Mets Should Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline

In a way it was probably a good thing the Mets dropped their last two games before the All-Star Break. The six-game winning streak they had in which they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, while clearly the best and most exciting baseball they had played in over a month, masked the underlying problems that have beset them all season long. Despite having the highest payroll in baseball, the Mets are a deeply flawed team that, in retrospect, were never really a playoff contender.

And that is why Steve Cohen needs to cut his losses at the trade deadline instead of throwing more good money after bad. Yes, it'll signal to the fanbase that for all intents and purposes the season is over. But let's be honest for a moment: the season was over after the Mets went 7-19 in June. Even with their mini-win streak in July, the Mets failed to gain any ground in the standings. Fans who are still hopeful don't put their tickets on StubHub for $11.

Let's face it: This isn't 1973, when the Amazins took advantage of a weak National League East to sneak into the playoffs. The Braves, Phillies and Marlins are all having excellent seasons and show no signs of easing up. And even if by some miracle all three manage to collapse, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga are no Tom Seaver, Jerry Kooseman and Jon Matlack, though Senga certainly has the ability to be a star in this league. And while David Robertson has done a yeoman's job filling in for Edwin Diaz, he's no Tug McGraw either. 

To quote Bill Parcels, you are what your record says you are. And with a record of 42-48, the Mets are a 4th place team, seven games out of a wild card spot with four teams ahead of them. Only an incurable optimist would look at this situation and see a path forward to a postseason berth. 

No, the question isn't whether the Mets should be sellers at the deadline, but to what extent they should clean house. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren't going anywhere. Neither are Brandon Nimmo, Senga, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil. The rest, however, should be up for grabs.

But putting up a for sale sign is one thing; getting a buyer is quite another. Ultimately, everything will hinge on how much money Cohen is willing to eat on his higher priced players. At $43 million a piece, Scherzer and Verlander won't have many suitors. Anything less than 50 percent retention will likely be a non-starter, even for teams with deep pockets like the Dodgers and Yankees. 

As for the haul, as the saying goes, beggars can't afford to be choosy. Tommy Pham may fetch a decent return - perhaps a high end prospect - but players like Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Carlos Carrasco and, well, let's face it, most of the rest, will likely be salary dumps, pure and simple. That's what you get for thinking you can buy a World Series. Cohen may fancy himself a modern day George Steinbrenner, sans the impulsiveness and anger issues, but unfortunately for him, while the Boss had Gabe Paul and Gene Michael as GMs, Cohen has Billy Eppler. I've written ad nauseam about Eppler's deficiencies as an executive. Suffice to say, so long as he is in charge of the Mets front office, Cohen can spend a billion dollars and this franchise will still underachieve.

But that's another story for another time. For now, first things first. The Mets need to sell off what they can, and, as their fans have grown accustomed to hearing, come back and try again next season.