Mets at the All-Star break: Three takeaways from the first half
New York Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on July 9, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
With the Mets going their separate ways for the All-Star break through Thursday, here are three takeaways from their unofficial first half.
1. The Mets are who we thought they were.
Entering the season, they looked like they’d be a middling team that — if a couple of variables broke right — should be in the wild-card discussion.
At the break, they are a middling team that is in the wild-card discussion, for now the would-be No. 6 seed (out of six).
Owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns were straight up about expectations: They thought the Mets could compete for, and win, a playoff spot. And so far they are.
For all their highs and lows, the Mets have pretty much been average. At 49-46, they are three games above .500, and for most of the past month, they’ve been oscillating between a couple games below and a couple games above. They might not need to do much more than that to snag a postseason berth.
2. The Mets need bullpen help.
An infamously volatile section of the roster has been particularly so for these Mets. Consider the statuses of the six relievers who entered spring training as locks for the bullpen.
- Edwin Diaz: 4.05 ERA, at points lost his job as closer, went on the injured list, was suspended for using a foreign substance.
- Adam Ottavino: 4.89 ERA, demoted to low-leverage guy.
- Brooks Raley: Tommy John surgery.
- Drew Smith: Tommy John surgery.
- Jake Diekman: 5.53 ERA, at times the only lefty in the bullpen.
- Jorge Lopez: cut in late May after a behavioral implosion.
Altogether, that has led to a 4.20 ERA from the bullpen, 20th in the majors.
Fortunately for the Mets, they have received huge contributions from Reed Garrett (started the season in the minors), Dedniel Nunez (started the season in the minors after not even being in major-league spring training) and Jose Butto (a starting pitcher until two weeks ago). They could stand to have another unexpected savior emerge.
In the meantime, the acquisition last week of Phil Maton — an offseason possibility whom they ended up not signing — from the Rays was a start of what should be multiple additions prior to the July 30 trade deadline. It is clearly the area in which the Mets most need bolstering.
3. Pete Alonso hasn’t exactly been a world-beater.
It’s a baseball story we’ve heard a thousand times: Star player reaches his contract year, takes his game to the next level, cashes in big time as a free agent.
Alonso has not followed that script. He hasn’t been bad. He’s been fine. But the Mets are used to Alonso being so much more than fine.
His .769 OPS is the lowest of his career. Even accounting for a league-wide offensive dip, that is below his mark from last season, which was down from the years before.
Alonso’s on-pace-for numbers are disappointing, too: 31 home runs and 84 RBIs over a full season. Both would be the lowest totals of his major-league career.
The safe bet is Alonso gets hot down the stretch, eventually putting his numbers where they usually are. The Mets have been very solid offensively — their 4.89 runs per game is one of the best averages in the majors — but Alonso hitting more like Alonso would be a boon to their overall quest.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
