ON paper, of course the Mets need to acquire a corner outfielder prior to Thursday’s trade deadline.
On paper, the Fernando Tatis-Endy Chavez-Marlon Anderson permutation from which Jerry Manuel draws every day to replace the done Moises Alou and the twice-concussed Ryan Church surely is not good enough.
But keep this in mind. On paper, the Mets were the 2006 NL champions. On paper, the Mets were the 2007 NL East winners. On the field, however, the Mets were paper tigers when it mattered most.
Church has had 48 at-bats since May 20, when he first displayed concussion-like symptoms. He’s been on the DL since July 6, when he suffered the last in a series of setbacks coincidental with the Mets’ aggressive approach to his malady.
It would be a mistake for the Mets to include Church – who was batting .311 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs and a .534 slugging percentage before he went down – in the equation in determining their course approaching the trade deadline.
Sometimes less is more, except when it comes to pitching. Sometimes chemistry trumps talent. Sometimes the best team doesn’t have to have all the best players at all of the positions. Quick. The shortstop for the 1986 Mets was . . . ?
“We’re playing good baseball with the people we have, but the big question is can we sustain this level of play with what we have,” Manuel said at Shea before Mike Pelfrey pitched the Mets to a 7-2 victory over the Cardinals that extended the team’s lead in the East to two games over the Phillies and Marlins. “That’s the big question.
“A lot of times you make a trade and it appears you’ve gotten an impact player, but when the guy comes he doesn’t quite fit the way you envisioned him fitting. And in my brief experience in New York, a lot of times when a guy comes to New York he immediately tries to prove to New York that he belongs, and that can mean a lot of selfish and individual play.
“That’s not what we need at this time. We need a guy who will fit in with what we’re doing,” said the manager. “You need a guy who will be able to handle this type of thing.”
Thus far, we know that Chavez, 4-for-5 last night, and Tatis, 1-for-3 and batting .347 with four homers and 11 RBIs since Church last went down, have handled this type of thing. We know the Mets are 14-3 in their last 17 games, 24-12 in their last 36.
“No doubt you have to be careful,” said GM Omar Minaya. “In order for me to make a deal now for a corner outfielder, it would have to be for more of a difference-maker.
“It would have be a major difference-maker, a player who’s historically been a run-producer. If it’s just an OK guy, it may not be that big of a difference over Tatis and the other guys who are here now.”
Is Casey Blake that guy? Is Raul Ibanez? Are the Mets required to make a deal this week though Church himself might be the difference-maker who joins the roster at a date to be named later, and though a capable bat is certain to become available off waivers in August?
Not at all.
“It’s got to make sense,” said Minaya. “We’re not going to do something just for the sake of doing it.”
What looks good on paper doesn’t always work on the field. And in this game, field beats paper every time.