Mets Reach Breaking Point

by Guichard Cadet

This time of year is the most nerve-wrenching for Mets fans and obviously, their GM Omar Minaya. Do we sell or do we buy? Do we hold our ground? Can this team compete as is, for the rest of the year, or the near future?

Last year, with about the same record and winning percentage, the answer was an easy ‘go for it now.’ Even though the Mets gave away top pitching prospect, Scott Kazmir, they acquired two young starting pitchers, Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano. They were also positioned to lose key veterans, such as Al Leiter, because of expiring contracts.

This year they should not be fooled by their record. The Mets must go into a selling frenzy, and take back prospects in exchange to dumping the salaries of 3 specific players: Braden Looper, Kaz Ishii and Kaz Matsuii.

The Mets are in last place by 8 games in the National League East and 5.5 games out of the Wild Card race. Looking at the club, conventional wisdom states ‘get a 1st baseman capable of driving in runs.’ Though this is a move they will eventually have to make, their primary weakness has been lack of consistency in fielding, relief pitching and generating rallies at the plate, in the early stages of the game.

The team is ‘middle of the pack’ in practically every category in the National League. Though numbers often lie, this time is the exception. A .500 record is not going to get a team into the wildcard, and neither will 90 wins, the most the Mets can honestly project to win.