David Robertson commerce means Mets’ season formally a failure

The Mets’ final hope to win a long-shot playoff spot ended with the costliest staff in baseball historical past promoting their finest participant to the low-payroll, lower-revenue Marlins.

You learn that proper. The Mets, the staff with the virtually $400 million payroll, surrendered their season objective and playoff aspirations with a trade to send star closer David Robertson to the small-market Marlins.

We will’t blame the Mets’ honchos, led by common supervisor Billy Eppler, for executing the deal. The Mets obtained two prospects ranked inside the Marlins’ high 21 prospects, infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez, which looks as if a reasonably truthful return beneath regular circumstances. The transfer might nicely grow to be probably the most prudent factor the Mets did this yr.

However proper now, it appears like a stab to the guts, and a sure season-ender. Robertson was a savior within the pen because the alternative for injured star nearer Edwin Diaz, often taking the ninth inning, usually taking up the opposition’s finest hitters and nearly at all times succeeding.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor put a superb face on the season-killing commerce afterward, however the actuality is that the Mets’ hopes for 2023 season ended by surrendering probably the most very important participant on their 26-man roster.

“I’m nonetheless very optimistic that we’ve an incredible probability for the playoffs, for attending to the dance,” Lindor stated on SNY shortly after the deal.

We don’t blame Lindor saying that, as no Met price his contract goes to confess it’s over so far as the competitors for the World Collection trophy. Lindor stated they weren’t even calling it a sale within the clubhouse, which tells you they’re doing their finest to make it sound like one thing it isn’t.

After all, the deal marks the start of the Mets’ sale, and really possible one of the best a part of the sale, since Robertson is the staff’s one veteran who is definitely outperforming his wage. Robertson additionally was probably the most constantly glorious performer on the Mets, and simply probably the most very important participant. The Mets’ bullpen is ranked round twentieth total, and that’s with Robertson, who was top-of-the-line relievers this season and will have been the staff’s All-Star. Who is aware of what will probably be with out him, however it could possibly’t be that good.

“Robertson’s been a rock,” supervisor Buck Showalter stated within the press convention after the sport.

That was correct, but additionally an fascinating alternative of phrases, for the reason that Mets might nicely sink with out Robertson. They actually received’t compete for a playoff spot, which clinches this season as probably the most disappointing within the historical past of this usually star-crossed membership. It doesn’t matter what they need to name it, this can be a sale, and so they’ve raised the white flag.

The query now in fact is now not, “Can they win sufficient video games to make the playoffs?” however moderately “Who’s subsequent?” It could possibly be Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, who’re having stable seasons and appear to be tradeable veterans, although they received’t convey this type of return.

The larger query is whether or not the Cooperstown-bound Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer would possibly go, and the reply is that it’s an advanced question. Each have full no-trade functionality, so even when the Mets discover respectable offers for the all-time duo, there’s no assure they are going to be dealt. In the event that they do deal them, they’d additionally need to rebuild their rotation for 2024.

Rival executives additionally say they’d need to considerably pay down their bookend $43.33 million salaries to have an opportunity to obtain a good return for both star, with Verlander being the extra fashionable available on the market since he has pitched higher recently.

The deal was a particular downer. However one factor we will say positively concerning the commerce is that the return was stable. Daniel Alvarez-Montes, who covers the Marlins, stated Hernandez “could possibly be an incredible catcher — a swap hitter, a cannon for an arm, very mature,” and Vargas has “well-above-average bat-to-ball abilities, stable protection and a superb runner.”

That’s all good. However the actuality proper now could be that the Mets are planning for the long run, as a result of the current has now formally been conceded to be a failure.