Things can change over 30 days, but the Mets aren’t expecting a significant building block — think a Carlos Gonzalez-type outfielder — to land in their laps before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
“I don’t think that’s something [for] right now,” a club official said yesterday. “That’s probably something more for the offseason.”
It likely means the Mets, for a third straight year under general manager Sandy Alderson, will be sellers heading to the deadline.
Two years ago, Alderson unloaded Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran, the latter of which yielded Zack Wheeler. Last year, Alderson dangled Scott Hairston, but didn’t find much of a market for the outfielder and ultimately decided to keep him.
This year’s pool of potential trade bait includes Marlon Byrd, Daniel Murphy, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner and Bobby Parnell. But the Mets aren’t going to trade any of those players just for the sake of making a deal. The organization’s biggest trade chips, pitching prospects Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard, would likely need to be included in a deal to land the kind of high-impact outfielder the Mets covet.
Let baseball’s trade month begin. Just don’t expect the Mets to have their savior for 2014 by 4 p.m. on July 31.
Before moving ahead to July, a review of the last month:
MVP: Marlon Byrd
The Mets visited the scrap heap last winter and plucked Byrd, who has revived his career after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2012. The veteran outfielder hit .282 in June with six homers and 16 RBIs and has helped David Wright receive better pitches to hit. Byrd’s two-run homer in the eighth inning on Thursday in Colorado that gave the Mets a 3-2 comeback victory was his biggest hit of the year. His emergence has muted at least some of the discussion about the team’s poorly constructed outfield.
LVP: John Buck
In April, baseball’s two biggest surprises were Baltimore’s Chris Davis and Buck. Since then, Davis has nearly maintained his incredible pace, while Buck has been swallowed into a black hole. Except for that hot three-week stretch to begin the season, the veteran catcher has essentially been Mike Nickeas — a solid presence behind the plate who doesn’t hit enough to warrant an everyday job. After a dreadful May, Buck hit .162 in June with two homers.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Mets will play 15 straight games against NL East opponents after the All-Star break, potentially a good opportunity to escape fourth place in the division. But the biggest test of the month might be the nine-game road trip that begins Friday, taking the Mets to Milwaukee, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. If the Mets can have a second straight winning road trip, it would create a sense of momentum, albeit small, heading into the second half. As it stands, Matt Harvey is scheduled to pitch the final game before the All-Star break, in Pittsburgh, but bet on that changing.
BIGGEST ORGANIZATIONAL DECISION
When should Ike Davis be recalled to the major leagues, and what happens if he flops again? Davis has regained his stroke at Triple-A Las Vegas and appears close to returning, but the Mets need to be sure he is ready. Because if Davis returns and slumps badly, the second half of the season could turn into a side show that ultimately ends with Lucas Duda installed at first base and Davis on the bench, with zero trade value and headed toward an offseason in which he wouldn’t be tendered a contract by the Mets.
GAMES OF THE MONTH:
METS 4, BRAVES 3, & METS 6, BRAVES 1, JUNE 18
Super Tuesday was a landslide victory for the Mets, with Matt Harvey dominant in the first game of a doubleheader against the Braves and Zack Wheeler strong in the nightcap. Wheeler, in his major league debut, struggled with his command but posted six shutout innings in front of family and friends from nearby Dallas, Ga. In the first game, Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh and shutout into the eighth before settling for a hard-fought victory.