Klapisch: Why Mets clubhouse hasn't been the same without David Wright

NEW YORK – Too bad David Wright wasn’t around this week to educate Robert Gsellman about a simple clubhouse protocol called respect. The captain hasn’t been around much in the last two years, and while the Mets miss what he used to bring to the lineup, the real longing is for Wright’s ability to draw a red line and actually enforce it.

It’s hard to believe Gsellman would’ve had the audacity to mouth off to Sandy Alderson on Tuesday had Wright been around. Instead, while the veteran is trying to strengthen his back and save his career, Gsellman told reporters on Tuesday “I don’t care” after Alderson suggested he start pitching better.

What insolence. What arrogance. Alderson is an Ivy-educated lawyer, a Marine lieutenant who saw combat in Vietnam, one of baseball’s most distinguished executives. Yet, Gsellman, who’s pitched less than two full seasons in the majors felt comfortable dismissing his GM with a smirk.

Alderson showed remarkable day-after restraint, explaining the only reason he didn't discipline Gsellman was because of his scheduled start against the Yankees. And to be fair, Gsellman was contrite after the Mets' 5-3 loss to the Yankees, saying "it’s my job, so I definitely care. I apologized to Sandy for saying it and we talked it out.”

Still, Gsellman deserved a dressing down and a fine, if only to send a message to the rest of the Mets that words and attitudes matter, even if the season is effectively over.

But Alderson shouldn’t be alone delivering this message. Good clubhouses tend to police themselves, making sure the wise guys are either reformed or moved out. I cannot imagine a single Yankee who would’ve mocked Brian Cashman and gotten away with it. Nor is it possible a Met would’ve tried it on Wright’s watch, either.

Remember, it was Wright who famously dumped Noah Syndergaard’s lunch in the trash in 2015, convinced the then-rookie’s ego had gotten ahead of his resume. Wright, along with Bobby Parnell, were shocked to find Syndergaard eating in the clubhouse in the middle of a spring training game.

Wright was already on the downside of his career by then – a diagnosis of spinal stenosis was only a few months away - but he still had the guts to stand up to Syndergaard.

“When I speak to somebody, when I get on somebody, the point needs to be taken,” Wright told Newsday that day.

Never mind that Thor could’ve crushed Wright in a fight, he was already that large and powerful. But the thought of challenging Wright never crossed his mind. Duly chastened, Syndergaard thanked the captain for opening his eyes.

“I understand where David was coming from,” Syndergaard said after the incident. “We’re playing a team sport. I should be out there supporting my teammates.”

Fast forward two years. Wright is immersed in rehab, unsure if he’ll ever play again. The front office admits it has no idea what to do about third base in 2018; there are no prospects in the farm system. Ownership says it can’t force Wright to retire, but is dropping hints there’ll be no protest if he decides to go home for good.

The Mets, meanwhile are adrift, slogging through their sorriest summer in decades. The veterans have been traded off – Jay Bruce, Neil Walker, Lucas Duda - leaving Terry Collins, himself a short-timer, with a room full of kids. Michael Conforto has been elevated to team leader, whether he’s ready or not. The vacuum is evident everywhere you look.

Even before The Great Slide, there were signs of decay. Syndergaard apparently forgot his team-first ethos by refusing Alderson’s request for an MRI back in April. He ended up tearing a lat muscle and cost himself the next three months. Matt Harvey failed to show up to the ballpark on the day he was supposed to pitch back in May. Then Yoenis Cespedes told an Oakland writer that A’s manager Bob Melvin has been his favorite all along. Cespedes says he's endorsed Melvin in the clubhouse, right under Collins' nose.

Collins figured it was too late in his tenure to make an issue of Cespedes' loyalty - he let it pass. But taken together these are the actions and words of a team that’s gone rogue in the absence of authority, not unlike grade schoolers taking advantage of the substitute teacher. Alderson, the principal, is a tough guy, make no mistake. But he’s not in that clubhouse on a daily basis. Nor is Collins. Without an in-house enforcer, and six weeks of meaningless baseball on the horizon, you can expect the worst.

That’s why the news about Wright’s rehab was so disheartening: there's been no breakthrough. Spinal stenosis is an incurable condition, one the captain will have to endure for the rest of his life. He deals with shooting pain down his leg, stiffness in the lower lumbar, and, even on the good days, a dull ache that makes standing up for more than five minutes a chore.

It’s a wonder Wright hasn’t said Enough. It may come to that. It’s possible he’s giving strengthening-and-rehab one last chance to succeed this fall and winter. If there’s no improvement by next February, don’t be surprised if he and the Mets say goodbye. It’ll be a unfortunate ending for a good guy who deserved better.

The Mets will eventually find another power-hitting third baseman, but they have to move even faster in their recruitment of a new leader. Last thing Alderson wants is the clubhouse to turn into "Lord of the Flies."