Paul J. Bereswill
It is time for the Mets to get honest with themselves.
Unfortunately for fans, this is not the modus operandi for a Wilpon run organization. Instead, they excel at believing their own b.s. while convincing themselves that they are close to contending.
The truth is the Mets are far from a good ball club. With a farm system that has little talent at the top, the likelihood of success being just around the corner is slim.
It is a fact the Mets farm system is improving. Ronnie Maurico is having a fine year at a very young age in low A ball. The 2019 draft added three high end talent prospects, including to widely thought of as first round talent.
One could say the Mets have one of the better farm systems at the A ball level and below. That, however, will not provide major league success any time soon.
This is the reality the Mets need to face.
Present day baseball success does not go to the team that has the best 25 man roster. That is something out of the 1970s. Today, one needs to go 35 players deep to see how strong an organization is. Injuries, bullpen issues, and overall depth come into play.
The Yankees are kicking it in the American League. They lost a ton of talent to the IL including Stanton for most of the season. Their starting rotation is spotty at best yet they are still the top dog.
Why?
Look at the contributions they got from guys who would normally be labelled 20-35. This is where they excelled.
The Mets? Their talent level drops of significantly after the top 15 players or so. This is evident in the bull pen where just about everyone, including those brought up for AAA, performed at a level somewhere below awful.
Essentially, the Wilpons better get real with themselves. This team is not going anywhere soon. Talks of trading Thor need to be accurate. He has to be on the table and dealt if the right price emerges.
Sadly, the Wilpons will probably be as blind and tone deaf as always. It is what they do best.
It is also why this franchise is one of the worst in baseball. We saw 15 years of Omar, Sandy, and, now, Brodie result in the mostly the same thing. An occasional season or two of outstanding baseball followed up by mediocrity.
The team cannot even lose properly.