It has been a rough few weeks for the New York Mets. The Mets were swept by the Phillies this past weekend and fell from first place in the NL East all the way to third place. According to SportsLine, New York's postseason odds are down to 5.0 percent, the lowest they've been all season. FanGraphs is a bit more forgiving at 20.3 percent.
"We believe that we can do this. We trust that we can still do this," Mets manager Luis Rojas told reporters, including MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, following Sunday's loss (PHI 3, NYM 0). "... Fans should be supporting the guys at this point. These guys, they come in every day ready to play, ready to give their 100 percent, and I think all of them need their support."
The Mets are 2-7 since the trade deadline, 9-15 since the All-Star break, and 21-30 in their last 51 games. Despite the club's nosedive, Rojas' job is not in danger, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Part of the reasoning is owner Steve Cohen's belief that there is no dominant team in the NL East. Here's more from Sherman:
Although the Mets have fallen to third place with a 9-15 second half, a source familiar with Steve Cohen's thinking said the owner is not holding the manager responsible for the poor play.
Cohen believes this is a different time with a different type of player makeup than when George Steinbrenner used to fire Yankees managers regularly in bad periods for the club and/or to try to jolt players into better play, the source said.
Rojas came into the season atop our managerial hot seat rankings because the team is under immense pressure to win, and because Rojas was not hired by Cohen or the current front office regime. It's not uncommon for a new leadership group to evaluate the incumbent manager for a short time before bringing in their own guy.
Of course, Rojas is not the reason the Mets are falling down the standings. The pitching has been excellent for the most part, but the offense ranks 29th in baseball with 3.75 runs scored per game. The Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis in May and there has been no corresponding uptick in offense.
The Mets are fading because the players aren't playing up to expectations. That's it. Rojas doesn't throw pitches and he doesn't swing the bat. It's on the players. But, you can't fire the roster and the owner won't fire himself. Letting Rojas go certainly wouldn't be unprecedented given the team's recent play.
Rojas, 39, spent nearly a decade managing in New York's minor-league system before joining their major-league staff. He was named manager after Carlos Beltran was let go in the aftermath of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal last year. The Mets are 82-89 in two years under Rojas.
