Mets Finally Send Ike Down...but What's Next?

This past weekend at Citi Field was more of the same for the 23-35 Mets.  It was an embarrassing display of baseball against the worst team in baseball and one of the worst in the history of baseball.  After Friday night's game was rained out, the Mets would lose a 20-inning affair (that I sat through) Saturday by a 2-1 score, and then Sunday they would blow a 4-1 lead and lose 8-4 in 10 innings.  Eight of the Marlins 18 wins this season have come against the Mets.

Yes, the New York Mets have lost eight times to the abysmal 18-44 Marlins.  That was the last straw.

Finally, Sandy Alderson decided enough was enough and made a couple of moves that had to be made.   The long awaited demotion of Ike Davis finally arrived after the game Sunday as he was sent down to triple-A Las Vegas.  Mike Baxter and Robert Carson were also sent down.

For Ike, it has been another disastrous start, but this time he has showed no signs of turning it around as he did last year.  Davis is hitting just .161 on the season with just five home runs and 16 RBI. He has struck out a ridiculous 66 times in 186 at bats.  That's an average of more than one time every three at bats.  The demotion was long overdue, but two more losses to the Marlins marked the end for Ike.  He will work out his troubles in triple-A Las Vegas and until he shows some significant improvement, he won't be back in Queens anytime soon.

Baxter also has been struggling in his limited playing time this season.  He's hitting just .212 with zero homers and four RBI in 85 at bats.  Don't expect Baxter to be back anytime soon either as he was not given much of a chance from the start.

Carson should have never been here in the first place.  The southpaw out of the bullpen has been completely overmatched since being called up to Queens.  Carson has been atrocious in 2013 in 18 innings giving up 18 runs, good for a whopping 8.50 ERA.  He has also given up eight home runs this season, which is good for third most on the team.  Carson shouldn't hear his name on the big league roster again in 2013, unless it's for September call ups.

So the Mets are now 23-35 and sitting in fourth place in the NL East, already 13.5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves.  The question for this team is...what's next?  Well it's time Alderson and Terry Collins realize that if this team is in a rebuilding process, it's time to start players that are going to be a part of the future.  Yes, even if they are not major league ready, it's time to let them play.  What does the team have to lose at this point?  They are 13.5 games out of first place and are in no way, shape, or form going to be in a pennant race in 2013.  Saturday, the Mets finally designated Rick Ankiel for assignment.  Yesterday, they finally sent down Ike, along with Baxter and Carson.  That's a start.  Now it's time to see pieces of the future play.  So who are these pieces?

First of all, it looks like Zach Wheeler will finally get his time to shine.  Wheeler is set to make his major league debut in a doubleheader next Tuesday the 18th in Atlanta.  Coincidentally, Matt Harvey will start the second game of the doubleheader.  The future of the Mets pitching staff will be seen together on the same day, which will definitely be exciting for the fans.  Wheeler won't be the savior though.  The Mets are in desperate need of some bats.  We all know the Mets have Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard as well as Rafael Montero to look forward to in the rotation, but what about on offense.

Highly coveted catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud is on his way back as he begins to rehab and work his way back from a foot injury.  D'Arnaud was the big piece of the R.A. Dickey trade and the Mets are hoping that he can be this team's catcher for years to come.  Expect D'Arnaud to be called up to Queens sometime after the All Star break.  Wilmer Flores is another guy in the minors that needs to be called up this season.  The Mets need to move Flores to shortstop, because Daniel Murphy should stay the everyday second baseman.  Ruben Tejada has not earned the starting shortstop role, and should not return as the starter when he is back from the disabled list.  If Ike Davis can turn it around, the Mets infield in the last two months of the season and possibly for years to come come should be D'Arnaud, Davis, Murphy, Flores, and David Wright.  That could turn out to be a pretty solid infield for years to come.

The question marks once again remains in the outfield.  Lucas Duda is not expected to be a piece of this team's future and Alderson has made that clear.  He has been unable to win anyone over with his mediocre power bat.  Duda is hitting just .228 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI in 193 at bats this season.    The Mets don't have much help in the minors either in the outfield.  Their only potential outfielder in the future right now looks like Brandon Nimmo, but he is only with single-A Savannah right now.  Nimmo has been impressive so far hitting .316, but has just one home run and 18 RBI in 136 at bats.  Luckily, the Mets have around $30 million coming off the books in the offseason.  That means they will have some cap space to add a free agent outfielder, and possibly make a trade for another before the trade deadline in July.

What I expect the Mets to do is make a trade for Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier before the trade deadline.  While everyone wants Carlos Gonzalez or Giancarlo Stanton, that will cost the Mets too much and would force them to likely give away Wheeler or D'Arnaud or both.  Ethier would cost the Mets less prospects, and they can likely get the Dodgers to pay half of Ethier's five-year, $85 million contract.  While Ethier has struggled this season, a change of scenery could be good for him.  The Mets will then look to sign a free agent outfielder in the offseason.  Atop the list will likely be Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, or Jacoby Ellsbury.  Those are the three games to keep an eye on that the Mets will likely make a move for.  Look for the Mets to sign one of those three free agents as well as make a trade for an outfielder this July as they will have a little bit of spending room this offseason.

It's going to be a rough season and it's been hard to watch the 2013 Mets thus far.  If Alderson can make the right moves with the money coming off the books, and some of the highly coveted prospects as in Wheeler, D'Arnaud, and Flores can pan out, the Mets are not too far away.  This team could be a winning one within the next two years.  If not, say goodbye to Alderson and Collins.

Mets Future is Bright After Dickey Trade

The Mets decided to put the pieces together for future success rather than winning now with the trade of R.A. Dickey, and Sandy Alderson did a great job doing it.

The Mets traded the Cy Young winner along with catcher Josh Thole and backup catcher Mike Nickeas to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for top catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud, their top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, veteran catcher John Buck, and young outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra.

D'Arnaud is one of the top prospects in baseball and is expected to be the Mets catcher of the future with a good chance at starting behind the dish this season.  In 67 games last season in AAA Las Vegas, D'Arnaud hit .333 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI.  In 2011 for AA New Hampshire, the 23-year-old catcher hit .311 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI in 114 games.  Clearly, the young backstop has a lot of potential and fills the Mets hole at catcher.  This team has lacked a good power hitting catcher since Mike Piazza left, who happens to be the player D'Arnaud admired in his youth.  While his defense has been deemed average at best, D'Arnaud is a huge acquisition that finally gives the Mets a guy who can hit behind the plate.  Getting rid of Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas actually helps the Mets rather than hurt them.  The fact that those are the only other players the Mets gave up besides Dickey makes this deal a steal.

Syndergaard was the second best Blue Jays prospect right behind D'Arnaud.  So the Mets acquired the Blue Jays top two prospects for Dickey, just as Alderson had hoped.  Syndergaard had a terrific season in Class-A Lansing going 8-5 with a 2.6 ERA, including 122 strikeouts in just 103.2 innings pitched.  He's only just begun.  The 6'5" power arm is just 20 years old and is already shining in the minor leagues.  In two to three years, we may see Syndergaard join a starting rotation along side Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler.

Buck gives the Mets a veteran catcher with some pop to start until D'Arnaud is ready.  Once D'Arnaud is ready to shine in the majors, Buck gives the Mets a much better second option at catcher than Thole and Nickeas.  The 32-year-old hit just .192 with the Marlins last season, but has power.  Buck had 12 home runs last season, 16 in 2011, and 20 in 2010.  Also, don't forget about the "non-elite" prospect the Mets get in this deal, Wuilmer Becerra.  Becerra is a 6'4" right-hand hitting outfielder and is just 18 years old. His season in the minor leagues ended after just 11 games when he was hit in the face by a pitch and broke his jaw.  Becerra has a lot of time to spend in the minors to grow, but we could be hearing his name in four to five years.

Parting with the 38-year-old knuckleballer was tough for the Mets, but his age was a big factor.  Dickey was tremendous last season going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts.  Alderson could not work an extension out with Dickey essentially lowballing him with a 2-year, $20 million offer and Dickey was looking for $26 million.  The Blue Jays pulled the trigger and made the trade and signed him to a 2-year, $25 million extension after he makes a bargain $5 million in 2013.

The Mets are building a young team that should have fans smiling to what looks to be a bright future.  Signing David Wright to a long-term deal was the start.  The Mets are building a team to win in the future with Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, Harvey, Wheeler, Dillon Gee, Jenrry Mejia, and now D'Arnaud and Syndergaard.  The pieces are coming together for a team that probably won't contend in 2013, but 2014 and beyond can be the start of the Mets rise to the top of the NL East standings.

Now that Wright is signed and Dickey has been traded, the Mets need to go out and get a couple outfielders.  That is their biggest weakness right now.  First and foremost, they need to sign or acquire a power bat in the outfield like a Justin Upton or Cody Ross.  Rumors say the Mets are interested in Grady Sizemore, but he is coming off knee surgery and won't be ready to start the season.  Alderson needs to use the money that hasn't been spent this offseason to bring in at least two outfielders with one of them being a guy who can hit 20+ home runs.  Terry Collins has the pieces in place, now management needs to look for some offense to put up some runs for this very solid pitching staff.

Mets Heading in Wright Direction

The Mets first move of this offseason that had to be made was signing the cornerstone of their franchise.  That is finally done.

The Mets have signed their third baseman David Wright an 8-year, $138 million deal.  Wright's contract becomes the biggest in Mets history surpassing Johan Santana's 7-year, $137.5 million deal.  This new deal replaces the 2013 option of $16 million including it in the new deal.  The contract makes Wright a Met through 2020, when he will turn 38 that December.  Essentially, Wright is a Met for life.

Mets fans are relieved that this deal is done and they can finally build around the superstar at the hot corner.  Wright has been the face of this team and a leader in the clubhouse.  The 29-year-old was called up in 2004 and has become a mainstay at third base since then.  Wright became the Mets all-time hits leader passing Ed Kranepool September 26th with 1,419 hits.  1,426 hits, 204 home runs, 818 RBI,  and a .301 career batting average have made Wright one of the greatest Mets of all time...and he's not even halfway through his career.

The Mets got this one "Wright."  After not bringing back Jose Reyes last offseason, the Mets needed to build the future of this team around their best player.  Now that this is out of the way, the Mets can move on to their other needs.  This team still has a lot of work to do if GM Sandy Alderson wants to put together a winning team.

Next up for the Mets is resigning their Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.  While Dickey is 38, in knuckleball years that's basically 34.  Dickey was dominant last season on his way to his first Cy Young Award with a 20-6 record, a 2.73 ERA, and 230 strikeouts.  Keeping Dickey immediately turns the Mets rotation into one of the best in baseball.  Dickey, Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, and possibly Zach Wheeler next season would be tough to beat.  Unless somebody offers the Mets a monster trade package, Alderson needs to bring back Dickey.  Dickey is willing to sign for two years if the price is right.

The Mets major concern right now is their outfield.  After releasing Jason Bay, nobody knows what the Mets outfield will look like in 2013.  The team isn't expected to bring back Andres Torres, who was nowhere near what the Mets hoped him to be when they acquired him from the Giants.  Lucas Duda struggled at the plate and in the outfield and it's not expected for him to be an Opening Day starter in 2013.  That leaves the Mets with a depleted outfield.  Alderson needs to go out and get some outfield help.  While the Mets don't have lots to spend, they need to go and make a couple of moves to bring in at least two outfielders.  This team needs another power bat to complement Wright and Ike Davis.  There aren't many guys available in the Mets price range, but they are going to need to find a couple of bats to fill the void in their outfield right now.

Signing Wright to an extension was a step in the right direction, but this team is far from a contender at the moment.  Here's what this team needs to do this offseason:

1) Resign R.A. Dickey.

2) Sign/trade for a couple of outfielders including a power bat. (Justin Upton)

3) Sign/trade for a catcher that can produce more on offense than Josh Thole.

4) Get some bullpen help.