3 Mets lessons to take into the trade deadline after splitting with the Braves

The four-game series against the Atlanta Braves started well then took a turn. A split is about the best we could have hoped for from the New York Mets. It’s winning the first two in such glorious fashion and then putting up a pair of weak performances to close out the series that frustrates. Momentum is not on their side.

What did we learn this weekend? Heading into the trade deadline, this is what the front office should have on its mind.

Lesson One: A starting pitcher is a must

Tylor Megill and David Peterson are good depth pieces. Peterson, at least this season, more so. Megill’s time as a starting pitcher needs to come to an end. Outside of him being more of an opener, this should be the last time we see him start for the Mets. Peterson can stick around out of necessity, but the Mets absolutely need to add a starting pitcher before the end of the day on Tuesday.

This was and always has been something to consider. Even before Kodai Senga went down for the year, upgrading felt like a must to put together a true World Series contender. With a variety of options out there, the important thing is the Mets do something to give us confidence and move a couple of pitchers down the depth chart.

Lesson Two: Do better than Ryne Stanek

Ryne Stanek was a fine addition to the Mets bullpen despite the results from his first appearance. However, the next addition the Mets make to the relief corps needs to be a far better one than Stanek. He joined the team whilst on a cold streak. Get someone hot.

The rising cost of relief pitchers should eliminate the Mets from targeting from a specific group. If Carlos Estevez cost what he did, a pitcher like Tanner Scott should be even more. We can only expect one additional reliever added to the team. It must be the right choice and noticeably better than Stanek.

Lesson Three: Consider a spot to make a small offensive upgrade

Here’s where things get messiest. The Mets don’t have much more room on their roster because of an impending return from the IL for Starling Marte. Maybe impending isn’t the right word here. We’ve experienced before how Marte’s injuries seem to last forever. If they have an opportunity, the Mets absolutely should look to make another offensive upgrade. Time to start scouting Triple-A for right-handed hitting outfielders.

They have immediate room on the roster with Ben Gamel pointlessly remaining upon the arrival of Jesse Winker. Winker should give them a boost with the team continuing to rely on some combination of Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil in the outfield against lefties until Marte returns. The unfortunate reality is that the Mets will probably not add another bat because they’ll believe Marte will come back. He will and then someone else gets hurt. We can put a man on the moon but we can’t keep our athletes healthy?

The Mets are in great shape but let’s not look at the Braves series as a major success. They barely hit on Thursday, had one huge inning on Friday, and then didn’t show up. Alarm bells aren’t ringing. Let’s see them rebound quickly.