As the Mets season has hit what seems to be an uncontrollable spiral downward in recent weeks, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. At times, it almost feels like the Mets are mired in perpetual darkness at this point in the season. If this season continues along this path, the blame needs to fall on the shoulders of GM Sandy Alderson, but the failure is not just his and his alone. With that being said, this is his team, his roster and right now, his mess.
I get the recent conversations that have taken the focus off of the product on the field about potentially trading either Noah Syndergaard or Jacob deGrom. After all, there does not seem to be much help coming from the farm system and the Mets have the look of an old, unathletic team.
For a team that started 11-1, it is amazing that we are at this stage this early in the season still being a month away from the All-Star break. But, here we are and certainly, the blame goes all the way around.
Injuries certainly have played a role as they always seem to with the Mets even with a change in the training staff and a fresh new approach.
Manager Mickey Callaway has certainly factored into the downward spiral with mixed messages and at times getting out managed in the dugout. I guess that is what is expected from a manager who has never done it before, but the learning curve at times appears to be pretty severe.
We can certainly talk about all the players and their respective performances, after all, it is about the players.
Aside from the brilliance of Jacob deGrom, the surprise production of Brandon Nimmo and the start by Asdrubal Cabrera, the Mets have not gotten all that much else consistently from anyone else.
Compound the problem with what the Yankees have been able to do in the Bronx and the Mets are not even close to taking over this city and the dollars of the baseball fan.
For Alderson, he certainly stepped into a difficult situation and the 2015 World Series run will never be taken away from him. But let’s be honest, some of the signings that Alderson has orchestrated have not worked out.
Does he now get the chance to see this team through a semi-rebuild if this season continues in this direction? After all, Alderson made the decision that Callaway was the right man for the job coming off of a disastrous 2017 season. I certainly did not think Terry Collins should have remained as manager, but maybe it was the wrong choice to bring someone on who had zero managerial experience. In this marketplace? With this team? With little margin for error?
So as the Mets look at their schedule and look to get back to relevancy in 2018, there could possibly be more change following the season if wins don’t start to come as quickly as the losses have as of late. The Mets are 18-37 in their last 55 games and the solution will not be provided by making some drastic decision with the roster at this stage of the season. It needs to come from within and Sandy Anderson needs to provide the blueprint. If he can’t do that relatively quickly, the season will be lost. Some might say it might be too late as it is because the Mets season is lost already. Maybe, but only time will tell.
