Mets will probably still have their weak Sunday lineups under Luis Rojas

Bad Sunday New York Mets lineups are likely to continue even with new skipper Luis Rojas writing them out.

Something I’m not sure any of us miss about the New York Mets is the lineup card on Sunday. It has become a running gag that the team doesn’t even try. I understand in many cultures and religions Sunday is the day of rest. This doesn’t mean you need to sit three of your best players and continue to start a guy who hasn’t gotten a hit in two weeks.

Under Luis Rojas, things could be different. The Mets could look at Sundays as a day to sit a single player. I’m not holding my breath for anything to change.

It’s a Mets tradition to see a weaker than usual lineup on Sunday. The backup catcher gets the start, a hot-hitter gets a break, and at least one other guy will watch the game from the bench. There were times in 2019 when Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil sat in the same game. Many times, McNeil was red hot at the time.

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Rather than do the more practical thing and spread out these off-days, the Mets chose to punt. It doesn’t seem like a managerial decision either. These lineups date back to the Terry Collins era. We can probably even find some prior to his stint if we have enough time to dig around.

Mets baseball on Sunday isn’t all bad. The team does still come away with wins. Something about a blind squirrel or a broken clock can explain this.

Jacob deGrom has developed a reputation as a star during Sunday day games. He doesn’t always get the help he deserves from the outset of the game with a less-than-impressive starting lineup. Unfortunately, with the DH coming to the NL, he won’t be able to help himself much on the other side of the ball with a bat in his hand.

This isn’t about deGrom, though. This is about an organizational philosophy that Sunday is the only day when players can sit.

Unfortunately, even under a new manager, things aren’t going to change.

Doubly bad, it’s not the general manager’s call—unless Sandy Alderson and Brodie Van Wagenen believe the same thing. It’s definitely possible. However, I like to think this is a Jeff Wilpon way of thinking. All front office decisions fall on him anyway since we all know he’s the shot-caller at the end of the day.

All teams will use Sunday as a chance to sit players. Notably, the backup catcher will typically see his name written in Sharpie and maybe another guy may sit.

Perhaps it’s because we follow the Mets most closely it feels the team overkills this planning. There were times in 2019 when it felt like they were thinking about off-days on a day-by-day basis instead of planning a little more into the future, maybe splitting them a little more.

The good thing for the Mets is they have the depth to do something like this. McNeil’s flexibility alone adds more options.

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All that said, I would take a bad lineup over no lineup at all. After losing so much baseball in 2020, any baseball is better than none at all.