3 Mets news stories we hope to see this summer, 2 disastrous ones they can skip

NY Mets news story we hope to see: Francisco Lindor re-enters the MVP race

Even more needed than Francisco Alvarez is for the team’s other Francisco to start playing better and continue to do so. This version of Francisco Lindor is much closer to the 2021 model. He’s nothing like the guy finished ninth in the 2022 MVP race. A low batting average, a poor OBP, and defense not quite where we’d expect it have all led Lindor down a dark road we’d love for him to stray away from.

Lindor re-entering the MVP race is a best-case scenario for the Mets who desperately need their star shortstop to do more than be competent. He needs to literally be one of the best players in the league without question.

What Lindor was able to accomplish last year might not have met everyone’s standards. It’s still hard to refuse 107 RBI under any circumstances. Right now, we’d take the .270/.339/.449 slash line he posted.

The Mets won’t necessarily be a good team if Lindor is playing his best. On the other hand, if he’s not having a good year, it’s easy to see them fall out of the playoff race quickly. This team is dependent on him nearly as much as they are on Pete Alonso.

A summer tale of Lindor silencing every one of his doubters is one we’ll all sign up for.

NY Mets news story we hope to see: A team built on its starting pitching

Mets fans love their power-hitting rookies. They want their stars to meet expectations. They also demand a team with good pitching. This has become ingrained in the culture of this franchise. Strong pitching won them their two championships. It’s the one working recipe fans have ever seen.

This year’s Mets were supposed to have a starting staff capable of carrying them deep into the postseason. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander aren’t collecting mega bucks at the tail-end of a lengthy contract. Scherzer is only in year two with Verlander only a handful of starts into his contract. Those two alongside Kodai Senga and MLB veterans Carlos Carrasco and Jose Quintana need to be the ones who make up for this team’s lack of offense.

It’s easy to see how the Mets hitters do underperform and become much closer to league average than expected. Players are getting older. Each night will feature at least two or three guys who probably shouldn’t have a full-time gig in the majors.

Brilliant shutdown starts from Mets pitchers will come as a relief for fans, too. Losing a pitcher’s duel is easier to accept than getting outslugged. Plus, who really believes the Mets can outslug all that many teams? A tight 2-1 game is more palatable.

NY Mets news story we hope to avoid: Held back by injuries

Those are the news stories we’d like to see. The ones we’d like to avoid aren’t much different from any other year. The difference between 2023 and past seasons is the Mets came into this year hyped up with the largest payroll in MLB history. And if it all sinks because of injuries, we’ll have no one to really blame.

Injuries will harm every team throughout a season. The Mets have had their share this season. Justin Verlander began the season on the IL. We haven’t even seen Jose Quintana. They’re currently working without Pete Alonso for probably close to a month by the time he does get back.

We can blame the manager for making bonehead mistakes. The general manager can get ripped for adding inferior talent. It’s those injuries that become the biggest pests of all.

The Mets were willing to open the year with an older roster. The injury concerns were always there. Careful to avoid this becoming a major story for them thus far in 2023, it does remain a worry.

If the Mets are able to pull themselves together but an injury dooms them, it’ll be the ultimate insult. It’s troubling for them to be this far behind so early in the year because it could mean players trying to work through some pain. That never seems to work in the end. Hold your breath and hope no one misses a Pilates class.

NY Mets news story we hope to avoid: A trade deadline sell-off

A waving of the white flag midseason isn’t what any of us had intended for this year’s Mets squad. They haven’t sold at the trade deadline since 2018. Even then, were expectations all that high? Their offseason additions of Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier, and Jason Vargas among other average or worse players didn’t seem to have the same kind of juice as the pieces the Mets have brought to the roster in the last two years.

Several other high-profile and big payroll teams have floundered. The San Diego Padres are climbing up a mountain. Let’s not forget about the Philadelphia Phillies either. What’s going on with the St. Louis Cardinals who, while they don’t have a massive payroll, do have the reigning MVP and third-place finisher on their field? This year’s trade deadline could see teams who didn’t plan to sell getting rid of some players we figured would ride out the year in their city.

No Mets fan wants to see a July where the only rumors we get involve where Eduardo Escobar could get traded to be a bench piece. A trade deadline sell-off means August and September have no meaning. The third wild card spot may help convince the Mets to avoid slowing down. They’ll need to avoid slipping too far behind to prevent this from happening.

The consequences of missing out on the playoffs should be huge. And if they’re not, we’ll have an offseason Mets news story we’d like to avoid.

“Mets retain Billy Eppler, extend Buck Showalter, and run it back with the same roster all over again” is problematic.