1 NY Mets problem they can cure, 1 they can work around, 1 not getting any better

As the New York Mets languish in last place in the NL East, it can feel as if things have gone wrong on all fronts. To an extent, they have, even if the team has played better baseball as of late. The team has gone 11-13 since the ridiculous 12-game losing streak earlier in the year, which is still nowhere near good enough.

But all of their problems aren't created equally. In some cases, there are solutions out there, even if it might take some work on David Stearns' part. In others, they can be mitigated, though that will require Carlos Mendoza pulling the right levers. Unfortunately, in others, it's hard to see how they can possibly find a remedy. Where that leaves them, ultimately, is anyone's guess. Flawed teams can still find ways to October, and once one is at the dance, anything can happen.

The Mets can cure their bullpen woes

It might have seemed that Devin Williams was irreparably broken by the losing streak, but since April 26 through May 13, he's made seven appearances without allowing an earned run and has surrendered just one walk during that time frame. Yankees fans will tell you to be afraid, and they might be right, but for now, it looks like the former Brewer has righted the ship.

The strength of the Mets' bullpen has come in the middle innings. Huascar Brazoban, Brooks Raley, and Austin Warren have all been superb. Tobias Myers has been pretty solid overall. That gives the club a decent floor.

The question is going to be in the eighth and the ninth innings. AJ Minter is on the verge of resuming his rehab assignment, though what he can provide once he returns is unknown. Luke Weaver is more or less in the same boat as his former Yankee teammate. The worst-case scenario is that Stearns needs to go out and find one or two high-leverage arms at the deadline. That's not ideal, but there are always a bunch of teams selling these sorts of relievers in July. New York will have to make the right choices, but given the foundation, this unit is fixable.

The Mets can work around the starting rotation

Admittedly, this thought seemed much simpler before Clay Holmes broke his leg. That's a huge blow, but fortunately, the Mets still have Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta to lead the rotation. The problem is, who else can they count on?

Christian Scott has looked pretty good in his brief time in the rotation. You'd like to see fewer walks, but you love the strikeouts, and he has that former top prospect pedigree to give you hope.

Down on the farm, Jack Wenninger's performance up in Syracuse should have him as the next arm to be called up. If Jonah Tong gets on track, he could become a backup option as well. David Peterson has a 3.62 SIERA and 3.57 xFIP, two stats with strong predictive qualities.

The point being, the Mets have internal options here. They all bring some level of risk and have their own questions to answer, but if the club can find four quality starters and a fifth guy who can be decent enough to hold down the fort most nights, they should be okay. The key will be the top two really getting the job done, and Mendoza pushing the right buttons to prevent the rest of the starters from getting exposed.

The Mets' offense is irreparable

All season long, the offense was the worst unit on the team, and that was before the rash of injuries that have taken out Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr., and Jorge Polanco, among others.

Bo Bichette has raised his OPS 121 points from April to May; unfortunately, that only means that it rose from .419 to .540. Marcus Semien's bat is regressing big time. Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have been disappointments. MJ Melendez has been a nice platoon bat, but he also carries a strikeout rate north of 36%.

The only constant has been Juan Soto. That shouldn't be a surprise, but obviously much more is needed. Carson Benge has improved at the plate a good deal in May, and AJ Ewing is off to a hot start, though it's only been four games. The Mets will need more than Soto and a couple of rookies to carry them through.

The unfortunate thing is that most of the injury contingent doesn't seem like it will provide much of a lift once healed. One has to imagine that, eventually, Francisco Lindor will hit like the back of his baseball card suggests, but that alone won't be enough.

The Mets would need to make a few big trades and have several rebounds in performance, as well as a few true breakouts in order for this unit to move from baseball's dregs to a top-tier unit. Even getting to average seems like a Herculean task.

It's tough to envision a world where the club can get the lineup to the point where it can be a positive force to help win ball games consistently. Given the other issues with the rotation and the pen, it's also not all that easy to see it getting to a place where it can ride the coattails of a strong pitching staff to October. Sad, but true, the offense might be broken beyond repair.

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