3 NY Mets roster Hail Marys for a final attempt to salvage the season

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Are the New York Mets done? Don’t make me answer that honestly.

Football training camps are underway and many of us aren’t quite ready to concede the baseball season. We were hoping August and September games would count enough where it’d lead to some October action.

In honor of football coming back, let’s look at three Mets roster Hail Marys to make over the next week in a final attempt to salvage the season. Each is a bit bolder than the previous.

1) NY Mets roster Hail Mary: Promote Ronny Mauricio and start him at second base

We know Ronny Mauricio isn’t Beetlejuice because we’ve all said his name at least three times and he hasn’t appeared. The Mets were much less hesitant to promote Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos this year in comparison to how long they’ve held back Mauricio. We get it but also, did they learn nothing from last year?

Calling up Mauricio now would be a Hail Mary. It’s a move to make before the trade deadline, too. Send the kid into the manager’s office and let him know he’s going to end July with the big league club.

Mauricio becomes a starting second baseman on the Mets—defensive warts and all. The injury to Starling Marte makes Jeff McNeil an option in right field where he has already made several appearances this season.

The Mets need to get busy winning or get busy dying. They’re going nowhere without some extreme changes. The promotion Mauricio seems like the easiest and most obvious Hail Mary to throw and hope it lands in the receiver’s hands. They had the opportunity to do it this weekend following the Luis Guillorme injury. Instead, they chose Danny Mendick.

INF Luis Guillorme has been placed on the 10-Day IL with a right calf strain.

INF Danny Mendick has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

LHP Josh Walker will serve as the 27th man.
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 22, 2023

2) NY Mets roster Hail Mary: Promote Mike Vasil and use him in the bullpen

The other player many fans are ready to promote is pitching Mike Vasil. The pitching prospect is on the rise within the system and probably the closest significant minor league arm they could eventually promote. He doesn’t look quite ready for the majors just yet. Down in Double-A right now, we can estimate an arrival to the majors at some point next season.

Rather than run out the clock, go for 11 yards at a time, and play it safe, the Hail Mary play here is to call Vasil up and put him in the bullpen. Expecting him to go from Double-A to the majors and start would be a little too extreme. Pitching out of the bullpen might be a more effective introduction.

The Mets won’t do a thing this year unless their bullpen is improved and in a major way. The trade deadline is one way to address it. Trying to get something from pitchers like Vasil is the other.

In terms of addressing the bullpen with trades, the Mets should look exclusively at players under contract for next season. This might mean some slightly inferior pitchers at the price of a rental. Filling in those middle reliever spots to bridge the innings between the starter and David Robertson would be the mission if the Mets choose to “go for it.”

3) NY Mets roster Hail Mary: Trade Jeff McNeil to fix the bullpen

There isn’t a bigger somewhat reasonable Hail Mary than trading Jeff McNeil right now. Even if this isn’t solely for the sake of saving the 2023 season, it’s an idea to mull over. McNeil was the subject of plenty of Mets trade rumors after the 2021 campaign where he was basically the same player he is now; an unappealing light-hitting one who doesn't do much hitting.

McNeil remains a fit for the Mets, but if they were looking to change things up, he’s the player to move instead of Pete Alonso. Alonso’s power is far more difficult to replace. All McNeil is bringing to the table this year is the ability to play second base and the corner outfield spots.

A Hail Mary McNeil trade right now does seem like less of a Hail Mary and more of a punt on third down. The only way it would qualify is if the Mets were able to acquire two quality MLB relief pitchers for him. It’s the “high” of what they could possibly get and even this type of return might be a little too high considering how poorly he has performed.

Stack the odds against the Mets doing something this extreme in the next week. In the offseason, however, it might be a greater consideration. The team will have Starling Marte programmed into a corner outfield spot and he is basically McNeil with speed on the offensive side of things. How many low power and medium average players can this club afford to keep?

The 2023 Hail Mary would send McNeil to a non-contender for two of their better bullpen arms. Ronny Mauricio then becomes the starting second baseman and we add some prayers to our Hail Marys.

In terms of Hail Marys, this is one to throw when you can already smell the lineman's breath. Do the Mets do it? I think I'd be a coward and take the sack than risk an interception.

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