Who is more of the problem Terry or Wilmer?

The New York Mets just lost a gut crushing 2-1 game against the Atlanta Braves. A game where Jacob DeGrom was in cruise control until the 8th inning. With the Mets winning 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th, he gave up a lead off double.  A sacrifice bunt was laid down next, that DeGrom could have handled easily but, Tejada abandoned third to try to make a play. As a result Simmons, who doubled, was able to get to third and DeGrom barely got the throw to first base for the first out. The play that ultimately cost the Mets the game came next. DeGrom was able to get the next batter to hit the ball to a drawn in Flores at shortstop. Flores looked back Simmons at third for what felt like forever, then double tapped his glove before he threw to first. The ball didn't make it in time and that allowed for runners to now be on first and third with one out instead of having two outs. Terry Collins took DeGrom out after that and the Mets bullpen, more specifically Sean Gilmartin, proceeded to give up a double and the lead. That would prove to be enough for the Braves who went on to beat the Mets in excruciating fashion again after beating them in a game last week in a similar way.
The New York Mets ultimately have to decide is this experiment with Flores really worth it? He is always a step slow on balls up the middle and they just haven't been able to turn double plays no matter how much effort they exert. Flores has made some flashy places at times and he does lead the team with 10 homeruns and 32 RBIs but that doesn't take away from the fact that his glove has cost the Mets more than his bat has helped. All those extra pitches the Mets starters have had to throw, because of his bad defense, has cost them to go to a mediocre pen earlier then they should. Ruben Tejada is a much more reliable shortstop and although he doesn't hit for the same power that Flores has displayed thus far, he has been a solid bat. Flores, with his limited range might actually flourish by playing at third where he won't have to range as much as he does at shortstop. It seems like this should be the logical choice but the Mets seem enamored with leaving Flores to continue to struggle at short until he gets it right. Which may never happen.
Terry Collins knows if this team doesn't compete all the way until the end of the season he will not be coming back. He has tried to push all the right buttons, but this clearly cannot continue. Teams who are light hitting can get by with strong defense. You cannot, however, be a light hitting team who commits errors every night. That is just a formula for disaster. The Mets have been fortunate that they have been able to stay competitive but they need shore up the defense. The trickle down effect of better defense would be that the young stud pitchers they send out there almost everyday will be able to go deeper in games and the bullpen won't be asked to hold on to 1 run leads for more than an inning or two.
The Mets should've signed a shortstop this offseason and made Flores a utilityman off the bench. That would have provided depth in the infield and strengthened their bench. They chose not to do that. Now they won't take him out of a position he continues to butcher. Tuesday marks the return of Daniel Murphy who will only further complicate things because he isn't a very good fielder either and will more than likely have to play third. This will force Tejada, the better fielder out of the three to the bench. Terry had better take a long look at that defense or else he will be looking for another job because of it.

Where Do The Rangers Go From Here?

It was another disappointing finish to the season for the New York Rangers. Despite a record breaking regular season that resulted in a President's Trophy the Rangers still came up short when it counted the most.

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Of course, a devastating end to a season full of expectations will lead to a lot of suggestions on what to do during the off-season. Certain proposals included finding ways to get rid of Tanner Glass and Dan Boyle, not resigning Martin St. Louis (after his one playoff goal), trading a defenseman to create salary cap room, trading Cam Talbot at his peak, and the wildest scenario of all in trading Rick Nash. You certainly do not trade a guy who scored 42 goals while playing all facets of the game (five on five, power play, and penalty kill) unless you are blown away by an offer.

The Rangers will need to fill a few different needs if and when some of these moves are made. They could still use some size in their lineup, they will need another goal scorer to replace the 21 that St Louis had last season, and another d-man to fill in for the one or two they get rid of. Also any late first or early to mid second round talent the Rangers might acquire in a trade could help make up for their lack of picks in the draft as well.

Yes, they will have to get creative with the salary cap and player movements. And yes, they were hit with two pretty major injuries to two of their better players (Zuccarello brain contusion, McDonagh broken foot) and still managed to make it to game seven of the Eastern Conference Final. And yes the window gets a little closer to being shut, but as long as they maintain their core players going into next season they will still have a shot at making a deep playoff run.

The most important thing for them to do is not to panic and tear this team apart. Following their run the season before this they had a very poor off-season (just look at who is playing in the final this season with Tampa Bay) and still almost repeated in the east. If they can turn that around and do a better job this off-season it will help, even just a little, to make the transition into next season easier.

Will the Mets let yet another season go down the drain?

The New York Mets were two and a half innings away from regaining first place in the National League East last night. Bartolo Colon was throwing a gem of a game but with one swing of the bat from Welington Castillo, of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Mets were heading back to the losing column and remaining in second place in their division. The Mets have been blowing golden opportunities to take a stronghold of this division since their eleven game winning streak ended. Washington had been scuffling with their own share of injuries to start the year allowing the Mets to open up a sizable lead. That was back in April, the Mets now find themselves playing catch up to the Nats albeit by half a game at the moment. In between the Mets winning streak and today the Mets have seen David Wright, Dilson Herrera, Daniel Murphy, and Travis d'Arnaud all go down with injuries. Those injuries have taken their toll on the Mets' offense, with last night being a prime example. The Mets were only able to generate one run off ten hits. The lone run coming off a Juan Lagares scraper off the right field wall. The Mets need help and desperately.

Back in the offseason the Mets front office decided to give up their first round draft choice and sign Michael Cuddyer as a free agent. Many fans saw this as a sign that the front office was taking steps to make this team a legitimate playoff contender. However, they still needed to make other moves to ensure that could happen. As has been the case in recent years, the Mets reluctance to spend money on surefire free agents has comeback to haunt them. The Mets decided to go into the regular season with Wilmer Flores as their everyday shortstop and a bench that consisted of John Mayberry Jr, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ruben Tejada and backup catcher Anthony Recker. The infield defense has suffered as Flores has 10 errors in 50 games by himself, his pairing with Daniel Murphy up the middle has led to numerous defensive gaffes that have cost the Mets numerous games already. The bench has been lifeless on offense, in 58 at bats this year Mayberry is hitting .190, Niewenhuis was designated for assignment before being traded to the Angels for cash, Recker is hitting .156, leaving only Tejada who was almost an afterthought to be the most productive off the bench. Although with all the injuries Tejada has now been pushed to start and lucky for the Mets he has been on fire lately, but not enough to get this Mets offense on track.

With the recent injury news on David Wright, the Mets maybe without their third baseman for the entire season. That leaves a huge hole for the Mets to fill. Teams are going to try to hold them up for a king's ransom knowing how desperate they are for offense. Rumors have been circulating that they have interest in Ben Zobrist of the A's, who can play Second Base, Rightfield and Shortstop. That would allow the Mets some flexibility to use him in multiple spots. But it seems they have taken themselves out of the running for his services, saying that multiple teams would be in on him and they would be outbid. The Mets are making it clear, through their GM Sandy Alderson, they will not mortgage their future for offense. The Cubs would be a perfect trading partner with the Mets,with the Cubs GM even saying so, as they have young hitters and the Mets have young pitchers but the Mets seem reluctant to give up on Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. With good reason, they are the best young pitchers in their farm season. So that leaves the Mets left with trying to find a team that isn't interested in trying to get too much of a return for some hitters.

Enter the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers by all accounts have punted away the season after their lousy start and many around baseball believe they are hearing offers on all their players. The Mets reportedly have interest in two of those players: Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura. Make no mistake about it, these players are not world beaters by any stretch of the imagination. Ramirez is retiring next season and Segura is a defensive liability up the middle himself. They do however bring intangibles assets that the Mets desperately need. Even at the age of 36, Ramirez can still hit the ball out of the park and play a respectable third base in Wright's absence. Segura can hit the ball for a decent average and brings the kind of top of the lineup speed this team has been missing since number 7 took his talents to South Beach. Make no mistake about it the Mets cannot continue to waste games in May and expect to be in it in September. The Nationals are too good a team to keep playing at this level, leaving the only route to the playoffs being through the wildcard. That wont be a cakewalk with teams like San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and the Chicago Cubs all vying to make the playoffs as well. 

The Mets do have reinforcements with d'Arnaud and Herrera currently about a week away, but that still might not be enough. If the Mets can't get this offense on track soon it maybe another long season in Queens with no playoffs again.