Ike Davis is gone, Jose Valverde demoted from the closer’s role and Bobby Abreu arrived from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday. In less than 72 hours, spanning a weekend, the Mets at least showed a willingness to shake up the asylum.
But even with all that action, it’s hard to say the Mets actually took a step forward.
You could argue dealing Davis to the Pirates, regardless of the return, represented a positive development in that team brass made a commitment to one player — Lucas Duda — and is finished with a charade that had the potential to become a legitimate distraction as the season progressed.
Valverde was plucked from the scrap heap before spring training and has been replaced at closer by another reliever clinging to his career, Kyle Farnsworth. The 40-year-old Abreu, meanwhile, didn’t even play last season and was dumped by the Phillies in spring training before the Mets gave him a minor-league contract.
Neither of the moves has the potential for taking the Mets to the next level. It might be a different conversation if the Mets were to sign Stephen Drew and eventually Joel Hanrahan. If nothing else, those two additions would signal the team is serious about trying to win in 2014.
Drew remains a free agent and would give the Mets a solid presence at shortstop — something they have lacked as Ruben Tejada tries to rebound from a dismal 2013.
Tejada made two strong defensive plays in the Mets’ 2-0 victory over the Cardinals on Monday, but is hitting only .204, and manager Terry Collins has hinted it could mean more playing time for Omar Quintanilla if something doesn’t change.
Hanrahan, who began last season as the Red Sox closer, had a showcase for interested teams last week as he nears return from Tommy John surgery. But while he’s made strides since the Mets last saw him in the offseason, a team source indicated Hanrahan probably won’t be ready for the big leagues before mid-June.
It leaves the Mets praying they can get something from Farnsworth, who pitched a scoreless ninth for the save on Monday. In-house, the Mets have no other real options.
“We’ll see how it goes with Farnsworth,” general manager Sandy Alderson said.
The Mets were headed in this direction after Bobby Parnell was diagnosed with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right elbow and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery. Valverde was fine in a few subsequent appearances at closer, but has been a train wreck lately, necessitating the change. The Mets can only hope to get further with Farnsworth.
Tejada has been solid defensively, but the Mets need hits. If it’s any consolation to the Mets, the shortstop they wanted in the offseason, Jhonny Peralta, is hitting only .164 for the Cardinals — though leading the team with four homers.
Collins was asked before the game about the frustration of not having options at shortstop, as the organization did when it chose Duda over Davis or even Farnsworth over Valverde.
“I don’t feel upset about sticking with Ruben,” Collins said. “I go on the track record that this guy I know has done it.”
Later Collins added: “We’re certainly going to mix in [Quintanilla] because Q deserves to be out there every once in awhile, but I think Ruben, once we get into the summer, is going to be the guy that we knew a couple of years ago.”
Even if the Mets were to sign Drew and Hanrahan, they wouldn’t see either player for awhile. The risk is signing one or both and then falling into oblivion before they arrive.
But the Mets saved about $3 million by dealing Davis and were willing to offer Grant Balfour $12 million over two years last winter before he signed with the Rays. That tells you there is money available to spend on players.
“We will see,” a club official said Monday.
The Mets owe it to the fans to take their best shot.