The New York Mets have been struggling as of late. They once led the National League East, but have since lost ground in the division and are now trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by 5.5 games. Not only is their chance to win the NL East potentially slipping away, but they are losing ground in the Wild Card race as well. They are now just one game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final spot.
The Mets need to turn things around quick to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2007 and 2008 — years in which the Mets collapsed, blowing a big lead down the stretch and ultimately missing the postseason on the final day of the regular season. But there are things they could do in order to reverse their skid.
Perhaps calling up No. 4 prospect Jonah Tong to boost their starting rotation could help them work some magic down the stretch.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Mets could promote Jonah Tong to reverse their funk
The Mets were busy at the trade deadline, acquiring several relievers, including Ryan Helsley, Taylor Rogers and Gregory Soto, to boost their bullpen. They also added outfielder Cedric Mullins in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.
Their pitching staff has been their main issue as of late, as an overworked bullpen has coughed up some late leads. While Tong is a starter, they could potentially use him in multiple roles. This year, he is 9-5 with a 1.50 ERA in 21 starts between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Mets will want to be careful not to rush him to the big leagues unless absolutely necessary, especially since he has only started one game at Triple-A. But he pitched well in his first game with the Syracuse Mets, going 5.2 innings and not allowing an earned run.
Nolan McLean, the team's No. 5 prospect has been called up to fill a rotation spot already, but putting Tong in a long relief role could help solidify the bullpen a little bit and take some pressure off of some of their higher-leverage arms.
Tong appeared in the Futures Game back in July right before the All-Star break. It would be quite a jump to make his MLB debut at some point in September. But it's not impossible, and if the Mets are desperate enough, they should be willing to do it if it means reversing their current misfortunes.