It sounds like the NY Mets are committed to Starling Marte for the wrong reasons

SNY’s Andy Martino can’t sneeze without getting criticized by New York Mets fans. Some of the disgust is self-induced. Spending any ounce of energy battling fans on social media is a good way to let trolls know how to beat you.

In the aftermath of the 50,000 New York Yankees fans versus one Juan Soto, Martino put together a story on a proclaimed “secret weapon” of the Mets. It’s Starling Marte and how he’s here to help players like Soto acclimate to playing with the club.

It’s understandable and a good way to add some value to a player not showing much life on the field. Marte has been a poor hitter and unusable defender. Giving him a purpose is outstanding to see, but isn’t that up to the coaches and not players directly affecting the outcome in the games?

Starling Marte is doing all of the right things, but it’s not enough for the Mets to keep him around

Marte has been more than just a mentor of sorts with Soto. Mark Vientos sang his praises, crediting Marte for his leadership skills.

It’s a similar situation the Mets were in last year with J.D. Martinez who received plenty of love for how he handled himself in the clubhouse. Although it was Jose Iglesias who grabbed his opportunity and sang his way into our hearts forever, Martinez was more of a catalyst to turning the team around. Vientos had some of those same positive sentiments to say about Martinez who embraced being a veteran who could pass along knowledge to younger players.

The Mets never did move on from Martinez last year, but until the final weeks he had been playing well. They also didn’t have enough other options to replace him at that point either. The situation with Marte is far different as he’s in his third year of questionable ability.

We can, and should, appreciate Marte’s efforts at welcoming Soto to the Mets family. The oldest player on the roster, he doesn’t seem absent-minded about the situation he’s in. He’s making the most of the situation he’s in by staying loose and trying to help Soto enjoy the game by staying loose and being a little goofy. Is it reason enough to keep him around?

It’s a catch-22. If doctors could cure everything that ails us, they’d be put out of business. If Soto starts swatting and looking comfortable, Marte’s job is complete.

Marte has some work to be done. Soto’s answer after Monday’s game and another failed hustle attempt didn't garner the token response of “I gotta do a better job” and instead claimed quite the opposite.