Sal Licata, after some reflection, has a potential solution to fix the 2023 Mets.
After initially believing a fire sale might be best, Sal has pivoted to selling just one of New York's aging aces, and bolstering the bullpen before the trade deadline.
"This team, not that they're a bullpen arm or two away, but it's not like they haven't been in these games," Sal said. "They've blown a ton of leads…they need to sell off either [Max] Scherzer or [Justin] Verlander, because I don't believe in selling because they're bad. They need to change the look of the core of this team.
"I'm not just giving them away, but you can pay half of it, get better prospects, and rebuild your farm, and still have an ace…and then I would look to add bullpen arms."
While Scherzer and Verlander have both pitched better of late, Sal believes paying $43 million, each, for two starters is too much commitment to one area of the roster. The bullpen is one of the worst in the league, and if it could be strengthened, it would help the Mets hang on to some of the leads they blew during the month of June. If that means parting with one of those future Hall of Famers, so be it.
"The idea would be to take the money on," Sal said. "You may have to take on a bad contract to get the bullpen arms you want…and then, in turn, to alleviate that cost, send Scherzer and Verlander elsewhere, to now you're trading that money from one of the high-end starters to the bullpen, and I think you would be a better team because of it."
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
