The Mets will look to keep their extended momentum going as they resume the season on Friday night, still looking like one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last six weeks.
Tiki says the next week-plus will be critical for the team, as it could determine whether New York is buyers or sellers at the trade deadline on July 30.
“I think the bigger question is, what are the Mets gonna attempt to do? How do they view themselves?” Tiki said. “I think it has a lot to do with these next two series and how they perform. If they come out and take care of business in this upcoming series against the Marlins, then you’re gonna start feeling really good about where they are and what they need to do. If they falter and they get into the next couple series and falter again, then you start worrying about the trade deadline going the other way.”
Right now, as things stand, Tiki says the Mets are buyers, and the front office needs to operate as such given how the team has been performing for over a month now, and the message from the clubhouse consistently being one that is pushing for the team to bolster the roster and go for a playoff push.
“Right now, momentum is to acquire,” Tiki said. “They’ve proven it over the last 40 games…but you gotta come out of the break keeping momentum going. If they do, then you decide, if you’re David Stearns, ‘OK, we’re evaluating, but we have a shot here.’
“The clubhouse is telling you that you have a shot. You better listen. You can’t not listen when your clubhouse is telling you ‘we want to go for this thing right now.’”