Is Travis d’Arnaud a win-now move or just first Mets scapegoat?

Brodie Van Wagenen and Travis d'ArnaudThe Mets’ party line was that Travis d’Arnaud was evaluated over two months, including spring training, and not in 25 disjointed plate appearances. That the willingness to designate the catcher for assignment Sunday demonstrated an emphasis on winning, not squeezing pennies since the franchise might have to eat $3.52 million.

That is one way to look at it.

Here is another: miscalculation at multiple points in handling d’Arnaud and panic four-plus weeks into the season.

An organization better at scapegoating than winning might follow this scenario: Get the attention of the clubhouse by axing a struggling veteran (see ya, d’Arnaud), if the unsatisfactory…