Evaluating the Mets' offseason moves at the 40-game mark

Already, the Mets are about one-quarter of their way through the season. Their series opener against the Nationals on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., is game No. 40.

As disappointing as the Mets have been so far — they started off hitting well and pitching poorly, then started hitting poorly and pitching well, bringing them to 19-20 — the NL East remains very much up for grabs. The first-place Phillies held a four-game lead over the third-place Mets to begin the week.

Since starting the year 9-4, the Mets are 10-16. They have a winning record against only one team: the lowly Marlins (5-0).

“We’re better than what we’ve shown,” Mickey Callaway said Sunday, echoing a sentiment he has expressed often in recent weeks to little effect.

He bought into the idea that a rainout Sunday followed by a scheduled off day Monday could serve as a bit of a soft reset for a team that has struggled to win consistently.

“It can be. Mentally, physically,” Callaway said. “OK, we’ve won three out of four, we’re one game below .500. Let’s get it going. We’ve been disappointed in the way we played. I think everybody in that room understands that we could’ve played better and that we need to play better.”

With the wee bit of hindsight afforded by a quarter-season, here is how Brodie Van Wagenen’s primary acquisitions in his first offseason as Mets general manager have fared. Don’t consider this a rendering of a final judgement on any of these moves — far from it — but rather a midseason check-in.

The Good

* RHP Edwin Diaz/2B Robinson Cano: These two have to be lumped together, because the Mets weren’t going to get Diaz from the Mariners without also taking on Cano and his contract.

Diaz has been mostly good. He is 10-for-10 in save opportunities, with a 2.30 ERA and 1.09 WHIP while striking out 39 percent of his batters. Still, there are signs he isn’t quite the same pitcher the Mets traded for, a step below his 2018 self. He seems to struggle in non-save situations — including allowing two game-winning homers to the Reds in three days — and is giving up hard contact at a much greater rate than he did in years past. Additionally, the Mets have refused to use him for more than one inning at a time or earlier than the ninth (even if that’s a bigger spot).

Cano has underwhelmed, but not enough to make the Mets’ side of the December blockbuster trade with Seattle a net negative. With a .261/.315/.399 slash line, Cano has been just a tick under league-average — but well below his career norms. He has three homers and 12 RBIs. That’s not nearly good enough for a potential Hall of Famer who was locked into the No. 3 spot in the lineup upon his arrival in Queens and whose relative struggles haven’t been enough for Callaway to move him down in the order. Getting hit on the hand by multiple pitches hasn’t helped, but it makes you wonder when Cano, 36, will lose his professional battle with Father Time.

* 3B J.D. Davis: Acquired from the Astros for three minor-leaguers, Davis has slashed .276/.357/.425 while splitting time between third base and the bench. The Mets haven’t been confident enough in his outfield abilities to play him there, but they love him against lefties (.231/.333/.538). The only disappointment here, aside from questionable defense at third, is that he hasn’t pitched in any of the Mets’ several blowouts.

The Bad

*  RHP Jeurys Familia: Returning to Queens as a setup man, not a closer, Familia has been disastrous in 2019: 6.28 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, way too many walks (nearly one out of every five batters) and a shoulder issue that has cost him all of May so far. That’s bad enough that Callaway plans to ease Familia back into his late-inning role upon his return to the Mets Tuesday.

Familia has enough of a track record — 2.57 ERA in five full seasons before this one — that he gets the benefit of the doubt here, especially considering the injury. But at three years and $30 million, Familia’s deal doesn’t look nearly as good as, say, the one Adam Ottavino got from the Yankees (three years, $27 million).

* C Wilson Ramos: The Mets signed Ramos to be an offensive-minded catcher who can help control the running game, and so far he has done neither. He has a slash line of .235/.299/.287 — while hitting ground balls at a significantly higher rate than he has in the past — and has thrown out four base-stealers in 29 chances, about half of the average caught-stealing rate. The Mets have allowed 31 steals, tied with the Yankees for second most in the majors to begin the week.

It doesn’t help, either, that the Mets bet wrong on backup catcher Travis d’Arnaud. After committing $3.52 million to him, they cut him after 25 plate appearances.

* LHP Justin Wilson: The stakes with Wilson aren’t as high as some of these other players — he’s making just $5 million each of the next two seasons, and he was signed to be the fourth-best-or-so reliever on the team — but he has disappointed. He has a 4.82 ERA in just 10 games and over the weekend landed on the IL for a second time with a sore left elbow.

The health issue, more than the fleeting effectiveness, is striking. Wilson previously had never been sidelined by injury. The Mets picked him of the many available relievers in large part because he seemed so reliable and durable. The team planned to have Wilson checked out again, so expect more information this week about what, exactly, has been ailing him.

* OF Keon Broxton: The Mets gave the Brewers three minor-leaguers to get Broxton, who basically has the same skill set as Juan Lagares: strong defense, minimal offense — emphasis on minimal, with Broxton posting a .152/.220/.174 slash line. With Carlos Gomez tearing up Triple-A pitching lately, you have to wonder how committed the Mets are to Broxton.

The Unknown

* INF Jed Lowrie: The injured infielder could easily be placed under “The Bad,” but considering his best two seasons were the previous two seasons, consider this N/A. Still, Van Wagenen signing his former client to a two-year, $20-million contract in January — adding him to an already crowded infield — looked suspect at the time and might be more so now. Lowrie, who has a long history of injuries in his more than decade in the majors, suffered a sprained left knee capsule early in spring training and hasn’t played yet. He has been with Triple-A Syracuse on a rehab assignment lately and could join the Mets this week.

Note: The Mets sent righthander Neraldo Catalina, 19 next month, to the Rays as the player to be named later in the Wilmer Font trade. Catalina signed with the Mets out of the Dominican last summer and has not pitched in a pro game yet. He is 6-foot-6 and reportedly throws in the mid-90s.