NEW YORK — The New York Mets returned over the weekend to the place they always figured they’d be: One of several teams firmly in the mix for a wild-card spot. Indeed, it’s a crowded space. The fact that the team the Mets swept was the San Diego Padres, a sub-.500 team clinging to the third wild-card spot, only underscored the absurdity of the situation.
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Below are a handful of takeaways on the red-hot Mets, winners of five straight.
There’s no rush with the trade deadline; let things play out
From the early days of spring training — and as further demonstrated when they signed J.D. Martinez just before camp broke — Mets officials said they intended to compete for the playoffs.
If the Mets’ successful homestand proved anything, it’s that a lot can change quickly in the National League.
It’s mid-June, and after performing mostly poorly through the first two months, a stretch of better play has placed the Mets on the cusp of leading the way for a wild-card spot. One more good week, and things further improve. One bad week, and concerns flare up all over again. So goes life in a muddied National League, where the third wild-card team and the eighth team below that squad in the standings are separated by 1 1/2 games. The Mets (33-37) are one of two teams that are 1 1/2 games out. And keep in mind: The St. Louis Cardinals claim the second wild-card spot, and they’re only .500.
Given the situation and their stated desires of wanting to win, the Mets’ best course of action is to wait things out. The trade deadline remains more than five weeks away — which, in Mets years, permits for, at least, oh, a couple more ups and downs, probably.
Three months later, it remains hard to believe that the Mets were able to sign J.D. Martinez in March (and at a discount)
Scouts said after Martinez signed with the Mets that their lineup would be deeper just by adding his presence. They were right. Martinez over the homestand went 9-for-20 with three home runs, nine RBIs and six walks. Nothing was cheap, either. Martinez showcased power to the opposite field and often refrained from chasing close pitches. At one point, he reached base in 10 straight plate appearances.
That J.D. Martinez, so hot right now 🔥 pic.twitter.com/myAzbEHxcS
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 16, 2024
“It was a clinic,” Pete Alonso said of Martinez’s week.
Martinez’s influence goes beyond the numbers. Veterans have asked him for pointers regarding preparation, plans for attacking certain pitchers and swing mechanics. The Mets’ lineup has looked better over the last few weeks — though they’ve still ran hot and cold — and a lot of that is because of Martinez’s presence.
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The Mets need to be careful with Starling Marte
Marte returned to the lineup Sunday after he was scratched Saturday because his knee flared up. He missed a game last week because of the same issue. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he wasn’t too concerned about the ailment, but added that it was something the Mets must monitor regularly “to make sure this doesn’t turn into a long-term injury.”
Marte said Sunday that as long as he treats the knee issue properly through work with the training staff, it’s not something that should continuously keep him out of action. He said the feeling could come and go at any moment, which is why managing it and being proactive about it is important.
Marte has made a positive impact offensively, but his defense grades out as one of the worst in the majors — still, his arm has helped win games, and showed up big Sunday. To be clear, the Mets need him healthy for his hitting ability and speed, two tools that have resembled his terrific season in 2022. Sunday, though, was more eventful defensively for him. He made a sliding catch in right field Sunday but later had a ball drop in front of him for a hit. With two outs in the eighth inning, Padres third base coach Tim Leiper declined to send Ha-Seong Kim home against Marte, who ended up making a strong, accurate throw to the plate.
The plans with Jeff McNeil continue to be worth monitoring
After the Mets’ brass decided to bench McNeil a couple of weeks ago, Mendoza said there was a plan. The idea was to give McNeil some time off, have him work on his swing in an effort to produce more line drives and then give him time, particularly against right-handed pitchers. The Mets saw a handful of right-handers during the homestand. McNeil started in five of the six games. He went 2-for-18.
McNeil, who started the season as the Mets’ clean-up hitter, has struggled all season, but his numbers seriously nosedived in late May. Since May 24, he is 9-for-54 (.167). The Mets have wanted McNeil to hit more line drives, but since May 24 heading into Sunday, only 11.4 percent of his batted balls qualified as such. Sunday he went 1-for-4 with one hard-hit ball and hustled hard on a bloop hit to right field that he turned into a double. It was his first extra-base hit since May 26.
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Mets officials still say that McNeil’s pregame work has improved, that he’s engaged and has played fine defensively. And he has. His pregame work with third base coach Mike Sarbaugh paid off in a major way Friday night, when he ranged to his left on a grounder to make an impressive play in the ninth inning to help preserve a lead.
But McNeil’s OPS has dipped to .600. Mendoza said he liked McNeil’s at-bat against lefty Yuki Matsui, that he saw better swings and thought he was “getting there.” So it sounds as if they will continue to roll with him. If the Mets were to again sit McNeil, they’d likely go with Jose Iglesias — club officials like the improvements prospect Luisangel Acuna has made in Triple A, but they still don’t think he’s ready for the majors.
Francisco Alvarez’s work with pitchers is real
The pitching staff’s ERA is much lower with Alvarez, who returned last week from the injured list, than any other catcher the Mets have used. And a couple of starting pitchers said some of it is coincidental, but a lot of it should be attributed to Alvarez’s preparation and his feel during games.
One very interesting note on this: Mendoza removed catcher Luis Torrens Sunday and inserted Alvarez after the eighth inning (and after Torrens hit a home run in the eighth) simply because he thought Edwin Diaz would be more comfortable throwing to Alvarez. The Mets ended up tacking on more runs in the eighth, and Diaz didn’t need to pitch after all, but it nonetheless said plenty about Alvarez (and Diaz, for that matter).
Jose Quintana didn’t need to be told what’s at stake
Quintana, 35, knows how this works. He entered Saturday with a 5.29 ERA, failing to pitch beyond the fourth inning in each of his previous two starts. And the Mets, wanting to turn things around before it’s too late even in the National League, have other options, with Jose Butto and Christian Scott lingering in Triple A. No one needed to remind Quintana of the situation. Instead, Mets officials probably just tried to instill more confidence in him, reminding him that his stuff — when executed properly — can still play.
Quintana showed as much Saturday, when he held the Padres to two hits, two walks and one run with six strikeouts over six innings. Something that stood out to Mendoza: Quintana pitched without fear of doubling up on his curveball. Against catcher Kyle Higashioka during the third inning, for example, Quintana threw four straight curveballs before finishing him off with a changeup — a great pitch for Quintana, but one he needs other pitches working in order to utilize effectively — for a strikeout. In another sign of confidence, the left-hander also reclaimed the inside part of the plate against right-handed batters.
The Mets can still very much use someone like Quintana, which is especially true if he finds some level of consistency. While the Mets have moved on from a few position players, they’ve held onto a couple of veteran pitchers (Quintana and Adrian Houser come to mind) despite struggles at times. There’s an important reason for that: Innings are precious, particularly in mid-June. Depth still helps inform decisions in a significant way.
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Dedniel Núñez is another pitching development win for the Mets
Núñez — similar to Reed Garrett in April — emerged from the minor leagues to become an important, high-leverage, multi-inning reliever. Through 17 2/3 innings (11 appearances), he has a 2.04 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Last week, when the club faced a roster crunch with Diaz’s return, he made it impossible for the Mets to option him back to the minor leagues. He attacks with his fastball and deploys a swing-and-miss slider with nasty drop. He looks like a keeper.
(Photo of Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)