The storyline prior to the Mets' game Monday night against Arizona was the report Noah Syndergaard expressing his displeasure with throwing to Wilson Ramos. Manager Mickey Callaway addressed the situation prior to the game, and as first pitch approached, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen weighed in, as well.
"Noah has expressed his issues with his comfortability with throwing to Wilson," Van Wagenen said. "I respect him for sharing those feelings. We listened to him. He understands our thought process that we might have him throwing to other catchers throughout the course of the season. We'll continue to evaluate that on a day-by-day basis and do what gives us the best chance to win."
"Every game counts right now."
That gets more and more true each day, as the Mets entered action Monday four games out of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. With an increased sense of urgency, Van Wagenen knows that it's imperative the Mets put their best lineup on the field every time out.
"On a day-to-day basis, we have to understand all the factors and variables that go into making the lineup," Van Wagenen said. "Mickey considers all of them and ultimately makes the lineup with the intention of winning as many games as possible. We've won a lot of games with Wilson. We're confident we can win with whoever is out there."
But with a wealth of data available, it can sometimes be somewhat of a balancing act when it comes to making the decision of who will be behind the plate on a give night.
"Sometimes we have to look at opposing pitchers," Van Wagenen said. "Sometimes we have to look at the other players that are available to us that night to make sure we have enough offensive production to give us a chance. Sometimes we have to look at the pitcher/catcher matchup. But it's a balancing act to make sure that we factor in all the information we have available to us."
At the end of the day, it all comes back to winning games. While Syndergaard may be frustrated, the general manager mentioned that this isn't the first time this discussion has been had between the hard-throwing right-hander and the organization.
"We've had a dialogue, going back to early in the season, where we had an opportunity to hear his thoughts," Van Wagenen said. "We were able to share information for him and have an ongoing conversation about what's best for the team and what gives us the best chance to win."
"Wilson is a good player. Noah is a good player. Everyone out there is trying to do their best to win a game."