With right-hander Kodai Senga probably done for the season with a high grade left calf strain, and rookie Christian Scott on the 15-day injured list with a right UCL strain, it is obvious the Mets need to go shopping for pitching help prior to the Tuesday trade deadline.
Reports are Director of Baseball Operations David Stearns is shopping. Tylor Megill, fresh from pitching the last month at Triple-A Syracuse, gave the Mets some length Saturday afternoon but two home runs hurt him. The Mets 4-0 loss allowed the Braves to leap ahead of the Mets for the third NL Wild Card spot.
With the talk that the Mets are also looking for outfield help and another left handed bat, Michael Conforto coming from the Giants for a reunion with his former team remains a possibility, though sources say pitching is now the emphasis and Stearns is talking with numerous team executives.
Late Saturday night it was reported (ESPN’s Jeff Passan) that the Mets acquired left hand hitting outfielder Jesse Winker from the Washington Nationals. Winker is hitting .253, with 18 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and 14 stolen bases as the Mets took one more step during this process of improvement and push to the postseason.
But the Mets bullpen is also seeking help, even with the acquisition of right-hander Ryne Stanek from the Mariners for a 30th round prospect. Stanek, a veteran of four teams, has a good strikeout ratio, 44 over 39 innings. Sources say Stearns is seeking any number of possibilities to reinforce a bullpen that needs another reliable arm for the back end.
Sunday afternoon the Mets will attempt to take another series after the Braves stopped their five-game winning streak. Megill was respectable and the Mets could not find an answer because Spencer Schwellenbach struck out a career high 11. His seven innings of two hit ball snapped a Braves six-game losing streak.
Megill is a reinforcement that provided the Mets some length. A sinker has been added to his selection of pitches and the slider had some consistency. With Senga out, Megill is slated for the rotation and the Mets need him to be consistent.
“Obviously the long ball got him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, “but I thought he was OK. The first three innings he was really good. I thought his fastball was good. He went back out there for the seventh. We needed length out of him, obviously. I thought he was fine.”
Danny Young provided a career high five strikeouts and threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, a welcome addition but obviously the Mets need more.
The Mets had one of those off days trying to produce runs. A team that has been leading the Majors averaging six runs per game, hit one of their low points. The lone hits were doubles in the second and fourth innings from Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso.
So, with the additions of Stanek and Winker and also right-hander Phil Maton, who has provided bullpen depth, the trade deadline has been ongoing business for Stearns. The Mets were once considered sellers but gaining 10 games on the Braves since their winning spurt in June changed the strategy. The bullpen is a need, now ranked 17th in the majors with a 4.05 ERA.
The Mets are serious buyers. The loss Saturday was their second loss in July at home, but a good portion of their remaining schedule has them on the road. Regardless they are contenders and seeking that third NL wild card.
It’s a start and days away from that important trade deadline that can change the complexion of a team.
Rich Mancuso (X) Twitter @Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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