N.Y. Mets: For Better or Worse, We'll Gain Clarity by the Deadline

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

...and no, Clarity can not play shortstop or hit for power.

NEW YORK METS: I'm taking a wait and see approach, to see if Sandy Alderson takes a wait and see approach regarding the trade deadline.

For the record, I still believe the New York Mets are a rebuilding ball club.

Entering the season, I was not among those who believed they were serious playoff contenders - not yet.  I merely wanted the Mets to finish the season above .500 for a change.

That said, if you had asked me in March if I would have been happy in 2nd place with a 47-42 record, just 2 games behind the Nationals in the division race, I would have answered yes without hesitation.

The Nationals are failing to seize the moment, or the N.L. East if you will.  Instead, they have provided the denizens of Flushing with hope - hope that the Braves and Marlins will continue playing inconsistent baseball, that the Phillies remain out of sight and out of mind, and that the Mets can overcome their offensive malaise enough so as to eventually overtake Washington.

Then there's the matter of the Chicago Cubs.  The Mets are done with them for the regular season, but the damage has already been done.  In seven games against Chicago this season, the Mets lost seven times.  At present, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs hold both Wild Cards.  The Mets follow, one game out.  They will also have to contend with the defending champion San Francisco Giants.

The Mets have 73 games remaining, but just two weeks left before the non-waiver trade deadline.  If they are to optimize their final 60 games of the season, and actually play meaningful games in September, then the front office needs to step up and make enhancements to the roster.

Without having to badger ownership for money, or having to part with one of several top line pitchers, Sandy Alderson can still address the bench, the Mets lack of team speed, shortstop, the bullpen, or their most glaring need, acquiring a productive bat.  With a modest improvement, the Mets can indeed become viable contenders come September, and perhaps even qualify for October.

The balance of the 2015 regular season, then, appears in upper management's hands.

And so, I'm taking a cue from the general manager, and I'm going to wait and see if the general manager himself outwardly adopts a wait and see attitude with regards to searching for transactions, like he has in every trading period prior to this present one.

It's time to stop the annual chain of excuses as to why nothing was done.

Just saying....

By July 31st, we will at least have clarity - clarity into what type of team the Wilpons want to field, clarity into the actual autonomy Sandy Alderson really has, and clarity into the tight-lipped financial condition in which the Wilpons apparently still exist.



Mike