3 missed opportunities for the NY Mets that could cost them a playoff spot

If the New York Mets miss the playoffs, we’re all going to need to evolve to the point of having a few extra fingers for every aspect to get its proper blame. Pitching, hitting, coaching, fielding, executive decisions, and the sheer lack of fast food mascots throwing out first pitches are all factors which could lead to the team’s ouster following game 162.

Several misses are a part of why the Mets are where they’re at, including these three missed opportunities in the middle of the season that were staring them right in the face.

1) The Mets should have called up Nolan McLean earlier

How many wins did the Mets miss by keeping Nolan McLean in the minor leagues? There isn’t any singular moment, day, or game where the Mets should have had McLean on the roster. It’s easier to just say he should have been in the majors before the MLB trade deadline. This would have at least given them an idea of how he can handle big league hitters. Did he really get any better squandered in Triple-A through mid-August?

The Mets have been guilty of keeping many of their exciting and high-performing minor leaguers on the farm a little too long. For some reason, the trade deadline isn’t viewed as a line in the sand. Shouldn’t it be? The team failed to add a starting pitcher at the deadline which isn’t the bigger concern. With red flags already popping up, the time to call up one of their hottest young pitchers had already passed. They ended up with him in the majors about two weeks later, possibly in hopes of earning an extra draft pick in the future. Sometimes you need to concern yourself more with the present than the future.

Increasingly debatable missed opportunity: Waiting to call up Brandon Sproat

2) The Mets should have signed David Robertson

In late July, David Robertson signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. In case you didn’t hear, he has been pretty good. He now has a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings with 20 strikeouts. A tightrope walker at times, he’s still far better than a lot of what the Mets are using in their bullpen.

Robertson was certainly a candidate to join the Mets who had nothing to lose but money by adding him. Because of where they are in the luxury tax penalties, one could reason that they were a little hesitant to spend more. However, with remaining salaries of the four players they added days later at the trade deadline calculated onto the books, it’s not a good enough reason. We can only assume the Mets just didn’t have enough belief in Robertson or the veteran righty didn’t have interest.

Increasingly debatable missed opportunity: Not signing Walker Buehler

3) The Mets should have seen if Drew Gilbert had any fire to give them

Drew Gilbert has become one of the most popular players on the San Francisco Giants. Despite Tyler Rogers being easily the best player added by the Mets at the trade deadline, it’s a deal that has become increasingly painful. The Giants aren’t going down easily. He has helped add some fuel to their postseason push. Wouldn't it be nice to have that kind of energy?

The idea of calling up Gilbert to be a center field solution never seemed to occur to the Mets. While his big league numbers haven’t been amazing, he has outplayed Cedric Mullins. The addition of Jose Siri back from the IL adds the element of improved center field defense, too. Gilbert’s energy has no doubt played a slight role in the Giants’ success. Moreover, it’s the lack of production the team has received from Mullins who has essentially been benched that makes this a greater lost opportunity. It would have been better to fail with Gilbert than to be left wondering “what if?” with him.

Increasingly debatable missed opportunity: They should have kept Jose Butto