Sandy Alderson offered a blunt appraisal about his offense, a unit that has looked lost in clutch situations and has stopped hitting the home runs that had once sustained it.
But on Thursday, the general manger indicated that the Mets may not swing the kind of trade that brought in slugger Yoenis Cespedes last summer.
Instead, Alderson said improvement from the players they already have will be the likeliest path toward getting the Mets back on track, not the major splash that many regard as a quick fix.
“There’s no single acquisition, at least that I can see, that’s going to change what’s transpired over the last two months,” Alderson said. “It’s going to have to come from within.”
The Mets began a four-game series with the Cubs ranked 13th of 15 teams in the National League at 3.58 runs per game and last with a .233 average. They are also below the league average in on-base percentage (.305) and slugging (.399).
The home run had been their savior. But they have slipped to fourth in the NL with 97 homers.
“The power has more or less disappeared,” Alderson said.
Indeed, the Mets have struggled to hit overall, though their weakness with runners in scoring position has been particularly debilitating. They began the day hitting an NL worst .205 in that situation, 27 points lower than the Phillies, who rank second to last.
So far, the Mets have come to no easy conclusions about their struggles.
“Whether we’re chasing poor pitches in the strike zone as opposed to being a little more selective is maybe a different story,” Alderson said. “But it’s hard to tell exactly what has happened.”
Injuries have played a part. Slugging first baseman Lucas Duda is still two weeks away from baseball activity because of a stress fracture in his back. David Wright has undergone neck surgery that could sideline him for the rest of the season.
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud only recently returned from an extended absence with a shoulder injury. But he has yet to find his stride at the plate, hitting only .203, entering Thursday night.
However, underperformance is also part of the equation. The clearest case has been Michael Conforto, whose averaged slipped to .222 before his demotion to the minors. The Mets are hoping that he forces a promotion quickly.
Otherwise, it doesn’t appear that the Mets are in the mode to make a splash. Alderson said he doesn’t intend to trade any “blue-chippers,” and earlier this week, a team source told Newsday that top prospect Amed Rosario is virtually untouchable in trade talks.
Although the Mets held a private workout for Cuban star Yuliesky Gourriel, competition for his services may be stiff, and it’s unclear what he could contribute immediately
“It’s frustrating for everybody that we’re sort of back at square one on the offense,” Alderson said. “But again, we’ve got the personnel to be better and I expect we will be.”
..... - Newsday