CLEVELAND — When the New York Mets’ clubhouse doors opened Monday night, a handful of players gathered near a corner, deep in conversation. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Pete Alonso and others chatted openly about adjustments, shared tips about swings and debriefed on approaches. Their voices sounded measured and reassuring, the kind of talk common in workplaces among people calmly offering solutions and pointers to peers.
On Wednesday, following another loss, Lindor kept the conversation going. More than a half-hour removed from the Mets’ 6-3 defeat to the Cleveland Guardians, he casually bounced from different teammates, asking what they had seen from a pitcher, what they had been looking for and why things went awry.
“We care,” Lindor said. “One hundred percent.”
Some inside the clubhouse played for the club last year, others suited up elsewhere. But all of them want to avoid a repeat of Mets irrelevance before the early days of summer.
The problem: New York keeps losing. The Mets have dropped 14 of their last 20. Against the Guardians, they lost all three of their games. They went 2-6 on their most recent road trip.
Guardians 6, Mets 3: It’s a sweep. They’ve lost 14 of their last 20. The Mets at one point held a 3-0 lead courtesy three solo home runs (Alonso, McNeil, Bader). Quintana allowed three runs in six innings. Ottavino gave up two in the 8th. New York is 21-28.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) May 22, 2024
They return to Citi Field on Friday with a 21-28 record and a big question: Is the Mets’ core group of players capable of making a run?
New York’s front office entered the season allowing the veteran group of mainstays — Lindor, Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil — to show that they can be the nucleus of a playoff team. Not one of those players is off to a gangbusters start. Heading into Wednesday, Nimmo led the Mets in fWAR (1.2). He’s the only Mets player inside the top 50. He ranked No. 44.
Out of the three infielders, only Lindor has a positive number of outs above average (4). Alonso is minus-4; McNeil is minus-3. Nimmo’s defensive runs saved value is minus-1.
Around that core, the front office rebuilt a bullpen and rotation while attempting to improve on the margins and on defense. The failures of former utility bench player Joey Wendle, fifth starter Adrian Houser and minor-league reliever Shintaro Fujinami prove that not every move clicked.
But most of the other transactions have worked out in the Mets’ favor, especially given the modest expectations for Harrison Bader, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Tyrone Taylor and others. The core’s surrounding cast has mostly played on an acceptable level. It’s the stars who have mostly underachieved.
Over the first third or so of the season, the Mets’ best players have shown regression with lackluster performances. The calendar, lack of quality teams in the National League and track records of top players offer hope. But time ticks.
The way some people familiar with the club’s thinking see things, they are about three weeks away from having a better idea of whether they can turn things around.
Last week, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said the club wasn’t close to having discussions regarding their approach to the July 30 trade deadline. With more than a dozen players on expiring contracts, the Mets are designed to be flexible. In theory, they can go in either direction, depending on the club’s outlook. With the losses piling up, however, another sell-off could be looming.
How much time do the players think they have to turn things around?
“Not a lot,” Lindor said. “And even if we had a lot of time, I wouldn’t care about that. I don’t want to wait.”
Predictably, the players say they are confident things will get better, especially when it comes to the production from Lindor, Nimmo, Alonso and McNeil.
“I’ve seen it and I know that group you mentioned can play the game,” Lindor said. “I have to up my game and guys are doing whatever it takes to up their games as well.”
The OPS numbers from the Mets’ core position players are lackluster: Lindor (.634), McNeil (.657), Nimmo (.766), Alonso (.779). Of the four, McNeil owns the highest batting average, .240, after a solid series against the Guardians.
“We got work to do,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But I am pretty confident in our guys here.”
During the series, all four players had several quality at-bats and hit balls hard. That’s why Mendoza said he remained confident in the group. The sentiment is shared by those players.
“It’s no secret. I went through a tough stretch,” Alonso said. “(Lindor) is coming out of it now. Nim’s going through a tough patch. We have a ton of talent. We have a ton of guys who care and who are really good teammates and who do really quality work at the art. It’s just a matter of letting the season unfold.”
Opposing evaluators aren’t as convinced, especially with injured top starter Kodai Senga yet to pitch this season and the struggling Edwin Díaz displaced (at least for now) from the closer role.
“Alonso is too streaky and can be pitched to,” one rival evaluator said. “Lindor is good but I think he has gotten away from what made him good in Cleveland. Nimmo is a solid player but this is not a prototypical position for him based on his tools.”
Alonso said the Mets are playing well enough to be in games; they just need to finish them better. Others in the NL share a similar narrative. Five teams in the league own winning records. Six teams make the playoffs. The San Diego Padres (25-26) sit in the third wild-card spot with seven teams within 3 1/2 games of them, a group that includes the Mets, who are three games behind.
Barring a surge, a couple of rival evaluators said they’d be surprised if the Mets’ front office made any significant moves for the short term. If the Mets’ play doesn’t improve, then that stance would make sense, given last year’s sell-off, the lack of major signings in the winter and stated desires from the club regarding sustainable winning.
From the perspective of the executives, other teams will add and improve at the deadline. The Mets, on the other hand, have players who can fetch a valuable return. Key among them is Alonso, a free agent at the end of the season. But there are others, like Severino and a couple more newcomers, who have panned out for the Mets and may be attractive to teams.
The Mets have time to change the conversation, but they must act quickly. And to pull off a run, they need more from their core position players.
“Realistically, nothing is as bad as it seems; yes, we haven’t won a lot of games and this has been a really tough road trip,” Alonso said before Wednesday’s game, “but we’re still only 2 1/2 games out of a wild card. That’s super manageable. We are all pulling in the same direction. We are all bought in on philosophies, approaches. It’s just a matter of letting the season take its course. Everything will be earned but I think over the course of the season, things will shake out in a good way for the Mets.”
A few hours after Alonso said those words, the Mets failed again to make up any ground.
(Photo of Pete Alonso: Ken Blaze / USA Today)
