“Do something” is always the answer, at least in real time.

We may tell our children that slow and steady wins the race, but we demand action, especially when it comes to our sports teams. That is why each offseason we exalt the busiest over the most prudent, even as years of evidence mounts to suggest high-profile acquisitions in winter infrequently translate into success in summer.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me a hundred times, the hell with it, just go get the next expensive, famous guy.

The White Sox will soon be waving a white flag after their offseason spree. New Padres general manager A.J. Preller was hailed as “a rock star GM” for a total facelift gone so wrong it should have its own reality show on Bravo. The Marlins gave Giancarlo Stanton the largest contract in team sports history, and the Red Sox spent the most money on free agency in the AL. Those two teams finished the weekend a combined 20 games under .500.

Which brings us to the Mets and renewed screams for them to “do something.” But what exactly?

The past two offseasons their “do something” was Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer (who cost a first-round draft pick besides money). And their inadequacy is as big a reason as any why there seems a need to “do something.”

Generally, blame for the Mets’ inaction has been placed on penurious ownership. And that is certainly a factor. But Sandy Alderson believes in stability, that crippling mistakes are made when passion overwhelms logic and reacting to the screaming mob is a recipe for instant popularity and long-term trouble.

Besides, it is not like there are stores selling Mike Trout right now. What is available is mostly someone else’s damaged, expensive goods, such as Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who despite playing home games in an offensive haven has fewer homers and a lower OPS than Wilmer Flores does.

Still, the frustration of Mets fans is understandable. It has the familiar fuel – all the recent years of losing and being second-class baseball citizens in this city. However, there’s also this: The Nationals were supposed to run away with the division. They haven’t. A door has opened, and it feels as if the Mets are squandering a chance. That if there were ever a time to be bold, to remove the shackles of patience, to invest prospects or dollars, now is it.

This is the internal struggle the Mets are having, and I think these are the three biggest areas:

1. The manager

This is the easiest place to throw red meat to the true believers: by dismissing Terry Collins and hiring Wally Backman. You see if Backman’s fiery persona could defibrillate these Mets, especially from their growing ledger of mental miscues. You get a half-season to judge him without future commitment. If he succeeds, you have your future manager and can probably pay him whatever you want, which both tight-fisted ownership and a GM who sees the manager as a “just follow my plan” functionary probably both would like.

But here on Planet Earth, Backman has these problems: 1) No other organization ever has asked to interview him for a managing job, which means no one outside the Mets is anxious for him to manage and 2) Unless the owners demand it, no one inside the Mets is anxious for Backman to manage in the majors.

Sorry, fans, but if left up to baseball operations, the 1986 Mets second baseman that would be picked to manage is Tim Teufel. For now, the Mets feel Collins has had to steer a roster devastated by injury and they do not hold him responsible for the team’s uneven play.

2. Steven Matz

There is nothing more “do something” than calling up touted prospects. We forget the growing pains associated with just about all of them.

But with the Mets, it is troubling that Super-2 status played at least a part in keeping down Matz. We are almost certainly beyond that line now, so the question becomes: Would the Mets win more with Matz in the rotation than Jon Niese? It is not a black-and-white question, and removing Niese would further damage his shaky-at-best trade value.

However, winning as much as possible is the essential piece here. We just saw the Cubs capitalize on a quirk in the schedule – six straight games in AL parks – to promote top prospect Kyle Schwarber just to DH for the week. That helped them win some games when we could see the NL wild cards (for which the Mets can contend, as well) decided by a few games.

3. Trades

It is not like the other 29 clubs are in a trade frenzy that the Mets are sitting out. But the Braves cleared out huge money last offseason and just made a deal for the future by agreeing to take on Bronson Arroyo’s unsavory contract (about $10 million left) from the Diamondbacks to acquire the 16th pick in the 2014 draft, righty Touki Toussaint.

This combination is what is needed from the Mets: ingenuity and a willingness to use the money they have not been spending for years now.

It is totally understandable if Alderson does not want to mortgage the future just for 2015. So if he wants to take Noah Syndergaard, Matz and outfielder Michael Conforto out of trade discussions, fine. But he must be open-minded about the rest of his farm system and, perhaps, taking on a bad contract to get a bat he wants.

The Mike Trout shop may not be open. But there are going to be useful players traded. It behooves the Mets to be proactive and creative so they can “do something.”