Mets Scapegoats: 1 player, 1 playoff plan, 1 front office decision to blame most

Poor Mets plan scapegoat: The starting rotation plan

The Mets didn’t have much of a choice on how to line their rotation up against the Milwaukee Brewers. The same went for the NLDS against the Phillies. When they got past those two rounds, they finally could regroup and plan carefully for the NLCS.

They ended up not going with Sean Manaea in Game 1, rather asking Senga to take the ball in the opener despite barely pitching all year. It was a questionable call especially when Senga would be limited to how many pitches he could actually throw. Manaea could have gone on regular rest and been available in Game 5 as well as maybe a relief appearance in Game 7. It was a bad call and put a sour taste in the series from the start.

This didn’t actually end up being the costliest mistake of all by the Mets. Consider they didn’t score a run at all in Game 1 and managed to win Game 5 with David Peterson on the hill. Manaea had his chance to keep the season going in Game 6 only to put together his worst start of the playoffs.

That’s why this poor plan is more of a scapegoat than an actual true criticism. We can still hate on it, but there are other reasons why the Mets are done. They didn’t hit. They didn’t pitch. No amount of good planning could have helped them overcome this.

Mets front office scapegoat: This team needed better bullpen arms

When the Mets exited the MLB trade deadline, it sure did feel like they improved the roster. The biggest takeaway was how they managed to improve the club without sacrificing any major prospects. Jesse Winker joined an already talented offense. Huascar Brazoban and Paul Blackburn came along for the ride to give the pitching staff some depth. Neither cost much. They had control beyond 2024.

Meanwhile, others paid ridiculous prices for top-tier trade deadline additions. The San Diego Padres gutted their farm system to add extremely talented relievers. Not all of them are under contract for 2025. They must not feel too great about that fact.

The two pitchers the Mets did at the trade deadline who ended up appearing often in the playoffs were Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton. The latter struggled mightily and that option on him for 2025 doesn’t seem quite as guaranteed. We’re grateful the Mets added both of them, Stanek for a prospect and Maton only for cash.

The problem is the Mets needed one other arm. Throughout this postseason run, they had too many bullpen arms we couldn’t count on. Tylor Megill was essentially a mop-up guy and so was Danny Young. Senga was kind of just there with a big question mark. Brazoban, Max Kranick, and Adam Ottavino never did pitch in the playoffs and yet they found their way onto the roster at some point.

The Mets were counting too much on what they already had. They needed Jose Butto to continue his marvelous season. Reed Garrett needed to be the guy he was in the first month of the season. 

Rationally, they weren’t one relief pitcher away from advancing to the World Series. At the very least, this team did need a left-handed stud out of the bullpen. We’re scapegoating here. We’re thankful they didn’t sacrifice a big prospect for Tanner Scott and yet the feeling of knowing all along they had an inferior bullpen then seeing the relievers get pummeled does send a tingle down the spine.