After losing their most prolific player in Jacob deGrom, the New York Mets are heading into the second half of the MLB season with major concerns. With the postseason months away, here are three things the Mets must do in order to keep NL East lead.
Add some insurance pitchers for now… and later
deGrom's arm injury has placed the Met's starting rotation in a state of concern. Add in some recent bullpen issues, and you got a potential disaster in the making. It's time for general manager Zack Scott to save the day. If he and skipper Luis Rojas want to keep the team afloat, they must bring in talent to alleviate the pitching staff.
Max Scherzer definitely comes to mind. Currently ranked #16 in ERA and with seven wins under his belt, he can easily fit in the rotation and bring some much needed veteran experience once October comes. Having someone like Ian Kennedy in the bullpen would provide more consistency, as he is currently going through a resurgence in his career. Overall, bolstering the pitching side of things would give the team a much needed boost throughout the second half of the season and hopefully during the playoffs.
Trade for Kris Bryant or Joey Gallo to revive the inconsistent offense.
With the team already rumored to be interested in Chicago Cub's Kris Bryant, they might as well go all in and trade for the All-Star third baseman. With a .268 AVG and 47 RBIs to his name, bringing a batter of his caliber would give this lineup a much needed boost. However, Joey Gallo is another player the Mets have to take a look at.
The outfielder from the Texas Rangers has the type of power any team would want in the home stretch, as he currently is top five in home runs with 24. His defense is solid enough to replace Michael Comforto if needed. While his strikeouts may be room for concern, he makes that up by being the spark plug to any team. Another player to keep an eye on is Minnesota Twin's third baseman Josh Donaldson. He is currently having a solid season, (.251 AVG, 14 HRs and 37 RBI's) and could be a good plan B if Bryant isn't dealt to the Big Apple.
Consistency is key
A big trend throughout the whole season is that all the rotation, bullpen and offense can't stay consistent. Sometimes the pitchers will have great games while the batters go cold. It can go vice versa. There are times that the whole team can't perform. It's time the team finds an identity, stick to it and be consistent.
Molding their style of play to teams like the 2015 Kansas City Royals or the 1998 Atlanta Braves (even though they didn't make it to the World Series) could maximize their potential; ride the backs of their excellent arms and let the offense come in the clutch when necessary. If they could do that throughout the crazy chase for the pennant, they could be able to come out on top.
Final thoughts
This team and organization has loads of potential. Injuries may be hindering their success, but they still have one of the best young batters in the game (Pete Alonso) and have a rotation and bullpen that other teams would envy (looking at you Toronto Bluejays). If they can stay patient and cool under the immense pressure of greater expectations and disrespect, the Mets could be the underdogs of the 2021 playoff race.
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