As they prepare to enter June, the Mets are not where they want to be — and that’s putting it mildly.
They are 10 games under .500, teetering on the brink of falling so far back of the third Wild Card spot in the National League that another summer sell-off could be one more losing streak away.
If that wasn’t enough, the on-field performance became off-field theater after Wednesday’s loss, with Jorge Lopez firing his glove into the stands after an ejection, showing no remorse afterwards, lying about meeting with Mets brass (he said he didn’t, but had), and saying something that was perhaps at least partially lost in translation.
That the Mets followed up Wednesday’s disaster with a players-only team meeting and comeback win over the Arizona Diamondbacks has at least stemmed the tide for now.
But even after that win, the Mets made a flurry of roster moves — a sign of where the team is at the moment, but also the latest example that president of baseball operations David Stearns will not hesitate to make quick, bold changes if he believes they’re necessary.
And while Stearns has acted fast this season as it pertains to reshuffling the roster, none of the changes the Mets have made have been hasty — even the DFA of Lopez.
Before we get to Lopez and the players the Mets moved on from before him this season, let’s discuss the latest — the demotion of Brett Baty and DFA of Omar Narvaez that came down on Friday morning.
The writing was on the wall as it pertained to both.
Stearns spoke earlier this week about the unsustainability of carrying both Baty and Mark Vientos (two corner infielders without much versatility) while going without a backup middle infielder.
That Narvaez was getting close to the end of his Mets tenure didn’t have to be said.
A .376 OPS this season, a .580 OPS last season, an inability or reluctance to properly block pitches in the dirt, an expiring contract, and the pending return of Francisco Alvarez made Narvaez’s removal from the roster inevitable.
The situation with Baty was trickier and unfortunate, but Stearns made the right call there as well.
Over 168 games and 600 plate appearances in parts of three big league seasons, Baty has slashed just .214/.281/.325 — including a .225/.304/.325 line this season. There have been too many strikeouts, too many balls hit on the ground, and not nearly enough power.
To take a step back for a second, it should be noted that Stearns — for the most part — is working with a big league roster he inherited.
Of the “big” acquisitions he made this past offseason, most of them have worked out. That includes Luis Severino (3.22 ERA), J.D. Martinez (123 OPS+), Sean Manaea (3.16 ERA), and Jake Diekman (3.57 ERA).
The Stearns acquisitions that haven’t worked out have — for the most part — been removed from the roster or had their role changed.
Adrian Houser was moved to the bullpen, while Joey Wendle, Michael Tonkin, and Julio Teheran (remember his brief Mets moment?) were DFA’d.
Stearns has also been quick to act when it comes to rewarding players, with one example being the quick promotion of Christian Scott to the majors once he made it clear staying at Triple-A Syracuse was pointless.
Scott was sent back to Triple-A on Friday, but it’s because the Mets won’t need a fifth starter for a bit, and because his innings need to be managed. And the expectation is that his stint back in Syracuse will be brief.
As it pertains to the players no longer with the Mets, there is no joy to be taken from human beings losing their jobs. But there should be an appreciation that Stearns does not hesitate to make changes when he believes they put the team in a better position.
That takes us back to Lopez.
The situation was unfortunate, and whether Lopez said he was on the “worst f—ing” team in MLB or was the “worst f—ing teammate” in MLB is important to know. But even without that comment, his actions beforehand — throwing his glove into the crowd, saying he didn’t regret it, and lying about a meeting with management — was enough to justify the DFA.
Going forward, this season will head down one of two paths.
One scenario has the Mets digging themselves out of this hole and holding onto their pending free agents at the trade deadline.
The other has them sinking further or not doing enough to stave off a sell-off.
No matter what happens, the Mets seem to be in very good hands with Stearns at the helm.
He has been deliberate and calm for the most part, but bold and quick when needed. That should be a plus for the Mets at the trade deadline (whichever way they go) and during a 2024-25 offseason when big moves are expected.
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