Alderson concedes Mets have to be 'realistic about where we are'

The gravity of the New York Mets' current situation is dawning on their general manager.

After reports surfaced that the club was now "open for business" regarding veterans in the final year of their contracts, Asdrubal Cabrera doubled down on New York's hardships this season when he publicly requested a trade after discovering he had been switched from shortstop to second base for Friday's contest against the San Francisco Giants.

Though the Mets went on to win 11-4, New York is still just 32-41 on the season and languishing in a distant fourth place in the NL East, a scenario that led Sandy Alderson, their general manager since 2010, to suggest it may be time to overhaul the side.

"I think we have to be realistic about where we are, that’s not to say we’re throwing in the towel by any means," Alderson told reporters Friday, according to the Daily News' Kristie Ackert. "We haven't played very well the last 10 days, we need to play a lot better. Things can turn around in 10 days, but guess what, they need to. So in the meantime we have to be realistic about where we are in the division race and where are in the wild card.

"It's not going to require more than one or two team to fall back for us to be a possible contender again, but I don't want to whitewash this, we haven't played very well. We need to play better. If we don't, we have to be prepared to recognize that."

Of course, injuries are partly to blame for the Mets' tumultuous 2017 as stars such as Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes, and Matt Harvey have all missed significant time this season.

But despite their misfortunes, Alderson stressed he doesn't foresee the Mets making any immediate moves to remedy the current situation or plan for the future.

"We're not on the cusp of something right now," he said.