NEW YORK — Despite taking a roundabout route, the New York Mets arrived at the midway point of the season about where many expected them to be, which is to say right around .500.
“Interesting, right?” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked to assess the team through 81 games. “We’ve been through a lot — ups and downs. But that’s part of 162-plus.”
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Ahead of a road trip featuring four games against the Washington Nationals and four against the Pittsburgh Pirates, here are a few takeaways on recent developments around the Mets (40-41).
Jose Quintana prefers not to get traded
Quintana has twice changed teams ahead of the trade deadline in his career. Since the 13-year veteran is set to be a free agent after this season and the Mets may have rotation depth to trade from, he’s a candidate to be dealt again. Quintana said he isn’t actively thinking about the trade deadline with the club playing better lately but plans to lean on his experience to navigate any noise over the next few weeks. In the end, he hopes to stay in New York.
“I’m ready to be a Met for the whole year,” Quintana said. “I’ve been in this position before, too, and that’s easy for me, honestly, because the first thing I think of now is, I don’t have control over that and I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just want to keep doing my thing every five days. For sure, I want to stay here — we’ve been doing really good things.”
Astros 10, Mets 5 (11): The Mets lost a series — they had either split/won each of their previous eight. In his Mets debut, Festa allowed five runs in the 11th. It was 5-5 before a long rain delay started before the bottom ninth. Halfway through the season, New York is 40-41.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) June 30, 2024
Lately, Quintana (4.57 ERA/4.89 FIP) has performed better after making a couple of adjustments. The ability to do so is a hallmark of his career since he does not throw hard. Over his past three starts, Quintana sought more swing-and-miss and has a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts, though he lasted just four innings in his last start. He said he has leaned more on his secondary pitches, like his curveball, and has challenged batters inside more frequently.
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Quintana is part of a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and David Peterson. Tylor Megill was just optioned to the minor leagues. Christian Scott and Jose Buttó are candidates to start on Wednesday. Kodai Senga (shoulder, triceps) has yet to pitch this season but is on track to make his first rehab start sometime this week. If everything stays on track, that makes eight starters — plenty to deal from, regardless if the Mets declare themselves buyers or sellers.
Whatever happens, Quintana, 35, said he plans to keep pitching beyond 2024.
“My body feels great and the velo is staying there, which is going to be the key,” Quintana said. “For sure, I want to keep playing. I don’t have the answer on how many years I am going to play. But I want to keep going as a starter. Whatever adjustment I need to do to be on the same level, I’ll do it.”
Tough spot for Mets bullpen
The Mets’ last two games — defeats that resulted in their first series loss in a month — demonstrated how much they need help in their bullpen. Edwin Díaz’s suspension (five more games to go) and injuries to a few other key relievers put the Mets in this situation. But it’s on the front office to fix it.
How much does president of baseball operations David Stearns believe in this team right now?
It is hard to come up with easy answers for fixing a compromised bullpen at the start of July with the team sitting a game below .500. It comes down to sticking with the internal options, being proactive on the trade market (beyond monitoring marginal moves like waiver claims) and/or getting creative with the pitching staff
Jumping the market and acquiring an accomplished reliever one month before the trade deadline typically requires a steeper price. Is it worth it? On one hand, the Mets appear to have a strong lineup that helps them stand out in a mediocre wild-card picture. With a better bullpen, they’d likely be a firm contender. And in theory, the Mets could trade for a reliever and then flip him in a few weeks if they don’t continue to play well. But that’s a big risk, considering the volatility of the position — injuries happen, and performance isn’t guaranteed.
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Speculatively, the Mets could use a couple of starters as relievers, but sometimes teams are reluctant to do that because it takes time to build someone back up. Mendoza said Megill, for instance, would continue to make starts in Triple A.
As of a few days ago, the Mets planned on allowing their play to continue to inform their approach. Their lineup has led them to more winning, but their beleaguered bullpen needs improvement to keep up the good vibes. It will be interesting to see where the front office goes from here.
So far, the Mets have used internal options. It didn’t work out well for them on Sunday. Right-hander Matt Festa, in his Mets debut, allowed five runs in the 11th inning during a 10-5 loss to the Houston Astros. There are still more names the Mets may consider on their list of internal candidates, but they’re remaining open to adding, according to league sources — which makes sense. As constructed, their thin bullpen is susceptible to continuing to get exposed.
Club officials sound encouraged about Senga
It remains unclear where and precisely when Senga will make a rehab start this week. But after facing live batters and throwing a couple of bullpens, club officials are encouraged by where he’s at. Those good feelings are the result of how Senga feels, what he’s saying and how he’s driving the process along this time. Remember, he reached the point of facing live batters before he paused his progress last month and then had to restart after a triceps issue. This time, he is saying he feels good about both his physical condition and his mechanics.
(Photo of Jose Quintana: Adam Hunger / Getty Images)
