N.Y. Mets: Better Safe Than Sorry

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Three Cheers for Common Sense

It's no great secret the Mets have more problems than a math book.  Among them was a coherent plan for the trade deadline.  Now that the four o'clock hour has come and gone, we know this to be true.  If their goal all along was to compete for a playoff spot, then they needed to address the bullpen and center field.  Instead they transact for Marcus Stroman as a theoretical replacement for Noah Syndergaard whom they were actively shopping as part of some wacky ploy to address all their other needs and still contend at the same time.  That being said I'm the first to advocate nothing ventured, noting gained.  But that does not mean going about one's business with reckless abandon.  As luck would have it someone in the front office exercises common sense and thinks better of the Mets present condition.  By standing pat they may very well have saved themselves from themselves.  Dare I say they did well by keeping things simple.  And thank goodness because in my estimation their intended plan would have resulted in complete folly.

In the meantime the Mets head into the final two months of the season with arguably the best rotation (one through five) in the National League.  How far they carry the Mets remains to be seen.  As presently constituted the Mets will not be catching the Braves anytime soon, if at all.  Of that we're all quite sure.  However they're only five games behind the second wild card position.  Securing it would entail leapfrogging Arizona, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Washington, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

They enter Wednesday night's action four games under .500 with 57 games left to play.  In order to remain viable they'll need to win at least 60% of their games.  Although unlikely, it's completely plausible.  This team is not in dire need of a miracle.  If they tighten up their act on defense and get length from their starters ... who knows what can happen.  That's the beauty of baseball.

But heaven forbid I end on a pleasant note.  Because the way I think, if you're not equipped to challenge the Dodgers, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, much less the Yankees, Astros, Twins, Indians, Red Sox, et al, then you're just wasting my time.

Make of it what you will ...