Mets fan starts campaign to raise $3 million to get the team a better hitter

The New York Mets looked on Thursday night like they might land on the unfortunate side of a Clayton Kershaw perfect game. They ended up with three hits, 11 strikeouts and a goose egg where the runs go on the scoreboard. It was their fifth loss in seven games since the All-Star break and the mood in Queens is none too pleased.

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The Mets, 49-47 after their loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, are looking more and more like an also-ran with each passing day. They once led the NL East. They’ve still got that dynamic, young pitching staff but, eek, that offense. They’re scored 329 runs this season, second-worst in baseball, down there with the lowly Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. New York’s .235 team batting average ranks 30 out of 30 in MLB.

How bad has it gotten? One Mets player expressed dismay to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that John Mayberry Jr. was in the clean-up spot Thursday and he’s “hitting one f—–g seventy.” That’s confidence-instilling language.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Mets desperately need to make a trade to add some offense. They’ve been connected to Ben Zobrist of the Oakland Athletics and teammate Josh Reddick. Hey, Justin Upton sure would look nice at Citi Field. Jay Bruce, maybe? Meh. Reports out of New York say that the Mets aren’t keen on spending much money. So they’ll probably underwhelm everyone and wind up with Cameron Maybin. Fans, understandably, are frustrated.

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Enter Mets fan Etan Bednarsh, who has started a GoFundMe campaign titled, “Let’s Get the Mets a Hitter!” That’s actually quite proactive compared to the Mets front office thus far. Bednarsh wants fans to toss in $3 million. Here’s his pitch video. At the time of this writing, he had raised $315.

Surely nobody expects Mets fans to foot the bill here, right? Of course not. This is about shaming the team’s ownership more than anything. Just like those “Sell the Team” billboards fans put up.

The worst part for the Mets at the moment? The San Francisco Giants have shown us, via their recent title runs, how possible it is to win a World Series with great pitching and an adequate lineup. Still, the Mets’ lineup needs help before it’s even adequate.

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