On a team riddled with injuries, hoping to remain competitive is no easy task. With two superstar players out until what may be after the All Star Break, a plethora of others nursing nagging injuries, talks of surgery, bone spurs, and a team morale that is contagiously low, staying competitive may not even be an option for the Mets this season.
The series against the Pirates pointed out all the Mets weaknesses while playing with this dilapidated line up. They don’t play fundamentally sound baseball, both offensively and defensively. There are points in the game where it seems like they aren’t paying attention. There is a lack of fire, save for Johan and K-Rod, that has spread around the team faster than the stomach flu. They get out hustled in every aspect of the game, and without the offensive firepower to make up for it, they will be lucky to win any series in the near future unless things turn around.
When you’re playing in a division with the reigning MLB champion, you are going to need some talent to keep pace. The Mets had the talent to win the division on opening day, now they don’t. So what do the Mets need to do to keep the season alive?
Tread water.
If the Mets can possibly maintain a decent level of baseball, playing slightly about .500 ball until the reserves come in July, they still have a shot at the playoffs. If they can get back to full strength before it’s too late, and they haven’t fallen too far behind, there’s still hope. If they play the type of baseball they played in Pittsburgh for the rest of the season, Mets fans will have nothing to look forward to until 2010. The Phillies are not the class of the league when both teams are at full capacity, but they are good enough to hold a big lead down the stretch.
The Ropolitans list all the Mets injuries here
The question begs to ask, should the Mets try and make a move and bring in some outside help while they wait for everyone to come back? I think if they want a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this year, they have no choice but to do so. The only problem is, I don’t think they’re looking at the right people. Someone like Mark Derosa, for example, may do a decent job filling in at short stop while the Mets wait for Jose Reyes to return, but he will not do a decent job replacing the huge void offensively, although he will hit better than Wilson Valdez. The Mets need to go after an offensive stud to give the line up some life. Someone that will bring timely hitting to a team that is sorely missing it. A list of possible players I’d like to see the Mets consider is:
Adrian Gonzalez
Victor Martinez
Matt Holliday
Wasting time picking up a player of a lesser offensive caliber would be like putting a band aid on after heart surgery. It won’t solve the problem.
