On eve of trade deadline, Mets top Nats for seventh win in a row
New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON — The Mets’ 7-3 win over the Nationals on Monday mattered as much as any other game, and it came with the fun context of Max Scherzer facing (and beating) his former team in his former home for just the second time. But really it was just a warm-up for the main event.
Tuesday is poised to be, if not the biggest day of the Mets’ season, maybe the most eventful. Like every other team, they have until the 6 p.m. trade deadline to make the deal(s) they desire for the playoff push. Unlike every other team, they are getting Jacob deGrom — pitching his first game in more than a year — back at 7 p.m.
On Deadline-and-deGrom Eve, Mets players were trying to strike a careful balance: interest in both of those things while trying to keep their cliche one-day-at-a-time blinders on.
“So much hubbub. So much. It’s a big day tomorrow,” Mark Canha said half-jokingly Monday. “I anticipate there will be fireworks or something — something crazy. We’ll have a petting zoo in here. Bring out all the bells and whistles.”
Brandon Nimmo said: “From our perspective, it’s exciting, there’s a lot of unknown, but we have zero control over what happens. All that we can do is speculate.”
Well, speculate and win — a season-high seventh game in a row. Nimmo went 4-for-5 to pace the Mets’ 13-hit barrage. Pete Alonso had a big night, too, homering and doubling and walking twice. Francisco Lindor had a three-run shot. That was plenty of support for Scherzer, who allowed three runs (two earned) in 6 2/3 innings.
About the only hitter he had trouble with was Juan Soto, who — amid the possibility he gets traded — might have played his last home game with the Nationals (35-69). He walked, homered and walked in three duels with Scherzer, then walked again and stole a base after Scherzer left. Soto also threw Tomas Nido out at the plate to end the Mets’ three-run second inning, and when he missed a fly ball down the rightfield line settled for a fist bump with a young fan in the stands.
The Mets (65-37) aren’t in the Soto sweepstakes, but they do have other items on their to-do list. Having already added designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach and backup outfielder Tyler Naquin, they still were on the hunt for bullpen help and perhaps another hitter — though it also was possible that they would do nothing more.
“You hope that you don’t lose anybody that you really love or feel like is a big part of the mojo with the team,” Adam Ottavino said. “That can be a little jarring. But at the same time, we’re trying to make the team better to win. You just never know what is going to happen.”
The trade deadline is particularly tricky for J.D. Davis, who acknowledged being a candidate to be dealt. He has had a down year, hitting .238 with a .683 OPS following an 0-for-2 performance Monday. After having surgery on his left hand, he only now is getting close to full strength; doctors told him that would take 10-12 months and he is approaching the 10-month mark.
Will he get dealt? Might he be otherwise supplanted as the righthanded-hitting portion of the Mets’ DH platoon? Or stay put in this job?
“Fortunately, I’m still here, still with these guys,” he said before the game. “I love these guys and I love this clubhouse. If (a trade) happens, it happens.”
And then there is deGrom. He missed four months because of a stress reaction in his right shoulder blade. Now he joins a team that has been in first place all year.
“I mentioned it before, getting him back would be like a big trade move,” Nimmo said. “And it happens to fall right on the day of. That’s a huge deal.”
In discussing deGrom, Canha expressed a sentiment that applies to the deadline, too.
“The more pieces we have, the more depth we have, the better our chances,” he said. “It’s a pretty straightforward answer, but I think it’s a practical answer. We’re thrilled to have him back. We’ve held down the fort until now and now hopefully we get even better.”
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.
