The Hot Corner

Once again, a Mets starter can't get through 5 innings. Holmes goes, 4.2 innings, but at least he was pretty effective. He held the Tigers to 1 run, but has men on 1st and 2nd with G. Soto hoping to close out the 5th.

This team does not look like a playoff worthy team to me. Since the All Star break they have been absolutely terrible. They have developed a sure fire formula for losing; poor, unreliable starting pitching that walks far too many hitters combined with a sluggish offense and an overworked bullpen. This team is truly underachieving. They infuriate me. I can only imagine how Steve Cohen must feel about this team after all the money he invested in them.

If you are sold on the hitting and slugging potential of the triumvirate Baty, Vientos and Mauricio, then I would think Baty or Vientos are better options at first base, since neither of them play shortstop. Keep Lindor, an actual shortstop at his position. The only one of the three that can actually play shortstop is Mauricio.

I expect Lindor to remain at shortstop for a few years. When his defense deteriorates with age, I would think him to transition to third base. That is likely a few years away, though.

The issue I have with this logic is that Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio are not manning a single position or a single spot in the line up. They generally are occupying 2 positions between 3rd, 2nd, & DH. On occasion they are occupying all three spots in the line up simultaneously. Vientos, Baty and Mauricio have combined to appear in 223 games, the Mets have only played 115. That is why they collectively have so many at bats (678) versus any single Mets player (Lindor 512, Alonso 497, and Soto 496). So I don't think it is accurate to simply add up their counting numbers, such as HR and RBI, and say that they collectively are producing. Since they often occupy numerous spots in the line up simultaneously, I believe it is far more accurate to look at rates of production ( i.e. HR & RBIs per at bats). For simplicity, if we look at their combined rate of production over 500 at bats, their line is 18 HR & 56 RBIs. That's not too bad, if they were a platoon at one position, but they still are occupying 2 (and on occasions 3*) spots in the line up. That makes their production a little less impressive (at least to me). I'm not saying they can't break out and be productive in the future. Vientos was solid last season and seems to be picking it up of late. Baty has been very streaky throughout his time in MLB, unfortunately the cold spells have traditionally been longer and/or more frequent than his hot streaks. Mauricio has tremendous power, but needs greater discipline/pitch recognition as a whole and he is horrendous from the right side. Hopefully he will improve with age and experience. *This appears to be happening less now that McNeil no longer is manning CF.

Lindor is still a good defensive shortstop and appears to be better (more MLB ready) than other in house options such as Mauricio, Acuna, and Wiliams. He is also 5'10" which is on the short side for MLB first baseman. Lindor remaining at shortstop is the least of the Mets problems should Alonso leave, IMHO.

I don't believe in the "third time through" philosophy, at least not as a blanket policy. As long as the starting pitcher is pitching well and is not unduly fatigued, then I would prefer to let him keep pitching until he is is showing signs of faltering or fatigue. Why keep turning to your 4th or 5th best reliever in the 5th/6th inning in hopes that they will be the first in a succession of effective pitchers that day. Advocates of the third time through philosophy must believe that relievers don't get tired and fatigued from constant usage. They also must believe that the 4th/5th/6th best reliever in the bullpen is better than their starter after 75-85 pitches. Often times, the Mets are turning to a rotating group of minor league call ups to fill the 5th & 6th inning. I am old school. The third time through (or even the 4th time through) the line up didn't seem to be a concern for Seaver, Gibson, Maddux, Carlton, Marichal, Jenkins, Feller, R. Johnson, Ryan, Blyleven, Palmer, Clemens, Glavine et al. Even less accomplished (not HOF) pitchers like Koosman, Sutcliffe, Tiant, Morris, McNally, Drabek, Ojeda, Colon and John didn't have major issues facing batters more than twice in a game. It's not so much that pitchers are no longer capable of facing hitters a third time, it's that the game has changed and they are seldom asked to do so. With increased emphasis on pitch counts, protecting pitchers arms, advanced analytics, growing emphasis on velocity (radar guns) and larger/deeper bullpens have made complete game (or just completing 7 innings) a rapidly diminishing occurrence over the past 20-25 years. The emphasis is for pitchers to go all out for 5 or 6 innings, then get them out regardless of how well they are pitching. For relievers, it's get one inning, then they generally go to another reliever. It's not like the hitters of today are smarter or better than the hitters of old, it is just the philosophy of how the game is played that has changed.* *Of course, I'm just an old baseball curmudgeon, so I could be totally wrong.

The Mets have a phantom offense.

Well, it certainly isn't translating to winning.

Buxton made his MLB debut in 2015. Since that time he has appeared in 100 games of more only twice. Most seasons he appears in 85-95 games. He would have been a huge improvement in CF, at least when he could actually suit up.

Great talent. Hurt far too often. He seems to spend 35-40% of each season on the IL.

As the season moves into August, Jett is still putting up solid numbers in Binghamton. He is currently hitting .278 with a .388 OBA. OPS is a solid .870 with 10 home runs and he has 29 steals in 35 attempts. He has played shortstop the majority of time (55 games), with appearances in CF, second base, and DH. Pretty good for a 21 year old.

I would imagine that now that Acuna is in Syracuse, that Ronny Mauricio would replace Lindor at shortstop (in an emergency) since he spent the majority of his MiLB career (395 games) at shortstop. Brett Baty has never played shortstop during his professional career, so I don't expect him to start now with the Mets. Jeff McNeil has played 1 inning at shortstop during his MLB career. I love McNeil's versatility, but I don't wish to see him manning shortstop unless it is a dire emergency. If Lindor had to miss significant time, heaven forbid, then I would expect a quick call for Acuna to take his spot.

Throws 99+ and has a "wipeout" slider that I read the opposition is hitting under .100 against this year. They are getting to his fastball more this year though. Had 48 saves last season, so he is accustomed to high leverage situations.

I'm quite happy that Saurez ended up in Seattle with Mariners, rather than the Phillies, Yankees, or Cubs who were all reportedly looking at him.

It appears the Mets bullpen should be pretty settled once this deal is finalized. No if we could get a few starting pitchers, other than Peterson, to successfully pitch more than 5 innings during their starts. I would love a CF that can hit, but I'm not holding my breath.

Suarez would be great, but I don't believe the Mets have even been mentioned as one of the teams trying to acquire him.

Nice pick up by the Phillies. Costs them 2 top MLB 100 prospects, Eduardo Tait a catcher (MLB#52 / Phillies #4) and Mick Abel RHP (MLB#92 / Phillies #6). Duran will be arbitration eligible for the first time after this season.

Either of the Rogers twins would be a strong addition to the bullpen, but I believe the Mets got the better of the two. Looking at their stats this season: IP WHIP OPS ERA ERA+ HR/9 K/BB Tyler RHRP 50 0.860 .522 1.80 216 0.50 9.50 Taylor LHRP 33 1.455 .733 2.45 184 0.80 1.79 I would say that they both would be a welcomed addition to the Mets bullpen, but if we could only have one of them, then I believe the Mets got the right one.

I'm okay with it. It is a high price for a free agent to be, but he immediately should be one of our most effective relievers. He has a proven record of making a lot of appearances and being effective the majority of the time. You don't get quality pitchers for nothing.

Jacob DeGrom was a late bloomer that did pretty well. He made his MLB debut at 25 years and 11 months of age (not quite 27 but just off the top of my head).

Definitely gave up quite a bit for a free agent in waiting. Rogers is an upgrade over Butto and has been a durable reliever, but this seems a win now move. I don't mind losing Tidwell and Butto, but Gilbert has been really tearing it up of late. And the Mets need all the help they can get in CF.

I was in graduate school and living on Chicago's south side (near Comiskey Park) when Ryne Sandberg became the Cubs third baseman. I was a die hard Mets fan, but in the days before internet and cable TV (at least in Chicago) I watched a lot of Cubs games on WGN. This was in the days before lights in Wrigley Field. So my friends (classmates) and I would carry an old 21" colored TV on "rabbit ears" downstairs and set it in the shade of the small back yard. We would sit on lawn chairs in the sun with a cooler of beer and watch the Cubs game. Several of my friends were lifelong Cubs fans, but my Mets fandom made pulling for the Cubs seem wrong.* Ryne Sandberg, however, was easy to pull for. There was something in the way he played the game and carried himself. Though I never really rooted for the Cubs, I always pulled for Sandberg, as long as they weren't playing the Mets. He always seemed like a good guy that maximized his potential and got the most out of his abilities. Thanks for the memories Ryne and rest in peace. *I did adopt the White Sox as my "second team"

Jack Aker had a pretty solid career as a reliever. He pitched for the Mets toward the end of his career, so I'll take a shot with "Uncle Jack".

Whether his ERA+ is 99 or 101, it shows he is basically league average in ERA. He has a high K/9 rate and a high BB/9 rate. He has an established record and is having a pretty solid season, he should definitely help the Mets bullpen.