Just Mets

The Mets hope to know soon whether or not David Wright’s back issue will be a long-term problem for them in 2015, and perhaps further out.

Sandy Alderson said on Monday Wright has left for Los Angeles to visit with Dr. Robert Watkins and his physical therapy team for an assessment and treatment plan for his ailing back.
Wright was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in recent days, and has been shutdown from baseball activities for at least one week. Wright will be in Los Angeles through the remainder of this week.

Alderson had previously been hopeful Wright’s return was closing in, but now knows the club will have to reassess their infield if Wright is going to be out for the long-term.

“Until three or four days ago I thought this was going to be a very temporary situation,” Alderson explained. “As we continue to have setbacks we have to reassess how to go forward, but I think we’re a handful of days away from hopefully knowing something that will give us a better idea.”

Alderson said no doctor has recommended Wright have surgery to help heal his back to date.

“None of the doctors at this point have given us any indication this is a long-term problem that can’t be managed,” Alderson said. “That is the best information we have right now.”

In the meantime, Alderson said they’re exploring external options and continuing to explore ways internally to improve the offense while they wait for more information on Wright. However, Alderson noted the trade market is not active at the present time for meaningful acquisitions.

“We will and have been looking outside the organization as well, but this is not the time of year clubs are looking to make deals.”

Alderson expressed optimism Wright’s condition can be managed and seemed to believe he could be back sooner rather than later.

As for trades, Sandy Alderson essentially said there’s nothing particularly meaningful for him to do at the moment.

He could always explore a deal for Juan Uribe or Alberto Callaspo, as a trade between the Braves and Dodgers involving these two players has broken down today after Callaspo rejected the trade, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

But neither of these players would provide a meaningful upgrade to the Mets.

Uribe is the logical guy for Dodgers President Andrew Friedman to trade. He’s the oldest among his excess infielders, in the last year of his contract, and is more likely to see his skills decline sooner than his other options, if it hasn’t happened already. He’s been awful this year – again he is not someone who can make the impact the Mets need on their offense right now.

Besides, if Wright does come back, there’s no place to put Uribe, making him a very expensive 25th man on the roster.

As for Callaspo, he’s pretty much identical to Uribe. He’s not a particularly good defensive player although he can play second or third. But, they probably wouldn’t be gaining anything by acquiring him except a $3 million salary.

I’ve continued to maintain Ben Zobrist is the obvious fit for the Mets, as I originally wrote over the weekend. Yes, he is in the last year of his contract too in which he is owed $7.5 million, but he’s a guy who can come in and immediately start at three positions on the infield for the Mets. He was activated by the A’s from the disabled list yesterday after undergoing minor knee surgery. He’s a switch hitter who has a little bit of pop and speed, and if he’s healthy he can become a reliable, everyday presence who can help lengthen the Mets lineup which is awfully uninspiring on a daily basis.

Does he come with the impact of someone like Troy Tulowitzki, Starlin Castro, or Addison Russell? Of course not, but he’s better than Callaspo or Uribe, he also won’t cost that much in trade, the Mets can let him walk at the end of the year and they can always revisit other options at a later date, either by the trade deadline or after the season.

The A’s are a mess right now, and they’ll very likely look to unload again – it’s worth watching what happens here, especially as the club gets more information on Wright.

The Mets need Wright. They also need to augment the roster somehow. There is no question about that.

But, they also need the guys who are here, such as Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson to be more consistent and perform to their capabilities. While both have perked up lately, neither have been particularly consistent at all this season. Whether Wright comes back or not, or Alderson makes an acquisition or not, they’re not going very far until these guys start playing better.

Alderson acknowledged the club is counting on the players who are here to start producing.

“While we continue to canvas what might be available to us, realistically we have to get the job done with what we have, at least in the near-term,” Alderson said.