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PHILADELPHIA —Mets reliever A.J. Minter isn’t looking at the upcoming trade deadline as an opportunity to escape a sinking ship.
Sure, he’s poised to pitch in meaningful games for a contender down the stretch if he’s dealt — rather than eat up innings for a team doomed to miss the playoffs for the second season in a row — but that’s not what’s on Minter’s mind.
All the veteran reliever can think about is what he failed to accomplish in a Mets uniform.
“The sad part is it feels like I didn’t do my job,” Minter told NJ.com on Sunday in Philadelphia. “My job was to come here, be healthy and help this team win. I didn’t do both. It’s a sense of wishing it could be different.”
Those pangs of regret aren’t new for Minter. During spring training, the left-hander opened up about how he felt like he let his teammates down last year when he suffered a season-ending lat injury in April. He needed surgery and had to watch helplessly from the injured list as the Mets collapsed out of contention later that summer.
This year, Minter was still rehabbing from that same injury when New York broke camp and lost 12 games in a row two weeks into the season.
Once Minter made his regular-season debut in late May, New York was already 11 games under .500 and eight games out in the Wild Card race. With Sunday’s win in Philadelphia, the Mets are 10 games back of a postseason spot and 16 games under .500.
“I fully expected when I signed here to compete and to go to the postseason every year,” Minter said. “Me being injured, I was part of the reason for it, so it’s definitely tough.”
The bonds that have been built in the bullpen make this even tougher.
Minter has grown close with fellow Mets relievers Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, key figures within a unit that has been a strength (4.00 ERA) this season. Raley has a 2.02 ERA over 40 appearances, Weaver recently rattled off 25 outings in a row without allowing an earned run and Minter has the best ERA of the bunch (1.80 in 20 innings).
“We know it’s part of the business, unfortunately,” Minter said. “What makes us so good — with Luke going on the run he did, and same thing that me and Brooks, who has been having a great year — is the camaraderie down there. It’s the roles that we have with no egos.
“What makes me have a good season is Brooks having a good season. He pushes me. Same thing with Weave and everyone else down there. We’re feeding off each other.”
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With the deadline on Aug. 3, Minter is fully aware of what’s coming. Those other two relievers and the rest of the valuable veterans on this underachieving roster aren’t naive about the situation either. There’s a real scenario in which Minter, Raley and Weaver are all moved in the next 14 days. In fact, with Minter and Raley on expiring deals, entering free agency at the conclusion of this season, it would be a surprise if the Mets didn’t trade them soon.
Until then, Minter wants to keep pitching well. The way he sees it, his job with the Mets is different now.
“If I do get traded, my job is to help bring back as much talent as I can back here,” Minter said. “That’s the least I can do. I want to go out there, keep shoving and hopefully I can give them a nice little prospect back.”
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