He’s the scientist who split the atom, only to repeatedly break his pocket protector.
He’s the musician who invented a new chord progression, yet he can’t master “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
Sandy Alderson, in his fourth year as the Mets’ general manager, has performed enough heavy lifting to make this beleaguered franchise relevant again. Except the launch to greater heights is in peril because he and his lieutenants haven’t been able to figure out the darn bullpen.
“We’re disappointed with where we are,” Alderson said, referring to his relief corps, in a telephone interview Tuesday. “It’s not a ’pen that has been consistently underperforming, but it has underperformed spectacularly in certain cases. Overall, it has been inconsistent.”
Monday night’s 4-3 loss to the Marlins at Marlins Park served as the latest debacle in “A Nightmare on Roosevelt Avenue 4,” as Daisuke Matsuzaka, Scott Rice and Gonzalez Germen teamed to waste seven shutout innings from Jon Niese. This came just two days, and one city, after Kyle Farnsworth took the last hit in a roller-coaster, 11-10 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field.
The Mets have the second-worst save percentage in the National League, 46 percent, ahead only of Pittsburgh (36 percent), and their seven blown saves put them at third-worst, with only the Pirates (nine) and Rockies (eight) more inept. That they nevertheless sport an even 16-16 recorded, reflects their 27 save opportunities, ninth most in the league, and the fact their starting pitchers have compiled a 3.90 ERA against the relievers’ 4.22.
If this represented a 20ish-percent sample of one season, you would shrug it off. It doesn’t, though. Bullpen ineptitude serves as one of the predominant themes of the Alderson administration, along with his ownership’s financial limitations, the Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey trades and Alderson’s one-liners.
In every season since 2011, Alderson’s first, the Mets’ starting pitchers’ ERA has exceeded that of their relievers. In 2011 and 2012 and so far this season, the Mets have ranked in the lower half of the NL in save percentage; their only reprieve, a mild one, came last year, when they tied for seventh with Washington at 69 percent.
In theory, the bullpen should be one of the easiest units to construct, particularly for a club that plays in a pitcher-friendly ballpark like Citi Field. Instead, from Blaine Boyer to Matsuzaka and 17 guys in between — a total of 19 Mets pitchers have recorded at least one save since 2011 — the Mets have been unable to establish any sort of late-inning consistency since they traded Francisco Rodriguez to Milwaukee the night of the 2011 All-Star Game.
Why? Well, the cupboard was pretty bare upon Alderson’s arrival, and they didn’t have young arms to throw into the bullpen mix. They had to resort to low-budget imports, and some, like Tim Byrdak and LaTroy Hawkins, paid off. Then Alderson missed on his one big purchase, Frank Francisco, who earned virtually none of the two-year, $12-million contract he received in December 2011.
Thanks to the trade returns on Beltran (from San Francisco) and Dickey (from Toronto), the amateur draft, international signings and the reallocation of money freed up from the expiration of Johan Santana’s and Jason Bay’s contracts, Alderson has put together a roster that has a real chance to pass .500, if not necessarily reach the stated 90-win goal. The Mets rank eighth in the NL in runs scored (131) and fourth in quality-start percentage (66).
If they fielded merely an adequate bullpen, like last year’s, then they would likely have a couple of extra wins already.
Can Alderson save this season by fixing his bullpen? The shift of Jenrry Mejia from the starting rotation to the bullpen could be the next gambit, soon, with Matsuzaka a natural to switch to the starting rotation. One or both of Triple-A Las Vegas starting pitchers Jake deGrom and Rafael Montero might get swung to relief, although perhaps not until the Mejia move plays out. Carlos Torres could move from the eighth inning to the ninth, although that would leave a void in the eighth.
And if the Mets ever were inclined to act aggressively and deal prospects (and take on payroll) for a veteran reliever, this critical season would be the time to do so.
“One of the issues we’ve faced is, because of the inconsistency, the lack of track records, we don’t have the luxury of set roles,” Alderson said. “Hopefully that will develop over the next period of time.”
The Mets’ owners bet heavily on Alderson three and a half years ago, and in multiple ways, he has validated that decision. Now he has to close out his mission and solve the supposedly simple part of his renovation.