Mr. MetYou’ve heard and read (and will continue to hear and read) about the Mets’ 2014 budget and who they should or shouldn’t sign ad nauseam. This is with good reason, though, as this is probably the most important off-season for the Mets in quite some time. That’s certainly how it’s been billed by the team and the media, at least. The money off of the books and the money supposedly being reinvested in the team should make it an interesting and exciting winter for Mets fans in terms of free agent (FA) and trade acquisitions.

So why does it feel like Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson is already managing Mets fans’ expectations?

Alderson has been hitting the airwaves the last week outlining (or, more skeptically, defending) his off-season strategy with regard to improving the team. Littered throughout his interviews, however, appear to be comments that suggest Mets fans and the media may be disappointed with just how big a splash the team makes between now and Spring Training. When speaking to Mike Francesa on WFAN earlier this week, Alderson said the following:

“It’s sad that a level of loyalty to a fan base is measured in dollar signs. No fan is probably ever going to be satisfied with what his or her team is spending on players. Last year we only spent about $5 million on free agents. So, this is going to be a new day. We have it to spend, but we have to spend it wisely.”

This statement is true at its core but misses the mark entirely when viewed in context. First, the majority of the Mets’ fan base understands the situation the team was in with regard to its finances. That is to say, fans understood what the team was telling them the financial situation was but suspected things were worse off than the team was suggesting based on their actions. Even so, fans took this in stride as the team hinted at better things to come in 2014 and beyond. No, Mr. Alderson, loyalty to the fan base is not measured in dollars signs. It’s measured in the team’s commitment to the fans to put a better product on the field.

Second, of course no fan is going to be satisfied with what their team spends on players, but to suggest that improving on $5 million spent in an entire off-season by a New York sports franchise is in some way laudable is absolutely laughable. Fans understand that you can’t build a consistent winner by overpaying for aging veterans alone. When an opportunity arises to acquire a player that fits your needs perfectly and you immediately take yourself out of the running for refusal to fork up the cash, though, you can see why Mets fans are growing irritated and tired of the doublespeak. In order to spend wisely, you have to spend.

The Mets are also apparently shocked about the asking prices for FAs and what teams are willing to pay. The sport is flush with money and teams are getting an increase from television revenue to the tune of $25 million in 2014. Is it really shocking that some of these teams are choosing to actually use that money to improve their roster? The fact that the Mets are shell-shocked after emerging from the owners meeting is a bad sign, Mets fans. Is the team not planning on doing the same? Talk about loyalty to the fan base.

To be fair, it’s only November. It’s a long off-season and we’ve yet to see what the team really has planned. This writer has certainly had faith in Alderson from the start and still does. However, this is the winter where all the talk needs to turn into action. If not, even Alderson’s staunchest supporters will turn their backs. What seems to be yet another practice in expectation management does not bode well, though, and neither does the fact that the team has seemingly lost the media.

It’s put up or shut up time, plain and simple. Fans need to be patient this winter and let the hot stove season play out before passing judgment, but the team needs to be realistic about what they need to do to hold on to them. The 2014 season could be the one to reengage and reignite the fan base and has been promoted as such by the team, but it could be the year the Mets truly hit rock bottom with respect to fan good will. No pressure.

8 comments on “Are the Mets managing fan expectations?

  • Julian McCarthy

    I completely agree, dollars and cents isn’t going to make us Mets fans happy, its who is on the field.

  • pete

    The team hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. It’s a bottomless pit for the foreseeable future.

  • Chris F

    The dollars and cents argument is the classic Mets “slight of hand” and distract from the real point. I don’t care if the mets spend 150M or 50M — I want to see a winner not $. By taking the money approach angle on this he sells short that Mets fans somehow do understand baseball. It’s consistent with the pure thoughtless gum flapping we expect out of this FO.

    • Metsense

      It has to do with spending money to be competitive and improving the team. It has to do with using the current available free agent options to improve the team. It has to do with spending market value (or above market value in the Met’s case) in order for the team to turn a profit.The Mets should have $55M to spend (including the TV money) to improve this team. This money can be spent without trading any pitching prospects. This money can be spent now and allow the offensive minor league players to develope and the pitching prospects to ripen and become more valuable. This money could be spent so that a profit could be turned and add financial stability to the franchise. Spending this money isn’t changing the philosophy or direction of the team, it is enhancing .This team has an opportunity to improve itself, and only needs to spend money to do it. It is put up and shut up time, plain and simple.

  • Name

    Good thing for the Mets is that no team has caved in and overpaid just yet. I think a lot of Free Agents this year are going to be disappointed. Teams are flush with cash, yet they want to do it the supposed “Boston” way.

    • Kevin

      You don’t think that the Phillies overpaid for Marlon Byrd? I expected he would get half that. What about Giants resigning Hunter Pence? I thought that was a bit of an overpay as well although I expect it was intentional to prevent him from hitting free agent market and getting overpaid even more.

  • norme

    I take exception to Alderson’s comment about fans’ loyalty being linked to how much the team spends.
    My problems with ownership is based on the following:
    It’s hard to believe the Wilpons when they talk about money. When you are less than truthful about
    spending and budget you reap the lack of respect/loyalty from the fans. Does anyone really believe
    anything the Wilpons had to say about the Madoff affair, or about the way it has impacted their
    operation of the team?

    When you allow ownership to interfere with management, as has happened in the past, that is a
    failure to follow sound business practices. Keep li’l jeffyn away from management.

    When you build a stadium as a memorial to one team that betrays your loyalty to your own team and is
    an insult to your fan base.

    The result of all this is that we fans have little to no expectations when it comes to the present Mets ownership.

  • Jerry Grote

    Do any of y’all ever watch that show “Pawn Stars” on History Channel?

    People come in, with their stuff for sale, saying, This thingamabob, I checked online and they are getting $2000 for it. To which, the savvy guy behind the counter says, is that what they are asking, or what they are getting?

    I don’t care if Peralta gets 5/75 from the Mariners, or if Granderson gets $90MM from Amaro. Both those organizations have proven to be drunken sailors and among the worst when it comes to maximizing dollars. I’ll give SA the rope to hang himself.

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