New York Mets: How the Terry Collins Can Fix the Pig Pen

Last week I lauded GM Sandy Alderson for the terrific work he has done in rebuilding the New York Mets. Perhaps I spoke to soon, however, ignoring the two-year signing of Frank Francisco, which is looking like a train wreck at the current time.

Terry Collins must remove Frank Francisco from the closer role before he undermines the Mets season.

New York Mets fans have seen their blood pressure rise through the roof in the ninth inning over the years. While the closer across town has been lights out since 1997, the Mets have had a revolving door since John Franco began to decline.

Armando Benitez, Braden Looper, Billy Wagner and Francisco Rodriguez all had their fair share of troubles with consistency, but those were generally in the pennant race of September. Blowing three of the first 11 save opportunities is not a good way to begin a career with a new team.

The poor late-inning relief is not only a Mets problem right now, it is a problem across Major League Baseball with the exception of very few teams. Joe Lemire of Sports Illustrated wrote a terrific piece about the topic, which has only worsened this weekend. 

The early-season struggles of Frank Francisco dwarfs the struggles of any other Mets closer in the past, and he cost the Mets two victories in Miami, which would have given the team a 6-0 road trip against NL East foes.

Currently, the two pitchers who collectively blew the game—Francisco and Manny Acosta—in the ninth inning have ERAs of 8.56 and 9.53, respectively. 

Francisco and Acosta cannot enter high-leverage spots until they prove they are capable of making big pitches in high-leverage spots. 

According to Mets Blog, after the game, manager Terry Collins told reporters he has eight options, but "I'm not going to address it now when emotions are running high."

That is a rational move, but Francisco's meltdown will not be soon forgotten in the eyes of Collins. He has proven that he is not afraid to make changes when they need to be made. Former managers Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel were extremely loyal to their players, perhaps to the detriment of the team.

For example, Jerry Manuel continued to use Luis Ayala as the closer during the waning days of the 2008 season, despite his dreadful month of September. Ultimately it cost the Mets a playoff berth when Ayala served up the go-ahead home run to Dan Uggla.

The two primary options right now are Jon Rauch and Bobby Parnell. Both have closer experience in the past.

Parnell was not particularly effective last year in that role, but it is clear he is a different pitcher this year. He currently has a 2.25 ERA with a 5.33 K/BB ratio which is extremely crucial in the ninth inning. An emphasis is put on limiting the base runners and maximizing the strikeouts.

The 6'11" Rauch is not a hard thrower, but he has closing experience in Washington, Arizona and Minnesota. At this point, Collins may be more inclined to use him in the closer's role because of his extensive experience.

Rauch is intense and is a proven strike thrower, which gives him an advantage over other relievers such as Ramon Ramirez, who is walking 4.9 BB/9 innings this season. 

Right now, the Mets are 19-15 with the Miami Marlins one game behind. If they have any shot of sustaining their above .500 play, they must receive considerable improvement from the late-inning relief.

The Mets rank 28th in the majors with a 5.01 bullpen ERA. That will not get the job done, but by utilizing their most effective relievers in the eighth and ninth innings, they will have a better chance to save close ball games.

On the farm, the Mets do not have much in terms of major league-ready prospects until Jennry Mejia returns to full strength.

If the Mets remain around .500 around the trade deadline, they should certainly look for an available upgrade at reliever, perhaps Luke Gregerson of the Padres.

Sandy Alderson will also need to be more careful when evaluating relievers on the open market, but that goes without saying.