The Marlins, sitting 15 games under .500 in early May, jumped the market and sold off batting champion Luis Arraez to the Padres . Don’t expect the Mets to follow suit.
David Stearns wants to give the team at least a couple of more months to prove itself. The team president suggested that major changes to the Mets, who entered play Tuesday eight games under .500, with the third-worst record in the NL but only 4.
5 games back of a wild-card spot, will not arrive until around the trade deadline on July 30. “We’ve got plenty of time before that,” Stearns said before the Mets began a doubleheader against the Dodgers at Citi Field. “Throughout the month of July you are preparing for the deadline and having conversations.
I think every single year takes on a little bit of a different pace. ..
. But throughout the month of July, you’re preparing. You also don’t need to make decisions until the end of the month.
So we’ll continue to evaluate where we are.” The Mets have dropped 12 of their previous 16 games, several in gut-wrenching fashion, and are already 14.5 games back in the NL East.
When Stearns last addressed the media, on May 16 in Philadelphia, he said he believes in the track records around the clubhouse and that this club can still make a run. The Mets have lost seven of the 10 games since that pronouncement. A week and a half later, Stearns reiterated that the talent around the team still has him believing, but he acknowledged the team’s play has not ref.
