Late last month Broncos Elite Jerseys , when the New York Mets were on the road, a display case at Citi Field went up in flames.

Just like their 2018 season.

Nobody got hurt in the fire, which was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system, and damage was minimal, according to the team.

If only it were that simple to fix the product on the field.

With the Mets sinking fast toward the bottom of the National League standings, baseball operations were turned over Tuesday to a trio of Sandy Alderson’s assistants as the 70-year-old general manager made the stunning announcement that he was stepping down because his cancer has returned.

John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya have decades of front office experience between them, both in New York and elsewhere around the majors. But it might take all three to clean up this mess, and time is of the essence.

”We’re well below our expectations, from ownership on down,” chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said. ”Talk to the baseball department, talk to the scouting department, talk to the development department, coaches, the players – nobody expected to be in this position.”

Alderson’s indefinite leave of absence comes at a critical juncture for the languishing Mets (32-46) ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Needing to accrue young talent, they’ll probably try to sell off pending free agents such as shaky closer Jeurys Familia and switch-hitting second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera for whatever they can get.

But ace pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard could fetch an enormous return Lions Elite Jerseys , and the club must decide whether to undertake such a sweeping overhaul at this stage – without a general manager in place.

”We’re going to talk about that. We just kind of got into this,” Ricco told reporters Wednesday. ”For me, everything has to be on the table. But you’ve got to look long and hard before you move a game-changing, top-of-the-rotation pitcher.”

Even with last season’s 70-92 finish in mind, Ricco didn’t sound as though a total tear-down was likely. At least not yet.

So how do the aging Mets, not even two years removed from consecutive playoff appearances, re-energize their injury-prone team and turn it around?

The offense is stagnant. The defense is deplorable at times. The bullpen has been horrendous since New York’s 12-2 start and requires a complete rebuild next year.

Due in large part to leg injuries and a hip problem that Alderson called ”somewhat chronic,” slugger Yoenis Cespedes has played in less than half of the Mets’ games since signing a $110 million, four-year contract in November 2016. He has a no-trade clause and almost certainly isn’t going anywhere. New York needs to figure out how to get him back in the lineup.

Banged-up right fielder Jay Bruce, also in his 30s and sidelined by a hip injury, is batting .212 with three home runs, 17 RBIs and a paltry .613 OPS in the first season of a $39 million, three-year deal.

Touted prospects Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith have flopped at the plate so far.

”That’s what we’ve been charged with: improving this club,” Ricco said. ”Obviously, the trade deadline is coming up and that’s a big pressure point in which to better your club, and certainly we are going to take advantage of that and look to be active.”

Syndergaard Packers Elite Jerseys , like several Mets stars, is on the disabled list again with a strained ligament in his index finger but could be back next month. The 25-year-old right-hander can’t become a free agent until after the 2021 season.

As for deGrom, he just turned 30 and leads the majors with a 1.69 ERA going into Friday night’s scheduled start at last-place Miami. Still a salary bargain relative to his brilliant performance, deGrom is under club control through the 2020 season.

Both pitchers were instrumental in leading New York to the 2015 World Series.

”We know what we have in those two,” Alderson said last week. ”At the same time, you never say never.”

In the end, maybe the Mets will choose instead to shop mid-rotation starters Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz. Both are fully healthy for the first time in years, and their stuff looks crisp.

Of course, New York could simply wait until the winter to settle on a strategy – perhaps after a new GM has been hired.

Regardless of what happens over the next few months, it appears the team plans to conduct a search that includes external candidates at the end of the season.

That also might affect the status of first-year manager Mickey Callaway, hired by Alderson last fall.

So many questions. No easy answers.

Alderson said his prognosis is good but he doesn’t expect to be back on the job at any point, partly because his health is uncertain but also because he’s not sure it would be ”warranted.”

Whoever winds up in charge, if they keep deGrom and Syndergaard, the Mets maintain at least the foundation of a potentially competitive squad for the next two years, provided Cespedes and some other key pieces finally manage to stay healthy.

But the team might also be bypassing an opportunity to trade deGrom at peak value, running the risk that he or Syndergaard will get seriously injured before those chips are cashed.

And then there’s this tricky little complication: One of the October contenders in hot pursuit of top-notch starting pitching is the New York Yankees.

With a stocked farm system Colts Elite Jerseys , they could be a perfect trade partner for the Mets – a buzzy topic that’s generated plenty of fodder for sports-talk radio in New York.

Vince Velasquez took a no-hitter two outs into the seventh inning, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams hit solo homers and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Thursday.

Trevor Story lined Velasquez’s 105th pitch to left for an RBI double, ending Velasquez’s bid for the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season. Velasquez (5-7) retired 20 of the first 21 batters and got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after the hit.

The Phillies won a series for the first time since taking two of three from Atlanta on May 21-23. They’re 7-12 since.

GIANTS 6, MARLINS 3, 16 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) – San Francisco third baseman Evan Longoria broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the Giants‘ victory over Miami.

Longoria was struck by Dan Straily. There is no timetable for Longoria’s return and he will decide in the next few days if he will need surgery. He is hitting .246 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs.

Pablo Sandoval hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the 16th inning. Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer to continue his torrid month and Mac Williamson also homered for the Giants, who salvaged the final game of a four-game series and beat the Marlins for only the second time in the last 10 meetings.

Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing two runs. Ty Blach (4-5) also pitched 6 2-3 innings for the Giants without allowing a run. Elieser Hernandez (0-4) took the loss.

It was the longest game of the season for the Giants and the second-longest for the Marlins, who went 17 innings in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on March 30. Colorado has lost 10 of 13.

YANKEES 4, RAYS 3

NEW YORK (AP) – Gleyber Torres hit another three-run homer and Domingo German struck out a career-high 10 for his first major league win and New York edged Tampa Bay in the opener of a four-game series.

Aaron Hicks also homered off Blake Snell (8-4) as New York beat the blossoming left-hander for the second time this season and ended his four-game winning streak.

German (1-4) gave up a home run to Matt Duffy on the first pitch of the game but quickly recovered to strike out the next three batters. Making his seventh start in place of injured Jordan Montgomery, the rookie right-hander allowed three runs, five hits and two walks in his 19th career appearance.

Chad Green and Dellin Betances set up Aroldis Chapman for his 19th save in 20 attempts.

RED SOX 2, MARINERS 1

SEATTLE (AP) – Xander Bogaerts hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning and Boston won its fourth straight.

David Price (8-4) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball to earn his sixth victory over his past seven appearances. He gave up a run and struck out seven. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth to lock down his 22nd save, pitching around two walks to open the inning by striking out Kyle Seager and getting Ryon Healy to ground into a double play..

The Red Sox got their major-league leading 48th win of the season and snapped Seattle’s four-game winning streak.

Bogaerts hit Felix Hernandez’s 2-2 fastball just over the fence in left-center field for a two-out solo shot to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.

TIGERS 3, TWINS 1

DETROIT (AP) – JaCoby Jones‘ two-run homer capped a three-run seventh inning as Detroit rallied past Minnesota.

Jones was hitting .135 in his last 10 games, and had struck out in his first two at-bats before hitting Lance Lynn’s 3-1 fastball for his fifth home run..

Michael Fulmer (3-5) improved to 5-0 in five career starts against the Twins. He pitched seven innings Jaguars Elite Jerseys , allowing one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in ending a three-start winless streak. Joe Jimenez pitched the eighth and Shane Greene threw the ninth for his 17th save.

Lynn (4-5) took a shutout into the seventh but ended up allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings.

INDIANS 5, WHITE SOX 2

CHICAGO (AP) – Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez homered, Mike Clevinger struck out 11 in seven innings and Cleveland topped Chicago.

Lindor led off the game against Carlos Rodon with his 15th home run. He also singled and scored in the seventh when Ramirez broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run drive to right-center against Chris Volstad (1-4) for his 20th homer.

Clevinger (5-2) gave up two runs and five hits.

Cody Allen worked the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances as the AL Central leaders salvaged a four-game split.

ASTROS 7, ATHLETICS 3

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Justin Verlander pitched five-hit ball over seven innings and Houston beat Oakland for its eighth straight win.

The winning streak is the Astros‘ longest since they won 11 straight May 25-June 5 last season on the way to their first World Series championship.

Khris Davis and Matt Olson homered for the A’s. Both home runs came off Verlander (9-2), who struck out seven, allowed three runs and didn’t walk a batter while earning his fifth consecutive win.

Frankie Montas (3-1) gave up five earned runs and 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

BRAVES 4, PADRES 2

ATLANTA (AP) – Anibal Sanchez allowed only four hits in seven scoreless innings, Ender Inciarte homered and scored two runs and Atlanta beat San Diego.

Ozzie Albies added a run-scoring double for the NL East-leading Braves.

Sanchez (3-0) did not walk a batter as he earned his first win in six career starts against San Diego. Sanchez outpitched Tyson Ross (5-4), who allowed only three hits and three runs in six-plus innings.

Arodys Vizcaino pitched the ninth for his 13th save in 15 chances.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, METS 3

PHOE