New York Mets: Three reasons to stay optimistic about 2019

Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz Must Be Better

The day the Mets traded for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, many doubted the first blockbuster deal by Brodie Van Wagenen. Cano’s early struggles made it look worse especially as Jarred Kelenic got off to a hot start down in the minors.

Adding some insult to injury, Diaz suddenly hit the wall and became a liability in the ninth inning. Suddenly, neither acquisition has been worth the move.

Cano and Diaz have had their moments. Cano’s three-home run game and a small number of other big hits have at least made some limited appearances. Diaz was fantastic for the first few weeks of the year so we have at least seen the best of him at some point.

Both have to be better than what we have seen. If they’re not, I’m not sure where the Mets turn.

If Diaz has yet to lose his closer role yet, I don’t see how Mickey Callaway yanks it away from him now. The same is true for Cano except it’s his starting gig at second base and place in the middle of the lineup. Cano continues to hit in the heart of the order. It’s going to take a historic dip for him to move down where he actually belongs.

This pair needs to step up and do what they were brought in to accomplish. Diaz needs to save games and Cano needs to hit. Neither needs to be a top player at their position. They just need to do the bare minimum and put up average numbers to give this team any shot at competing. The rest of the team will do the work.

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Do the Mets have any shot at the playoffs or are they the walking dead for the next few weeks?