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Mets: Five good reasons they will/will not make the playoffs
Now, for the other side of the fence. Here are five good reason that the Mets will not make the playoffs, submitted by contributor James Dececchi…
1. THE PITCHING IS TERRIBLE
The Mets are currently second-to-last in MLB in ERA. The starting pitching has certainly stabilized in recent weeks with the returns of Steven Matz and Seth Lugo, as well as Jacob deGrom pitching tremendously lately, but the bullpen is putrid. With rumors swirling that the team is going to make Addison Reed and possibly Jerry Blevins available, the pen could resemble even more of a dumpster fire after the trade deadline. Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia are on the mend but it could be too late.
2. IT MAKES SENSE TO SELL
It makes fundamental sense for the Mets to sell at the trade deadline. With all of the pending free agents on the team, the organization has a real opportunity to cash in on these chips and build depth for 2018 and beyond.
3. A BLACK HOLE AT SHORTSTOP
Jose Reyes has been dreadful this season, slashing a pitiful .215/.284/.370, and is the primary everyday shortstop right now. Amed Rosario will be called up at some point this season (rumor has it) but it seems reasonable to expect some sort of adjustment period once he reaches the big leagues. It’s unfortunate he hasn’t been called up yet.
4. POSSIBLE ROUGH SPOTS ON THE SCHEDULE
As Charles states above, the Mets do have a pretty favorable schedule in the second half, but there are some pitfalls. The Rockies, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Dodgers, Astros, and Cubs will surely provide some speed bumps.
5. INJURIES
With the way this season has gone, you can never discount injuries causing more problems. Syndergaard, Neil Walker, Harvey, and Familia are working their way back but nobody is sure when they’ll return or what they may be.
Next: Mets and Tebowmania: Can we all calm down?
So Mets fans, where do you net out on this now that the second half of the season has kicked off? Let us know what you think tweet us @RisingAppleBlog, @zito1972, or @jdececchi.