Trade Deadline Preview: New York Mets

Jun 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada (11) fields a ground ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Needs to be addressed:

1.) Shortstop: We’ve been hearing this lie since 2010; Ruben Tejada will come around and be the New York Mets’ shortstop of the future. Enough is enough. It’s been five years of utter mediocrity, and he’s proved time and time again that he’s nothing more than a bench-player. If somehow they find themselves as buyers at the end of July, their number one priority should be to find an upgrade over Tejada. Even if they aren’t competitors at that juncture, they still should be seeking a shortstop for the next few years. Gavin Cecchini and Amed Rosario aren’t projected to be ready until 2017, so this remains a conspicuous hole for the foreseeable future. Especially considering Wilmer Flores has churned an abysmal 53 wRC+ in 52 games in the majors.

2.) Bullpen: For the first time in Alderson’s tenure as the Mets G.M. he has an exceptional bullpen. Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Vic Black, Dana Eveland, and Josh Edgin all have ERAs south of 2.50, and Carlos Torres and Gonzalez Germen have been decent, too. But given how fluid relievers tend to be, it’s important the Mets find a consistent reliever to stick in the back of the ‘pen to forge irrefutable consistency back there.

3.) Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud has been much better since his return to the majors, but has been dreadful the majority 2014. On top of his struggles in the big-leagues, questions surrounding his durability have been prevalent his entire professional career. All said, he’s a big question mark for the Mets. It would be wise to pursue an improvement over Anthony Recker and the injured Taylor Teagarden, so a better safety-net for d’Arnaud is in place.