Stache Exclusive: Interview With Newsday's Jim Baumbach on Mets Baseball

Recently, I had the chance to exchange emails with Newsday’s Jim Baumbach. He was nice enough to answer several of the Stache’s questions via email. We thank Jim for his support and for giving his time.

Michael Ganci: To what do you attribute the Mets’ lack of success to in the first half?

Jim Baumbach: Well, the obvious answer is injuries. Can’t ignore that. Take away three of the best four hitters from any team and you’re in big trouble. But if you want to go deeper, there’s two things that stand out: the Mets placed a lot of faith in Maine, Perez and Pelfrey—and that backfired—and their lack of roster depth, and organizational depth, was exposed by the injuries.

MG: Do you think David Wright’s home run numbers will boom in the second half? Why or why not?

JB: My guess is he will finish with more than 10. But I don’t exactly see it booming. Maybe he’ll finish with 12 or 13 or 14. But that’s about it. Thing is, not only is he playing in a huge park, but also he has so little protection in the lineup. It’s a lot different when Carlos Delgado is behind you.

MG: What is the single biggest need for this team right now?

JB: A slugger, but they have so many needs that if they happened to find a slugger, they still are not in good enough shape to contend, I think.

MG: Who has been the most positive surprise for you this year with the Mets?

JB: Tough one. No obvious answer. Believe it or not, I’d probably go with Gary Sheffield, because on the day they signed him, if you had told me that at the All-Star Game he would have posted .283/.385/.478 with 19 extra-base hits in 205 at-bats, I probably would have said you’re nuts.

MG: When Carlos Delgado returns, what will Daniel Murphy’s role be?

JB: We’re still a long way from that, and those type of questions have a way of answering themselves. The earliest Delgado returns is mid-August, and when someone is coming off a surgery like he is, typically, there's a setback in there somewhere. So I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not until the end of August when we see him. And by then, we’ll know whether Murphy deserves to play regularly, or doesn’t.

MG: Do you think the Mets need to make a trade, and if so, for whom?

JB: I think they should make a lot of trades, because right now, they need help. And how about this—why not give up Fernando Martinez and those other top prospects we hear so much about for Roy Halladay? I’d do it.

MG: Who do you think is the most important player on the Mets when it comes to team success in the second half?

JB: Beltran. He means so much to their offense and defense, and they need him healthy, but it sounds as if it’ll be a while.

MG: Do you think the Mets will make a playoff run?

JB: No. Sadly, I think it’s going to be a long end to this season for Mets fans. The only reason they’re even “in it” right now is because the Phillies have been almost as bad, and it’s hard to see that continuing at its current rate.

MG: Who has been the biggest disappointment for the Mets so far this year?

JB: Got to be Perez. You give the guy $36 million and he’s been a disaster since he returned from the WBC. The Mets have to be regretting that commitment right now.

MG: What do you think will be the coaching staff’s fate if the Mets fail to make the playoffs?

JB: I think it’s going to come down to who else is available. I don’t think Manuel automatically gets fired, because obviously his team was decimated by injuries. If Tony LaRussa leaves STL and wants to come to NY, the Mets have to investigate that. And I think if they could get him, then Manuel goes. But if there's no obvious manager out there on the open market, why not bring Manuel back for the final year of his contract?