The acquisition of Jeff Conine by the Mets was good strategy and good emotionally.
The loss of Damion Easley, possibly for the year, created a need for a dependable righty bat. And Conine has long been that. He was hitting .266 with an .803 OPS vs. lefty pitching this season, and since the beginning of the 2000 campaign he has hit .296 vs. southpaws with an .840 OPS.
He is 41 and contemplating retirement at the end of the season. So the Mets should have a player motivated to go out right. And Conine has always been known as a good guy on a team, a player willing to accept a role and attempt to thrive at it.
But this also is another symbol to the clubhouse that the front office is not laying down on the job, another sign that the Mets are going for it. They saw the opportunity to add a little piece that could pay a positive dividend and didn’t go to sleep on the job. They did the same a few weeks back when second base injuries motivated the Mets to go get the helpful Luis Castillo.
The Mets have seemed to lack concentration or motivation or spirit this year. They simply have not played with the verve or consistency of 2006. But this should be another attempted push by the front office. Upper management is still trying to solve weaknesses, wanting not only to make October, but to make a strong run toward a championship.
The Mets are the NL East frontrunners. They should win the division. This move should help on the field. And, the front office can only hope, that it works in the clubhouse also as a spark to a team that has been too lackadaisical too often.