Just Mets

The Mets currently stand at 61-52 on the season and hold a two and half game division lead over the Nationals.

Sandy Alderson and ownership deserves a ton of credit for not only re-shaping the Mets offense and bullpen for a run at October, but also showing the industry and their fans they’re committed to winning right now.

But the players Alderdon acquired just before the trade deadline haven’t exactly had standout performances just yet.

Here’s a look at how his new players have performed early during their Mets tenures…

JUAN URIBE

Uribe has appeared in 14 games with the Mets, and has already come through in a big way, delivering a walk-off hit to help the club salvage a split in their four-game series with the Dodgers in late July.

But, while he has looked very good in the field defensively, he hasn’t produced very much outside of that big hit over two weeks ago.

In 47 plate appearances for the Mets, Uribe is batting .163 with a .234 OBP and a .372 SLG with 12 strikeouts.

KELLY JOHNSON

While Johnson has only appeared in 12 games for his new team, his performance has been a bit underwhelming as well.

He’s hitting just .153 with a .200 OBP and a slugging percentage of .263 with two RBI in 40 plate appearances. Sure, Johnson wasn’t acquired solely for his bat – he was primarily brought in to play multiple positions competently, which he has done so in his first three weeks as a Met.

Still, the expectation is he will eventually hit a little bit more than he has since joining the club along with Uribe in late July.

YOENIS CESPEDES

He is unquestionably the club’s biggest acquisition of the year, and arguably their biggest mid-season causation since Mike Piazza in 1998. He got off to a fast start upon joining the Mets, going 7-for-22 in his first five games with New York. But he has cooled off in the last five days, going 4-for-20 with no extra-base hits.

Overall, he has produced slightly better results at the plate, albeit not the staggering numbers that everyone would expect. The Cuban slugger is currently batting .262 with a .279 OBP and a .333 SLG in his 43 plate appearances with the Mets, although he has only five RBI and hasn’t hit a home run in those ten games.

There is some good news, however.

First of all, these are incredibly small samples. All of these players are bound to start hitting, and players like Cespedes in particular break out with a bang more often than not.

Second of all, the club is winning and they have ascended to the top of the standings despite not getting very much out of these three new players. So, the Mets can afford to remain patient with all of them right now, despite being in the middle of a pennant race.

Third of all, their presence in the lineup and on the roster have created a new dynamic for the club, something they just didn’t have a month ago. Remember, the day before the Mets acquired Uribe and Johnson, John Mayberry Jr. and Eric Campbell batted fourth and fifth against the Dodgers, respectively. Even a slumping Cespedes serves as a more imposing threat than those two guys, both of which are no longer on the roster.

They’ve also provided legitimate upgrades defensively as well. Uribe is a rock at third base, Cespedes is an electric outfielder whether he’s in left or center field, and while Johnson isn’t going to win a Gold Glove, he is a capable starting player at a number of positions, easily providing credibility on a daily basis.

Lastly, these three offensive acquisitions are all major league players (that checks a big box itself) who have the necessary experience to provide leadership for this young club in the dog days of summer, where the Mets for the first time in years are legitimately competing for a postseason birth.

Having those intangibles are vital for any club, even when they’re struggling in between the lines.