MLB Rumors: Mets on the hot seat, Judge has a problem, Tatis doesn’t get it

MLB Rumors: Is Mets manager Buck Showalter feeling the heat?

Despite the highest payroll in baseball at his disposal, New York Mets manager Buck Showalter has yielded a team just one game over .500 to this point in the season. It’s a long year, and by no means is Showalter’s job in jeopardy right now, but Steve Cohen does not strike me as a patient man.

In all likelihood, this Mets team will manage a turnaround and perhaps a postseason appearance. This roster was constructed with World Series aspirations, but injuries and downright poor decision making from the top-down has kept them from reaching those goals. Showalter is not immune to this, either, as his choice to pitch to Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Saturday night likely cost the Mets the game.

With a runner on second base in the ninth inning and first base open, New York could have intentionally walked Guerrero Jr. Instead, Showalter surprisingly decided to pitch to him, and the Mets paid the price.

“Just trusted Robbie (David Robertson) there. Also, looked at the 10th inning a little bit, too, what it sets up. He hit a groundball where we couldn’t catch it,” Showalter said. “It didn’t work out, so it’s something that’s going to be critiqued. If it had, we’d have been in a really good situation.”

David Robertson defended his manager postgame, despite the decision to pitch to Vladdy with Cavan Biggio and his .610 OPS on deck.

“It’s not like anybody is an easy out in this league,” Robertson said. “Doesn’t really matter who you’re facing, the guys can hit the ball. They get paid to hit. It’s on me for not making a quality pitch there and not finishing that at-bat.”

Eh, except it does matter who you’re facing when that player is a perennial AL MVP candidate. Showalter bet on his bullpen, and that backfired. Now he has to suffer the consequences, which in New York City is a whole lot of ridicule.