NEW YORK — With 10 days remaining until the MLB Trade Deadline, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with reporters on Monday.
There, he was candid about the team’s plan, identifying two areas the Mets intend to improve ahead of the July 31 deadline.
The first being the bullpen.
“We’ve been hit with injuries in the pitching staff, specifically the bullpen. So we’ll be active there,” Stearns told reporters. “And I think providing our group some reinforcements in the bullpen would be great.
“There are generally relievers traded at the deadline, and so I’m sure there will be some this as well, and we’ll be involved in that.”
The Mets pitching staff has lost five arms, four to the bullpen, to season-ending surgery. As such, they’ve had to patch together replacements through free agency, form within, and through waivers.
After flaunting their depth early in the season, posting an MLB-best 2.83 ERA through June 12, when the Mets held baseball’s best record (45-24), Mets pitchers have come undone.
Since then, they have the third-highest ERA (5.35) in baseball, leading to the second-worst record (11-20) in MLB.
If the Mets can’t improve their bullpen via the trade market, they’ll “think about” promoting from within, says Stearns.
What about position players?
Despite the production at third base not being what it was last season, when Mark Vientos’s 27 home runs placed third among players at the position (minimum 450 plate appearances), Stearns feels the young players there “have taken a step forward.”
“The one position where we haven’t gotten the level of production we anticipated coming into the year is center field,” Stearns admits. “I don’t think I’m saying anything that’s going to surprise anyone.”
Mets center fielders are batting .224 with a .664 OPS combined, fifth and eighth lowest in the National League.
Unlike the bullpen, center field is less of a priority for the Mets. They’ve liked Jeff McNeil’s transition to the position and feel comfortable with Tyrone Taylor’s defense.
Because of this, they likely won’t make a deal — unless it’s too good to pass up.
“I think that, for me at least, the bar to improve center field has probably risen over the past two weeks,” Stearns said.
