That’ll be a big question this deadline while the Mets work out some roster indigestion while the trade deadline approaches. I have no idea who they will trade for and for whom and I don’t have a particularly strong opinion other than, this is a better organization to trade from in a long while and so it seems they have the capital to get whoever it is they want.
The price for Gregory Soto looks light for now but you never know what might become of Wellington Arecena. The Mets suited up Soto in his customary 65 (33 would be better, no?), while moving Jeremy Hefner from 65 to 95, though the Hef never shows his uni anyway, I barely understand why we even keep track.
Soto’s arrival meant a DFA for big lefty Jose Castillo and his No. 54. Castillo had a day or two before replaced Chris Devenski, who refused his minor league assignment and became a free agent. He seemed good enough to maybe help somebody in a pennant race, or maybe the Braves. We also saw Alex Carillo (84) and Kevin Herget in there–Herget came all the way back from Atlanta and was able to reclaim No. 57 as Richard Lovelady was gone again.
This is a resume of a number-retiree, and what we’ll see today. It’s not what we’d been seeing with the Strawberry, Gooden and even Hernandez retirements, although Keith’s post-playing career as a figure in Mets history is a persuasive extenuating circumstance. And for god sakes, its not Gary Carter, even as they’ve held his number in limbo for more than two decades, presumably waiting for the right moment. Now that they’ve demonstrated 8 is kind of special they lack the courage to go back, which is very Wilpon-y. That they’ll solve the problem by recklessly retiring it is very Cohen-y.
The only solution, I’ve come to believe, is to do away with number retirements entirely. It doesn’t do anything that a statue couldn’t do or a well-managed Hall of Fame couldn’t do and it will arrest this urge to cashier perfectly good uniform numbers that’s only going to accelerate as the team attempts sustained success for one of the few times in its history. You can’t look at Francisco Lindor today and not consider him a retiree shoo-in. We’ll have Juan Soto for 15 years or whatever, he’ll take 22 with him when he goes. Even Brandon Nimmo is creeping into immortal territory, Met-wise. deGrom? Dickey? Diaz? It may never end.
I kinda liked Dicky Lovelady (57) in his maiden Met appearance–there wasn’t much else to like that night other than another Met debut for Frankie Montas–but Dicky was immediately designated for assignment after that Tuesday Night debacle so that Jonathan Pintaro could his place. I kinda liked Pintaro too even as he couldn’t close the door with a six-run lead he was right there with the rest of the bullpen, walking the first guy he saw. But I liked his wavy blonde hair, his gigantic butt and his short trunk.
Pintaro showed up rocking No. 91, but he’s gone too. In his place is Austin Warren, who I’d already forgotten was here already this year, and briefly conflated with Adam Warren, the former Yankees reliever. This guy’s different somehow. Wears No. 44.
The headliner is Dicky Lovelady (that’s what he prefers to be called) a lefty reliever let loose by Minnesota. He’s apparently here and suiting up in No. 57, most recently belonging to Kevin Herget who was a Met for about 15 minutes in April. Does anyone remember the last Dicky to play for the Mets? That was Dicky Gonzalez (39) 
So this marks Travis’s second stint in orange and blue; he’s since played for Texas, the White Sox and the Rays, who lost him to free agency earlier this month. Jankowski is listed in 21.