Do the Mets have the right people to right the ship? We're about to find out
Former Mets acting GM Zack Scott was found not quilty of DWI. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Somebody is to blame for what’s happening to the Mets.
And while no one involved with the team is pointing fingers at the moment, despite this recent seven-week nosedive, the fallout could be significant if the blue-and-orange dumpster fire that hosted the Nationals Tuesday night at Citi Field doesn’t get its act together in time to save the season.
All indications are Luis Rojas will finish the season as manager. The front office sees Rojas as a valuable, cool-headed communicator with the clubhouse and does not fault him for the Mets losing 7 1/2 games in the standings since June 15, a plunge that ultimately dropped them from first place to third during the weekend sweep in Philly.
As for president Sandy Alderson and acting GM Zack Scott, this imploding roster is the group they assembled -- some from Alderson’s previous administration -- and its inability to stay healthy or perform up to expectations has to be viewed as a reflection of their team-building acumen.
Scott, to his credit, didn’t sugarcoat the Mets’ predicament when I asked him about his level of concern during Tuesday’s media briefing. Unlike Pete Alonso’s heavily-criticized, rainbows-and-puppy-dogs outlook following Sunday’s butt-kicking by old pal Zack Wheeler, Scott delivered a more sobering assessment.
"There’s always a chance," Scott said about winning the NL East. "That said, we’ve played very mediocre baseball for most of the year. This recent stretch has been much worse than mediocre. We would have taken mediocre at this point.
"For this stretch, it’s been unacceptably bad and we need to be better. But we’re not going to panic because you can’t do that in this game."
So what can they do? Well, the acting GM had a few ideas. For one, Scott had no problem holding the players accountable, whether it was being more vigilant about their conditioning -- the Mets have endured a dizzying number of soft-tissue injuries -- or doing a better job with the hitting "process" they’ve tried to implement since replacing Chili Davis with Hugh Quattlebaum back in May.
Regarding the physical component, Scott has zero issues with what the Mets refer to as their "performance staff" -- i.e., trainers, doctors, nutritionists, etc. But he did question how closely their directives are followed on occasion, and the problems that arise from any deviations.
"I’m not saying that to vilify players," Scott said. "It’s just part of what happens sometimes. These guys are professionals, and for the most part, they’re locked in on what they’re supposed to do. But even though everyone’s on you to hydrate, at some point you’ve got to take the responsibility. We’re not just going to stick a needle in someone to hydrate them."
From what we already know about the Mets’ sub-85% vaccination status, getting needles in some of these players isn’t so easy to do. And Scott’s frustration with the team’s lengthy IL list this season definitely came through with his comments. As for the Mets’ mind-numbing inconsistency, that was more difficult to pinpoint, and Scott didn’t want to give any public analysis of what individual weaknesses.
But it all comes down to a bigger question. Are the 2021 Mets underachieving? Or is the core of this roster not as good as the front office previously believed? While the dip in offense has been a theme throughout the league, these Mets were supposed to be significantly better than this, especially now that most of their regulars have returned. They should not be longing for the days the "Bench Mob" ruled.
Alonso kept referring to his faith in the Mets "process" after a road trip that saw them go 1-6, average 2.71 runs per game and hit .189 as a team with a .605 OPS. Overall, the Mets are batting .234 with runners on base, which ranks 27th in MLB and second-to-last in the National League.
Whatever the Mets’ "process" is designed to do, it’s not working, and the snowballing failure of these hitters has caused too much freelancing at the plate, in the front office’s view. As one official put it, the lineup doesn’t really have a cohesive identity -- it’s not particularly fast or powerful or relentless at wearing down opposing pitchers. As a result, generating runs has been a scramble.
Alderson and Scott tried to import some instant offense by trading for Javy Baez, but the strikeouts were far outpacing any meaningful production before he went down with a hip/back injury Sunday that also kept him sidelined Tuesday. And now, with the deadline over, Scott’s hands are tied. It’s now up to Rojas and the players to turn this around.
"People are banging their heads against the wall and losing sleep trying to figure out how they can help," Scott said.
They better hurry up. Or some new people will be in those jobs next year.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
