Three corrections Mets must make in second half
If this team wants to live up to expectations and go on a deep run, they must fix these fatal flaws from the first half...
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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
“The Wright Way” - a documentary based on the career and life of Mets icon David Wright - will debut on SNY at 6:30 PM EDT tonight
1B Pete Alonso (No. 6), RF Juan Soto (No. 4), and SS Francisco Lindor (No. 3) were all named in a list of the Top 10 New York athletes right now (SNY)
LHP Sean Manaea and former pitcher Ron Darling interviewed each other on an episode of Mets Flip The Script (SNY)
Congratulations to INF Brett Baty and his new fiancée, Anna, on getting engaged!
Rumor Mill 💨
The Mets are reportedly willing to trade a top prospect position player for a frontline starter at the trade deadline (Pat Ragazzo)
The Twins, who are just four games out of a Wild Card spot, have yet to start taking calls on potential trades for RHP Joe Ryan (FanSided)
Down on the Farm 🌾
All Mets minor league affiliates are off until Friday
Today’s Game 🗓️
The Mets will start the second half of the 2025 MLB season Friday night against Cincinnati at Citi Field
Three flaws the Mets must address and correct in second half…✍️
We are right in the middle of a dead period with literally nothing going on in the sports world.
Thankfully, the second half of the 2025 MLB season will get underway on Friday.
For the 55-42 Mets, a big few months await with the National League East Division there for the taking.
However, if this team is to live up to its potential when it matters most, a slew of issues will need to be fixed in the second half.
Let’s take a look at the three fatal flaws that will need to be corrected if the Mets want to live up to expectations…
1. Offensive Consistency & RISP
The Mets entered the break averaging 4.39 runs per game, which ranks 14th in all of baseball. That just isn’t good enough for a lineup featuring a boatload of talent. So, why is this offense struggling to score runs?
Inconsistency, a massive hole after the fifth or sixth batter (depending on the day), and an inability to cash in with runners in scoring position.
Juan Soto is now hitting like Juan Soto, but a slow start didn’t help this lineup. Both Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have been streaky. Brandon Nimmo has always been a streaky hitter too although he’s been on another planet over the last month or so. And the Mets have also gotten zero production from the bottom of the lineup. Both Francisco Álvarez and Mark Vientos have been massive disappointments offensively, which has only added to the overall problem.
If this team wants to go deep in October, the offense needs to be a lot better and a lot more consistent. The big stars like Soto, Lindor, Alonso, and Nimmo now need to play to the back of their baseball cards and avoid falling into slumps the rest of the way. They will need a significant upgrade to lengthen their lineup - that’s just the reality of their situation, but finding a solution might not come until we are down to the wire in late July.
However, the biggest issue that needs correcting is the overwhelming RISP problem and no matter who they get ahead of the trade deadline, the people who are already here need to perk up in that area. Simply put, the Mets have stunk all year long as it pertains to clutch hitting. Their inability to take advantage of traffic on the basepaths has cost them games, and it will really hurt them against much better pitching in the postseason. It doesn’t help that Soto is hitting just .183 with RISP.
Be it an issue with approach, or just the wrong kind of mentality in those situations, the Mets need to get to the core of why they struggle so much with runners in scoring position and fix it. And fast. Continuing to leave runners stranded on base could be the difference in a close playoff series.
2. Getting More From The Young Hitters
A lot was expected of both Alvarez and Vientos in 2025, particularly from the latter given his breakout in 2024. Alvarez had also spent the winter working on his swing and his overall mechanics, offering hope that he would be a key offensive contributor this year.
However, both players regressed dramatically.
Vientos has looked lost at the plate for most of the year, hitting just .223/.280/.361 with a .640 OPS and six home runs. He’s also taken a step back defensively, too. But his lack of production has really hurt the overall balance of the lineup.
Now, granted, Vientos did show some signs of life in Kansas City right before the break. He came up with a huge hit in the series opener, and also hit a triple in the finale. He will now need to build on that and morph back into the 2024 version of Vientos for the second half of the season. The Mets can’t afford to keep on getting little production from third base. Its going to be hard for the Mets to find a viable upgrade at third unless they can get Eugenio Suarez, who will be in high demand with the Yankees unquestionably having him on their whiteboard as well.
Álvarez will also need to step up. The catcher was sent down to the minors after hitting just three home runs while slashing .236/.319/.333. He’s absolutely mashed for Triple-A Syracuse, including slugging eight home runs with 18 RBIs and a 1.196 OPS. It appears as though the reset has worked out exactly as everyone had hoped. The mission now will be for Alvarez to come back up and offer some pop from the bottom of the lineup. That will be important given that the Mets are currently tied for 23rd in baseball in offensive production out of their catchers. That will need to change, and Alvarez is the key to making that change happen.
It goes without saying, but the Mets can’t just rely on Soto, Lindor, and Alonso in the second half. They will need a lot more production from Alvarez and Vientos if they want to go on a deep run and, ultimately, if they want to take down the Dodgers. Others, like Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, will also need to step up and be more consistent offensively, too.
3. Getting More length from the starters
The starting rotation, despite a slew of injuries, surpassed all expectations before the wheels eventually began to fall off. However, with that said, getting starters to go deep into games has been an issue since Opening Day.
David Peterson is the only starter to have given the Mets any kind of length to this point. And now that Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas are back, the hope will be that the rotation can go deeper into games.
It will be needed. The bullpen is already gassed and overworked, having taken on a formidable workload, and we’re only at the halfway mark of the season.
It just isn’t sustainable. But it’s easier said than done with the load management issues they have with Senga and Clay Holmes plus the need to ramp both Montas and Manaea up, the latter of which will take time. They’re in the April portion of their routine right now so it will be a month or so before they can expect quality length from either of them.
And we’ve already seen the likes of Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek, and Huascar Brazobán implode late in games because of how exhausted they are. They will be spent by October if this trend continues.
Therefore, with the rotation now getting healthier, and with a potential reinforcement on the way, the Mets will need all of their starters to go a lot deeper into games in the second half. That will ease the stress on the bullpen, ensuring they are fresh and ready to go for a deep postseason run.
Around the League 🚩
The Royals acquired INF/OF Adam Frazier from the Pirates in exchange for INF Cam Devanney
Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi was paid a $100,000 All-Star bonus in his contract, despite missing out on the All-Star Game (ESPN)
None of our hitters - even our core 4 - are high average hitters so hitting with RISP is imperative along with hitting HRs. I agree that Vientos will be key because there’s no guarantee we can get Suarez. I’m more concerned with the offense than the pitching honestly.
Appreciate the candid analysis. A professional tells it like it is, or how he perceives it, leaving the angry insults to frustrated fans. Team management can never be expected to be brutally honest; it doesn’t serve a constructive function and is counterproductive. So here we are: fans who are frustrated and tempted to lash out and management frustrating us with cliched answers. The truth needs not be permanent. It can be fluid and changing. For that reason I can say “you stink…until you don’t..you’re good, until you’re not. You are what you are at the moment.