How will 'opportunistic' Mets bolster roster?

NEW YORK -- In the eight months he’s spent working for Steve Cohen, Mets general manager Billy Eppler has come to view the team owner as “opportunistic.” When the Mets realized they could land Max Scherzer on a record deal last autumn, they pounced. When they saw chances to upgrade their roster early in the offseason, they did not tarry.

Now, the Mets find themselves with another opportunity, as their 7-3 loss to the Rangers on Saturday at Citi Field offered the latest evidence of a flagging offense. Given the club’s recent shortcomings in power production, New York seems likely to pursue offensive help over the next four weeks leading up to the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. If that means blowing past Major League Baseball’s fourth and highest Competitive Balance Tax threshold, or becoming the second team ever to spend more than $300 million on player payroll, so be it.

“He’s signed off on everything so far,” Eppler said of Cohen.

That’s because the Mets’ multibillionaire owner senses a chance to win the National League East, to win the NL pennant, perhaps even to win the World Series despite the Mets’ shrinking division lead -- now down to 2.5 games, their slimmest margin since April 30. The Mets may possess the framework of a champion, with Scherzer and Jacob deGrom both on their way back from the injured list, but few would confuse them for a finished product.

• deGrom to pitch Sunday for Single-A St. Lucie

“I’m sure we will add,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor, who reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances Saturday. “Hopefully, we are in a position to add. The best teams always add something.”

While an extra reliever or two would be nice, or perhaps even a bit more starting pitching depth, offensive help has rapidly developed into New York’s most pressing need. After ranking second in the Majors in runs per game throughout April, May and much of June, the Mets have seen their production crater while their batting average with runners in scoring position has regressed to the mean. Since June 12, the Mets rank 27th in the Majors in that category.

Combined with their season-long lack of power production, it has resulted in one of the sport’s least productive lineups over the past three weeks. On Saturday, after Starling Marte and Eduardo Escobar homered to support struggling spot-starter Trevor Williams, the Mets mustered nothing else off Rangers starter Martín Pérez and two relievers. That has been a recent trend; over their last five games, the Mets have averaged 1.8 runs.

“Sometimes, the baseball gods don’t shine on you,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There’s two parts to [offense] -- one is getting them out there, and the other one is getting them in. That’s why home runs are something that people chase, because you don’t have to go through that whole process.”

To add more power, the Mets have three realistic options:

1. Promote their top prospect, catcher Francisco Álvarez, from the Minors.
2. Promote the older, more polished third baseman Mark Vientos.
3. Make a trade for an established bat.

The first option appears unlikely for several reasons -- most notably Álvarez’s age (20) and the fact that he still requires significant seasoning as a defensive player. Even promoting Álvarez as a full-time DH comes with risks, potentially robbing him of crucial development time.

The second option is a more distinct possibility, given the fact that Vientos has been raking at Triple-A Syracuse (with home runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). But his immediate success at the Majors is no guarantee. Would the Mets rely on an untested youngster as the sole answer to their problems?

If the answer is no, that makes the third option the most likely of the three, with impending free agents such as Josh Bell and Trey Mancini, who has a mutual option for the 2023 season with a $250,000 buyout, presumably available on the trade market. Deals of that magnitude typically take time to sort out, which is why Eppler currently described the marketplace as “a lot of GMs in the yard walking around and talking to each other, figuring out who’s going to go play together.” But the Mets GM also noted that “initial conversations are ongoing.”

The unspoken assumption is that the Mets may already be part of them.

“I’ve been on really good teams, and I’ve been on OK teams,” Lindor said. “Even when you’re on a really good team, adding helps quite a bit. I think it just shows we’re trying to do something -- not just for us, but for the fanbase. As a front office, it’s like, ‘We’re trying. This is not us keeping the same team.’ I think it’s really hard to keep the same team the whole year around.”