murphy, who is hitting … oh, forget it.)
Nonetheless, it's troubling. The Mets, two games behind the first-place Nationals in the NL East, are hurting, and reinforcements aren't exactly around the corner.
Let's do a quick audit. Starting catcher Travis d'Arnaud is on the disabled list with a rotator cuff strain, though he's now on a rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie. He's not expected to catch in a game for about a week, and barring any setbacks should be in Queens in roughly three weeks. Lucas Duda's injury is more severe, as the slugger is dealing with a stress fracture in his back. He's only riding a stationary bike at the moment, and there's every chance that we won't see him until August.
And then there's David Wright. The captain has a herniated disk in his neck, and while the timetable says he'll return to the Mets in August or September, I don't think anyone would be surprised if he doesn't take the field again in 2016.
Juan Lagares has a partially torn ligament in his thumb, and while he'll attempt to play through it, he may still land on the DL. Even if he avoids it, will he be the same player? Cespedes, the most dangerous hitter on the club, was scratched from the lineup on Saturday with a sore right hip, but he appears to be OK. The former All-Star pinch-hit on Sunday and was in New York's lineup on Monday before the game against the Pirates was postponed.
Man, somebody get manager Terry Collins a drink. That's a lot of manpower down.
Thankfully, the pitching staff has stayed healthy. But as good as the pitching is -- and it has been excellent -- this team won't be able to stay afloat in the NL East if it doesn't score runs. The Nationals are simply too good. They'll run away with the division.
If the Mets don't get two of their three injured regulars (d'Arnaud, Duda and Wright) back by early August -- or if general manager Sandy Alderson doesn't add some much-needed pop before then -- they'll be in serious, serious trouble. Even if two of those three return by Aug. 1 (not likely), will the Mets be able to hang in until then? It's tough to see this team trying to sustain success with so many holes. They can still win games without the trio, but can they rattle off six- and seven-game winning streaks and consistently take series? That's what they'll need to do to hang with Bryce Harper's squad, and I have a hard time seeing it.
New York's offense looked absolutely dormant against the White Sox last week, and Wednesday's 2-1 loss in 13 innings was especially difficult to watch.
The Mets managed to take two out of three from the Marlins this past weekend, but it wasn't a particularly encouraging series. Though the Mets showed grit and resiliency, they didn't at all resemble the team that beat up opponents in late April.
In Friday night's opener, late home runs from James Loney and Rene Rivera propelled New York to victory. On Saturday, Matt Reynolds gave the Mets the lead with an RBI single in the eighth and Alejandro De Aza provided some insurance with a two-run double in the ninth. In the finale on Sunday, Marlins ace Jose Fernandez struck out 14 in seven dominant innings. There's no shame in getting owned by Fernandez, but it served as further proof that these replacement-level lineups are often overmatched.
New York can't rely on big hits from Loney, Rivera, Reynolds and De Aza. And Alderson certainly can't expect them.
Though d'Arnaud struggled with the bat before getting hurt, he's proven that he can be an effective hitter at this level. It was just a matter of time before he got it going. Rivera has done a nice enough job filling in -- and he's a far better catcher than d'Arnaud -- but he shouldn't be a starting backstop on a contending big-league club. And Kevin Plawecki, for whom expectations were understandably high, has been massively disappointing in what was a golden opportunity to play every day and run with the job.
I applauded the addition of Loney, but the undeniable truth is that he's past his prime. He doesn't have one-tenth of the power that Duda has -- when you're a low-scoring club, you sorely need home runs -- and while he's produced in his first 21 at-bats, there's a reason he was in the minor leagues and was traded for practically nothing.
And even though Wright isn't nearly the player he once was, and was given at least one day off a week, he still got on base and was a threat at the plate, even if just a minimal one. The veteran lengthened the lineup and was still imposing; pitchers always had to be mindful of him. Wilmer Flores has been dreadful this season off the bench, though in his defense he's played very sporadically, and it's tough to get in a rhythm like that. Will he catch fire in a starting role, playing every day? Perhaps, but nothing suggests that he'll produce even half as much as a damaged Wright did.
The Mets need to heal quickly, and if they don't, Alderson will need to get on the phone and work some magic -- again.
This offense as currently constituted just isn't good enough.
Brad Kallet is the managing editor of TENNIS.com and a frequent contributor to WFAN.com. Follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet
