Mets' woes already piling up early in the season

The New York Mets, a so-called super team filled with big-name players and even bigger contacts, have not gotten off to the start many envisioned.

The Mets began the year 3-3, but some of the underlying issues have raised concerns.

It started in the spring when pitcher Jose Quintana went down with an injury. It raised questions about the starting staff’s health – something Yardbarker first warned about – given their pitchers’ ages. Justin Verlander, a prize free-agent acquisition, is 40 years old, and fellow ace Max Scherzer only started 23 games last year.

Then closer Edwin Diaz was lost during the World Baseball Classic with a season-ending knee injury.

That created bad mojo heading into the year, and the team with the league’s highest payroll hasn’t gotten off to a hot start. Scherzer was roughed up in a 9-0 loss on April 4 to the Milwaukee Brewers when he allowed three straight home runs.

“I’ve just got to pitch better, that’s it. There’s no other quote. There’s no other way to do it,” Scherzer said, according to the New York Post. “I’ve got to pitch better and get outs when I need to get outs, especially with two strikes.”

Post writer Jon Heyman noted the concerns with the team, including the fact the offense hasn’t scored a run in two straight games. That is a far cry from the team that started 3-0 in Miami.

The season is young, and the Mets could easily turn on the jets after working out the starting kinks. The Mets could easily run away with the National League East. However, right now, there are concerns for the team coasting early in the season.

The Mets might have to call up top prospect Brett Baty to provide a spark and replace auto-out Eduardo Escobar in the lineup, as Heyman noted. Baty has a thumb injury but lit up spring training and is considered one of the game’s best prospects. His youthful excitement and energy could spark the more veteran Mets to play with more urgency and return to winning ways.

For now, though, fans in Queens are waiting for the super team to just play better.

“I’m really happy to go with what I got,” manager Buck Showalter told the Post about his team.