5 Mets players who've butchered our trust in them

All of us have broken a family heirloom in the living room as a child while playing with a ball or a balloon. It’s why we can’t have nice things. They tend to always break and let us down like these five New York Mets players.

Coming into the year, there was varying hope that these five would provide the club with a solid performance. Unfortunately, whenever the good times seemed to roll, they didn’t go very far.

These five Mets have butchered any of the trust we once had for them going forward. A role change or less playing time could help. Until then, putting any faith in them recovering for next year is futile.

1) NY Mets pitcher David Peterson butchered any trust we had in him

David Peterson has had a curious Mets career. He stepped up big for the team in 2020 and again in 2022 whilst in a smaller role. In 2021 and 2023 when they were counting on him to do much more, Peterson came up short.

This year’s version of Peterson was inexcusably bad. He had every chance possible to stay in the rotation and help keep the Mets afloat in the absence of some of their bigger name starters. He ended up demoted and has since practically removed himself as an option for the rotation next year—unless of course the Mets care to find out a little more about what he can offer.

Peterson’s trajectory could have him staying in limbo as a starter they recall from Triple-A and demote as needed or he makes a full-time switch to the bullpen. It’s necessary to have players like this. The problem is Peterson hasn’t always been the most effective in it.

We’re all hoping Peterson finds some more consistency either as a starter or reliever. This goes for this other guy in the same boat.

3) NY Mets pitcher Drew Smith slaughtered any trust we had in him

Our trust in Drew Smith might have been blown a little out of proportion heading into this year. A good yet not great reliever during his past seasons with the Mets, Smith’s season numbers aren’t horrific. It’s his tendency to suffer in high-leverage situations which has many fans curious if he’ll stick around for next season.

Smith hasn’t done himself any favors in elevating up the ladder into a bigger role. He’s essentially a seventh inning man at best. When giving him opportunities in the eighth or ninth, Smith has been far less reliable.

A poor career FIP seems to have finally caught up with him. This statistic measures what a pitcher’s expected ERA might be. Last year, Smith posted a 3.33 ERA but had a 4.33 FIP. The contrast was even greater in 2021 when he pitched to a 2.40 ERA but had a 4.69 FIP.

There is room for Smith to return to the Mets next year and try to figure things out. However, expecting him to take another step forward is out of the question. He is what he is and that’s a middle-of-the-road arm who can shine at times and darken our days on others.

4) NY Mets catcher Omar Narvaez exterminated any positive thoughts we had

Man, the free agent signing of Omar Narvaez was a major disappointment. His early season injury did allow us to get to know Francisco Alvarez a whole lot better. It does little to satisfy his spot on the roster. At this point, the Mets are better off with Tomas Nido sharing the catching duties. Narvaez never has been able to get anything going with the bat. It’s looking like they’ll have a very expensive backup catcher on the roster next year.

A several-months-old take now looking laughable was the Mets carrying three catchers with Alvarez and Narvaez sharing DH duties. I know, right? Don’t feel too bad if you were willing to consider this. Narvaez has hit well in the past. The .206/.292/.305 he slashed last year was an outlier. Maybe not.

It seems the Mets have gotten burned by believing Narvaez was a good fit for them. His past success and 2021 All-Star selection seems impossible to believe at this point.

Narvaez can get a small pass due to the injury which has essentially stolen away most of his year. Nevertheless, it’s hard to have any trust in him returning as a better player. We’ve already moved onto Alvarez anyway.

5) NY Mets outfielder Starling Marte tore up the good faith we had in him

It’s really the injuries that hurt how we feel about Starling Marte most. They cut him down at the end of the 2022 run. Offseason surgery and some lingering injuries early on this year surely contributed to what will go down as one of the more disappointing efforts.

Marte never seemed as locked in this year. Physical limitations? A toxic locker room? It’s all speculative as to why he wasn’t as sharp in the field or at the plate. Mostly, Marte’s lackluster performance can be attributed to an aging player beginning to break down further.

On the plus side, Marte can still steal bases. He surpassed last year’s total thanks in large part to MLB rule changes. But still, swiping over 20 bags isn’t easy in any circumstance. Marte’s bat has weakened. So has his glove. His legs are sharp.

Our expectations of what Marte can contribute moving forward have changed drastically. A well-rested offseason could help do the trick. Otherwise, reset those predictions for next year. He might be headed toward a ninth spot in the lineup.