New York Mets: What to Watch for in the Second Half of the Season

With over half of the season in the books, there are more question marks surrounding the Mets than there were in April.

Since the beginning of the season, the team has gained a minority owner (almost), lost its two corner infielders for most of the year, had an MVP candidate, lost an MVP candidate to injury, have not seen their ace pitcher yet, and their most durable player had not played over half a season since 2008. Through all of this, the team starts the second half one game over .500.

I am sure not many people could have predicted any of this, especially the part about having a winning record. Unfortunately, due to the surging Braves and the seemingly unstoppable Phillies, the Mets still are far from a playoff birth.

The team is full of young, energetic players with most of the high-priced talent on the DL. They have shown a lot so far, but there are still a lot of questions remaining for the rest of the season. 

Can the Mets Stay in the Wild Card Race?

The Mets start the second half of the season 11 games back in the division and 7.5 games back in the wild card race. While staying above .500 is admirable for this young team, earning a postseason birth is another level.

The team is now fighting the clock on the season. Sandy Alderson has told the press he will evaluate the team in 10-12 game increments. This should continue until July 31^st, when the General Manager has to decide whether or not to trade the valuable pieces off his roster.

Luckily for Alderson, the Mets will get a chance to see just how good they are in the next three days. The team faces the Phillies, a group with the best record in baseball. Fortunately, they will be missing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. If the Mets can take advantage of the bottom of the rotation and win the home series, it might give a boost towards the rest of the year.

In order to compete, Terry Collins' club needs to continue to overachieve. They will have players returning from injury, but fans need to hope it won't be too little too late. The Mets need to step up, especially against their divisional opponents over the next few weeks, in order to be taken seriously as contenders.

Who Will Fill the Closer Role?

Now that Francisco Rodriguez has been shipped to Milwaukee, there is a void left at the back of the bullpen. While K-Rod has not been invincible, he had still been a very adequate closer with 23 saves in 26 opportunities. The question is can anyone on the roster replace him.

The obvious choices are Jason Isringhausen and Bobby Parnell. Jason Isringhausen has the experience that it might take to pitch in the high-pressure situations. He has 293 career saves, and the team might want to help him get to that 300 mark. He has also stated that he wants to remain a Met, a wish that may or may not be granted. The team leader with 15 holds should be the easiest pick for the closer spot.

The other option, Bobby Parnell, is probably the better choice for a team at this stage. The 26-year-old Parnell is under team control for a few more years and could possibly evolve into the team’s closer of the future. The fireballer has improved his secondary slider to complement his 100+ MPH fastball. The remainder of the season should be used as a tryout for next season.

Last season when the closer role became available, manager Jerry Manuel chose future free agent Hisanori Takahashi over Parnell. The difference is that his job was on the line, and he felt he had to win now rather than worry about the future. Terry Collins has more leeway, and should think about winning in the future.

What Happens When the Stars Come Back?

Although Ike Davis has had another setback and seems unlikely to return this season, the rest of big names should be returning over the next month. Jose Reyes should return after some time resting his hamstring and will hopefully pick up where he left off. David Wright is expected to start his rehab games today and should be back in a few weeks. Johan Santana will start facing batters soon and go through a spring training process to get into pitching form within the month.

The tough part will be for Terry Collins to balance the returning players with the lineup that has been producing over the past few months. Justin Turner, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, and Lucas Duda have all been playing Collins’ brand of baseball. They are tough and they play as hard as they can; yet they stay within themselves. Who gets sent to the bench? Who gets sent to the minors?

Terry Collins has kept his team focused on winning regardless of the circumstances. If Santana returns at not quite full strength, should he stay in the rotation if the team is still in the playoff hunt? Who loses their spot?

The manager has performed a magic act by keeping the team together through all of the distractions. His job will only get tougher as there will be a revolving door of players over the next few weeks. Players will be returning from injury, others might be shipped off in trades. If Collins can keep the team in a playoff hunt, he should win manager of the year in a landslide.

What Kind of Return Can the Mets Get in Trades?

The K-Rod trade does not signal the white flag. The Mets are still aiming to play for the now and fight to the finish. However if they start losing, Sandy Alderson will not hesitate to get top value for their players.

Jason Isringhausen, Tim Byrdak and Chris Capuano are all players that could possibly moved at the trade deadline. Each of them is a free agent after the season and could be helpful rentals to a contending team for a low-level prospect. The big prize however is Carlos Beltran.

Beltran has surprised almost everyone by his production and his durability this season. His sixth all-star game in eight years only vindicated his great work. The Mets might no longer need his services, but there are a multitude of teams who would love his production. This could start a bidding war to give Alderson the top-prospect he is looking for.

With the Giants being the most likely destination, the Mets will hope for either pitcher Zach Wheeler or speedy outfielder Gary Brown. The Red Sox could also provide some quality players including shortstop Jose Iglesias.

How Can the Team Prepare for Next Season?

If the team does fall out of the playoff race and “raises the white flag” on the season, the team should immediately start preparing for next year. There will be plenty of openings on the roster, and with the attempt to cut payroll while still signing Jose Reyes there is a need to find in house alternatives.

As discussed, the Mets should employ Bobby Parnell as a closer to see if he can be the next Heath Bell, a cheap option in the future. Pedro Beato has also shown an ability to get players out and should receive an increase in responsibility as the season comes to a close.

The other large opening next season will be in right field. Whether Beltran is traded or not, there is very little chance of him re-signing with the club. This leaves an opening that would be very expensive to fill through free agency.

Fortunately, the organization has in-house candidates in Lucas Duda and Fernando Martinez. I know many have already given up on Martinez, but he is still very young and will hopefully be able to play a full season. Duda, on the other hand, is currently on the major league roster and is starting to get regular playing time. With more at-bats, he might be able to show he can keep the starting job.

One other candidate for playing time towards the end of the year is Jordany Valdespin. He has been hitting very well at Double-A Binghamton and is already 23 years old. He also has 29 stolen bases and could possibly replace Reyes at shortstop, should the Mets not retain him. The only downside is his defense, as he has committed 22 errors so far. Without Reyes, the team will have another option besides Tejada to fill the role. Hopefully they give him a look in September to see what he can do.

For the first time in a few years, the Mets' brass is not fighting for their jobs. In the past, Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel and Willie Randolph each made decisions that slightly helped the team at time at the expense of the team’s future knowing that they might not have been with the club in the long run. With the steady leadership of Sandy Alderson, the New York Mets should remained better prepared for the future.