00:00All right, let's get you guys ready for some Mets action on the second half of the season
00:03with our very own Dan Martin.
00:06He's got his second half season preview for you guys.
00:10Dan, thanks for hopping on with us.
00:11I know you got to get over to Citi Field in a bit.
00:13Let's start with Sean Mania.
00:15My man's back on the mound at Citi Field for the first time since Game 3 of the 2024 NLDS.
00:23What's your expectations on Mania's first outing back from injury?
00:28And how big is it for the Mets to get him right back after the break?
00:33Well, we got a preview of it.
00:36You know, right before the break, he came in and out of the bullpen, pitched three good innings.
00:39They were very encouraged by that.
00:41But to have him back in the rotation, you know, they've missed him for that first half.
00:45He was such an integral part of last year's rotation.
00:48So he's part of a bigger improvement that they figure to have in the second half
00:53because their pitching rotation was just completely decimated in their first few months
00:58with Mania being down, Frankie Montas being down.
01:02You know, those two guys were a big part of their offseason, bringing those guys in as free agents
01:05or in Mania's case, bringing him back as a free agent.
01:08So they were encouraged by what they saw the other day.
01:10But to have him every five, six days now, if he can replicate what he did last year,
01:15that's a huge boost for them and a huge boost for the rotation that's already gone through
01:19a lot of injuries and Kodai Senga is kind of up and down with his health.
01:23So they really need Sean to kind of do what he did last year.
01:27And most importantly, to stay healthy.
01:29I wonder him coming back healthy.
01:31Does that change what they do at the trade deadline?
01:34Because, you know, that's right around the corner.
01:35So what positions do you think that David Stearns tries to go after at the deadline?
01:43I think starting pitching is still a consideration just because they've, you know,
01:47they lost Griffin Canning.
01:48Like I said, Kodai Senga, you're always holding your breath when he's on the mound.
01:52So that's a possibility.
01:53But what they really need help is in the bullpen because, you know,
01:56A.J. Minter's out for the year.
01:58Basically, Edwin Diaz has been the only reliable arm all year.
02:01And that's great from the closer spot, but they need to get to him.
02:06So I would expect them to add at least an arm or two there.
02:09And then you've got center field, which has been a mess the whole season.
02:12Since Jose Siri, who they brought in, they thought he was going to be an answer there.
02:15But he's been out with a leg injury all year long.
02:18And they've just gotten no offense from that position.
02:21And third base could be another spot where they look to upgrade because Mark Bientos and Brett Beatty,
02:26they haven't really found their footing there.
02:29So there's a lot of work for David Stearns to do.
02:33But the Mets are in pretty good shape half a game behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East
02:37going into the second half.
02:38They'll take that.
02:39But, you know, if they want to get as far as they did last year in the playoffs,
02:42there are some upgrades that need to be made.
02:45My guy Francisco Alvarez has been tearing up in AAA since the Mets demoted him.
02:51Do you think that he gets called up soon?
02:53And would calling him up, I guess, add value to the team at this point in the season?
02:57Well, they certainly hope so because catching is a mess right now.
03:03You know, they got Luis Torrens last year from the Yankees, and he was a pleasant surprise.
03:07But he's proven to be a backup catcher.
03:09If you play him every day, the offense just isn't there.
03:12His whole body of work kind of goes down.
03:16They have a lot of faith in Francisco Alvarez.
03:19They placed a lot of importance on him.
03:21They thought he was going to be a major part of their future when he hit 20-something home runs as a rookie.
03:26He's taken steps back each of the last two years, both offensively and defensively.
03:31So they've been impressed by what he's done in the couple of weeks that he's been at AAA Syracuse.
03:36But he's going to have to translate that to the major league level whenever that does come.
03:41I would expect it to be soon because, like you said, he is playing well down there.
03:46The AAA coaching staff is like what they've seen.
03:49Carlos Mendoza said he's been very impressed.
03:51So I would expect Alvarez back in Queens any day now, which is fine.
03:58But they have to have him hit like Francisco Alvarez and not the guy like the last year and a half, which has been very disappointing.
04:04Yeah, he's entertaining to watch, too.
04:06One of my favorite players on the team.
04:07So final thoughts on the Mets going into the second half of the season, Dan.
04:11You know, it was a crazy first half up and down, you know, for the first couple of months of the season.
04:17They looked like the best team in baseball.
04:19Then they flipped a switch and they couldn't get out of their own way.
04:22So now they find themselves in the second half in a pretty good spot.
04:25You know, they're right behind the Phillies.
04:28Their rotation is getting healthier.
04:30They've got the assets to make some trades.
04:32If they want to, to upgrade the roster before July 31st, they've got the core of the team from last year that overcame a lot of the same issues and made the playoffs and got to the NLCS.
04:45So they've got a winning pedigree.
04:47So I think they're pretty pleased with where they are.
04:49The next 10 days, though, are going to be very vital with what David Stearns does to tweak the roster and maybe make even bigger moves than that.
04:57But, you know, I think most teams would like to be where the Mets are right now.
05:02Dan, Saturday is Wright Day at Citi Field.
05:05David Wright spent all 14 of his MLB seasons with the Mets, as you know.
05:09There are a lot of great moments, but a lot of injuries kind of set his greatness back as well.
05:14So how do you remember David Wright's time in Flushing?
05:17I think that sums it up pretty well.
05:19The great play mixed in with the injuries that just kind of messed up his whole career.
05:27Billy Wagner, his former teammate, is going into the Hall of Fame next week.
05:30He just said today he thought if Wright didn't get hurt, he might have been going into the Hall of Fame himself.
05:36And I know a lot of people have the same belief in that, that when David Wright was healthy, he was as good as anybody.
05:42And, you know, he was really the face of the franchise for probably the better part of a decade.
05:46And a lot of those times the baseball wasn't great in Queens, not his fault, but he was always accountable.
05:54He made sure other people were accountable.
05:56So he's a very popular player with the fans, a hugely popular teammate.
06:01So I think, you know, even though he didn't win a World Series, he got there against Kansas City.
06:05They came up short.
06:06That was really important to him.
06:08But when you look back at that era of the Mets, I think he really embodies it.
06:12And, you know, he's very worthy of this honor.
06:16And I know he appreciates it.
06:17And, you know, it'll be interesting to see.
06:19He's so far the last captain that they've had.
06:21There's been talk that Francisco Lindor may be the next one.
06:25But he wore that captaincy very well when he was in Queens.
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