The New York Mets could be a season-low eight games under .500 before Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, but general manager Billy Eppler isn’t rushing to make big moves before then. limit.
“We have a decent amount of track before the deadline,” Eppler said tuesday. “Hopefully we can change history. If we can, then we can add. If not, we’ll have to create other opportunities and see what else is out there.”
Meanwhile, Mets owner Steven Cohen, he tweeted on tuesday who will hold a press conference before Wednesday night’s game.
“I’ll do a press conference tomorrow before the game,” he wrote. “You will get it directly from me.”
Disappointments begin to pile up with the team’s poor performance. Future Hall of Famers at the top of the Mets’ rotation, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, have been mediocre this season, earning a combined $86 million. There’s the underperformance of star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is hitting .223. First baseman Pete Alonso has struggled in June hitting .157/.232/.431 since he returned from a bruised bone and sprained left wrist.
As it stands, the Mets are 16 games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves and 8½ games out in the wild-card race. The 2022 iteration of the Mets, which largely featured the same roster minus Verlander and a few bench additions, won 101 games and finished second in the division behind the Braves, putting together a top-six offense, a rotation of starters in the top five and one top-5. 10 bullpens. The 2023 Mets have taken a step back in every aspect of the game, managing the 16th-best offense, fifth-worst starting rotation and eighth-worst bullpen.
The roster has dealt with injuries to key players. Closer Edwin Diaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating during the World Baseball Classic and Verlander missed the first month of the season with a low-grade major-round strain. Other expected collaborators, such as the starters Carlos Carrasco and José Quintana, have also lost time.
But the Mets have seen performance declines across the lineup, with reigning batting champion Jeff McNeil hitting .257 and Starling Marte and Mark Canha also taking a step back on offense. Eppler took responsibility for the roster, but said the team needed to be better.
“I built the list”, eppler said. “We made this team, a big part of it we did last year… But ultimately this is the club we have now, and I think we hope they can do more.”
The Mets have had initial discussions with teams about the trade deadline, but nothing specific. Regarding the trade prospects, Eppler said the Mets will be similarly approaching the deadline last year, when they felt cautious about shedding their organizational depth.
Eppler expressed his support for manager Buck Showalter, who has come under heavy criticism from Mets fans.
“Buck has had his fair share of adversity on his way,” eppler said. “I think Buck handled that adversity and is the man to help us get back on track.”
Despite the team’s standing, Eppler says he believes this team can still make the playoffs, citing the experience and track record of the roster, which is the oldest in baseball.
“I believe in the talent on this team,” Eppler said. “I think they can play with that winning percentage.”
