Ok, I watch just about every game and I still feel that the Mets FO let us down by not getting a front line starter in the off season but I just got in a debate with my boss over what was the biggest problem with the Mets right. He feels that Delgado is the problem and the Mets need to replace him fixing the Slugging percentage and shoring up the lineup. I see his point but I still want a top flight pitcher. What do you guys think? What is the biggest problem for the Mets? P.S. I made it so you can choose multiple answers
We need a cleanup hitter to replace Delgado. He's a #6 hitter at this point at best, and Wright's a #2 or #3 hitter with his speed/power combo (move him up to #2 to protect Jose, Willie). I actually think out starting staff is completely fine. We need a lefty to replace blow-n-wipe though (Schoenweiss). Sele will probably get the boot too when Pedro comes back, with either Sosa or El Duque going to the pen.
not sure any of those choices are what i would say...........imho certainly not starting pitching........that to me is the one consistent part of the team through the many ups and down lately. Glavine, Duque, Maine, Ollie, Sosa have been doing fine.with Pedro waiting in the wings. Bull pen has been ok...with the obvious exception of Show n tell Clutch hitting with risp would be my choice...we need some bats.......Delgado is killing us. Franco's not getting it done as a PH.....and while Gomez has played well, I am worried about his youth and the eventual inconsistency when thing are on the line. i would say Wright, Beltran, Green, Reyes, LoDuca, Easley, Valentin, Gotay, Castro have all pulled their weight......but Delgados futility is hurting the whole line up.....and Franco is useless
Question for people who know more than me: does Schoenweis' contract and the fact that he sucks this much make him untradeable? I'm thinking the incredibly high demand for relievers and lefty relievers in particular might still make him movable, even without having to take on any part of the remainder of his deal (in exchange for a b-level prospect or something). Then, Dave Williams could fill the sucky middle-reliever/lefty specialist role just as poorly, but for much cheaper (unless of course they find an upgrade somewhere else). Metsblog did report today that the Mets are thinking of trying to move him.
Something frustrating is that it's impossible to know if the starting pitching is this good or if it's overachieving. If not the starting pitching, the bullpen has been terrible. Meanwhile, I don't think there are any bats out there that are better than the ones we got.
As for the Mets recent struggles the answer is pretty clear, any everyday player for the Mets not named Reyes, Wright or Gomez needs to be fixed. As bad as Delgado has been all year, there are actually bigger offenders in the month of June, namely Beltran and Loduca who are both sitting at .540 OPS. You want some scary numbers try the June OBP for the 5 other position players in the lineup: .286, .242, .237, .229, .228. It shouldn't be much of a mystery why the Mets are unable to score runs and getting shut down by scrubs nightly.
Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have a 3.5 game lead in the NLE. How does that need fixing? Sure, your hitting could use some spark, but your rotation is solid, and you have a great closer. (No to mention a ridiculous young core of fielding/hitting talent.) I'm really not trying to troll but I've noticed lately that all Mets fans do is complain. Are you guys just so used to being angry at the team that you try to find reasons to be angry? Enjoy this. You have one of the best teams in baseball while your enemy across the bridge is floundering. There's no such thing as a perfect team. Yours is good enough to win it all though. Don't find reasons to be angry.
The last thing that is a problem with the Mets is the starting pitching - Hernandez, Maine, and Perez all have ERAs less than 3.20, and Glavine's would be also if not for two ridiculously bad starts. Even Sosa's been good most of the time (7 out of 10 starts). I don't think the relief pitching is such a big problem, either, except for the incredible suckitude of Schoeneweis (Mota is pitching better, and might actually be okay even when steroid-free). And who knows - maybe Pedro will be great when he comes back. As 3rd noted, the problem is the lineup. That's partly crappy play by players who should be better (Delgado being the obvious person, but also Beltran), partly injuries to players who were better (Alou, Chavez), and partly Willie's loyalty to players who should be sitting more (Delgado, Valentin) or not even be on the team (Franco, Schoeneweis). I would like to see people like Easley and Gotay playing more, Delgado moved down in the lineup, and Franco and Schoeneweis shown the door. Still, it's unlikely that anything much will happen this year that will make that much of a difference. The Mets are certainly a postseason contender, and that's really all that matters - as St. Louis showed last year, once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.
I mostly agree with that, but if Philly or Atlanta were playing well, we would not be in first. I'm happy with the team, definitely, but something is up.
Your team is fine the way it is. Maybe you could use an outfielder, but if Alou is coming back, maybe you don't need it.
Most Mets fans on this site are just never happy, Idk why. Have we been playing poorly in the month of June? yes, but even when we're playing well there are people on this board that aren't happy with anything, only taking negatives out of each game. Its really fuckin annoying.
The Mets could use another quality hitter for sure. They also could use another quality pitcher in the bullpen. Octavio Dotel is that guy. El Duque, Jorge Sosa, or Tom Glavine- one of those guys will be pitching out of the 'pen in the postseason. That is a good thing. I think, barring injuries or implosions, Oliver Perez and John Maine will be two of the postseason starters. Martinez will be another one if he can still pitch effectively. Heilman, Mota, and Schoeneweis cannot be trusted at this time. Dotel could be trusted, if acquired. As for TGG Mets fans complaining, I've had a problem with it for several years now. Some of these other guys aggravate me with that. It doesn't make them wrong, though. It's all good. Schoeneweis, Delgado, Glavine, Heilman, and Mota are on my Mets 2007 Shit List. The rest of the team I can deal with, although a few, such as Julio Franco and Moises Alou are somewhat aggravating.
Let me quickly clarify something. I'm not just talking about Mets fans on this board. Every Mets fan I know has been finding things to complain about. I just don't get it. Sure, ANY team could use one more top-notch starter. Or one more All-Star outfielder, or one more big bat in the lineup. EVERY team can use one more solid arm in the pen. I'm not a Mets fan, so I don't "get it." Maybe years of losing really wore on guys. I've talked a lot about how I've been a Yankees fan all my life, including the 80s. I didn't complain this much even back then. My point is, just enjoy it. This is possibly the best Mets team I've ever seen, including the 86 team. It's still far too early to be getting crazy. The talk I'm seeing is the stuff you see when the trading deadline approaches, not in the week leading up to the All-Star break. And you guys still have Pedro to look forward to. There's only two teams in the entire league you guys have any reason to fear, the Dodgers and Red Sox. If I were a betting man, I'd take those odds.
All baseball fans act this way; I've never met a baseball fan who was totally content during the season. Look at Red Sox fans: Great year, but now they worry about Julio Lugo. It's our nature to complain, though some complain more than others.
Heilman - 6-3, 3.96 ERA, 36.1 IP Wagner - 1-0, 1.83 ERA, 34.1 IP Smith - 2-0, 2.90 ERA, 31.0 IP Feliciano - 1-1, 1.61 ERA, 28.0 IP Schoeneweis - 0-2, 5.86 ERA, 27.2 IP Sele - 1-0, 5.26 ERA, 25.2 IP Mota - 0-0, 4.80 ERA, 15.0 IP Besides Feliciano and Wagner, our bullpen is trash. Joe Smith finally came back to Earth. He can't hit the slider anymore. Mota is starting to throw the fastball more. Sele and Schoeneweis are just horrible, hope Dave Williams takes over as the long man soon. I still can't trust Heilman in any spot, much less a big spot. Need to do something. Need to get rid of Schoeneweis and his 3-year/$10.8 million contract. He is awful. In addition to an arm or two in the bullpen, they could use a guy like Nady or something. Someone who can hit lefties. I don't want to bank on Moises Alou not being injured at all again some point in the rest of the season. Valentin can't play defense anymore with the brace on. He's killing us on any balls hit to the left or right of him.
It's probably just the fact that Delgado is supposed to be a cleanup hitter and is only hitting .220 all season long. Maybe because Willie doesn't know how to manage a baseball game, use his bullpen effectively or won't move Lo Duca back to the two hole but once or twice a month. There is no way in hell this 2007 team is better than the 2006 team. I'm sorry but had the 2006 team had this 2007 rotation last year, I wouldn't have a problem with anything. The bullpen in 2006 was top notch. Everybody in the lineup did their part to hit. Beltran gives up on balls. He plays terrible defense here with balls either dropping in front of him or even getting over him. He doesn't even hit the ball to make up for it. One of the worst signings ever by this team. When Delgado isn't hitting for power behind him, Beltran is trash.
There have not been many perfect (or rather near-perfect) teams in baseball history. The best three I've seen were the 1986 Mets, 1995 Indians and 1998 Yankees. Those three teams, more than any other since I've been watching baseball circa 1984, were the only ones you absolutely knew were going to play in the World Series. Amazingly, the 1995 Indians did not win the WS. The lineup was lethal with Baerga, Thome, Ramirez, Vizquel, Lofton, Belle, S. Alomar, and Murray. Mesa had his best year- 46 saves with a 1.13 ERA. Plunk, Tavarez, Assenmacher, and Poole were good middle relievers. The rotation was good with Nagy, Hershiser, Dennis Martinez, Ogea, and Ken Hill late in the year. We all know about the 1986 Mets and 1998 Yankees. No need for me to discuss them in detail. My point is fans of those three teams had little to complain during those respective regular seasons. I think fans of all the other teams since 1984 (even teams that went on to win WS have had at least something to complain about). Besides, it's most fans' nature to get mad about something even if it's a scratch on a Rolls Royce.
