Just Mets

Once again on Monday, the Mets offense produced no offense short of Matt Harvey’s two-run single in the fourth inning. They went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten men on base in the process.

The Mets are seeking upgrades to their meager offense ahead of the July 31 non-waiver deadline, and have reportedly been linked to players such as Ben Zobrist, Justin Upton, Aramis Ramirez, Jean Segura, and Gerardo Parra.

The Mets have reportedly shown a willingness to deal their prospects including former first-round selections Brandon Nimmo and Gavin Cecchini in order to acquire offense. But those pieces alone may not be enough to parlay into a player like Upton, and they might have to up the ante to acquire a player like Zobrist, who will remains in high demand as the trade deadline gets closer.

There are two minor league prospects Marc Carig of Newsday said the Mets appear unwilling to move: Michael Conforto and Amed Rosario.

But the prospects the Mets are willing to move could be enough to acquire second-tier talents, a rival executive told Carig.

“They could get an average piece,” the executive told Carig.

The truth is, an average player would prove to be a significant upgrade for the a Mets. Two average players would transform the lineup.

The Mets are scoring 3.4 runs per game, and that number continues to decrease as the Mets continue their struggle to score runs – they’ve scored eight runs in 45 innings over their first four games since the All-Star break, or 1.6 runs per nine innings. And, two of those runs were produced by a pitcher.

The league average is about four runs per game, and when the club scores four or more, they’re 34-5. So the key for the Mets is to at least be average and acquire players who do a better job at run prevention. Their pitching staff has shown they can do the rest.

Perhaps the Mets could pry someone like Parra from the Brewers, who people within the organization have liked in the past. He would be a major upgrade defensively as he is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and would be an instant upgrade from the left side as well. He appears to be an outstanding fit for the a Mets, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post said on Monday the club would prefer to acquire a left-handed bat.

Carig suggests Wil Venable, who has produced an OPS modestly above average at .717 from the left side with the Padres. He might ultimately be better suited in a part-time role as his production drops off considerably against left-handed pitching. But he would certainly be a quality depth move and shore up the club’s bench if he were to be a secondary acquisition, which is an absolute abomination this season.

The club’s hand in the outfield may be forced in the outfield, as it looks like Michael Cuddyer might be heading to the disabled list for an indefinite period of time with a bone bruise in his left knee. Options at Triple-A are limited, as  Darrell Ceciliani is the only outfielder on the 40-man roster in the minor leagues, and he is on the disabled list. They could consider Travis Taijeron, or make a bolder move by promoting Nimmo or Conforto from Double-A Binghamton. But the latter two still seem unlikely despite internal discussions of such a move with Conforto in particular.

That leaves an external acquisition as the only move, and probably the wisest move to make.

Neither Parra or Venable address the Mets needs on the infield, however. While Ruben Tejada has proven to be a huge defensive upgrade to Wilmer Flores at shortstop and is hitting .346 with an .859 OPS over his last 13 games, history suggests Tejada is ultimately a part-time utility player, and will eventually become overexposed again.

Someone like Segura could conceivably add depth to their infield, but his defense has been porous this season, and Tejada has actually produced a higher OPS than Segura. The Brewers shortstop does bring speed and a little more pop to the position, and it can be argued his upside is higher than that of Tejada. But he doesn’t represent a value worth sacrificing very much for.

The Mets could acquire Zobrist, Who they remain interested in. They could plug him in as the everyday shortstop down the stretch, and shift Tejada back into a part-time role. That move provides the needed infield upgrade, and Tejada would serve as a role player off the bench, something he is better suited for anyway.

Sandy Alderson said last month he only expected to add one piece ahead of the trade deadline, but it appears that mindset has shifted, as the team feels they can upgrade, “multiple spots,” according to Carig.

Of course, a lot depends on how the club makes it out of Sunday, at which point they will have completed a ten-game stretch against the class of the National League.

Having said that, perhaps the Mets would’ve been better suited going into this stretch having previously augmented the roster.