A really quick hitter today…
It’s a pretty special day today. It’s Christmas Eve, the most wonderful time of the year, as it says in the song. For Mets fans, the most wonderful time was October 5 through November 1. That’s when the team breezed through the NL playoffs and came up just a few innings short in the World Series. That’s the fifth Pennant in club history. They now have an opportunity cash in and take hold of the NL for a long time to come. From over here, it looks like they won’t seize that opportunity – just like the last time they won the Pennant.
In the winter of 2001, fresh off a semi-exciting Subway Series loss, the Mets could have signed a young, slugging shortstop named Alex Rodriguez. They were scared off by his contract demands for peripheral stuff – autograph rooms, tents in the parking lot or some such — but supposedly, the money was agreeable. GM Steve Phillips opined at the time that he didn’t feel comfortable turning the Mets into a “twenty-four-plus-one” kind of club. Instead, Rodriguez signed a ridiculous contract with Texas and we know the rest: we see it uptown every day. Instead, the Mets looked to repeat by standing pat. Instead, they finished third in the NL East at 82-80.
Right now, the Mets could be in talks to retain the services of Yoenis Cespedes. They could be, but they won’t be. Instead, they’ve signed the definition of a fourth outfielder, Alejandro De Aza to platoon with Juan Lagares and solve the outfield problem. Right. We all know this solves nothing. You think this doesn’t look like A-Rod all over again? It’s clear now that the budget constraints on the team are all too real and any “official” proclamations to the contrary are just so much Queens smog. It’s a shame: we coulda been a contender.
In any case, Merry Christmas one and all!
Follow me on Twitter @CharlieHangley .
You know, in the final analysis, I’ll take 82-80 and third place over X years of Arod. But I take your point…
Happy Holidays to everyone in the Mets360 family!
Me too. Who wants ARod?
Charlie, i feel a revolution coming. the blogosphere is abuzz with this sentiment. See my post tomorrow for more. The Wilpons need to be booted out.
Merry Christmas!
Seriously? Next thing you’ll suggest is we all boycott the games. This is the reality, the Wilpons are still living hand to mouth and yet made the World Series.
As long as they’re in serious debt and reasonably successful, they’re not changing the paradigm and they’re not selling the team. I understand the frustration but I think you’ll have to settle for deadline deals and player development.
i don’t know why you are complaining. We just signed Chris Young. Wait, I mean de Aza!
The pitcher or outfielder?
Oh never mind.
One of the things I find odd, continually, is the notion that the team has to find the guy with the biggest contract and get him. We just saw a WS with 2 teams with low payrolls. It seems to me that some teams are desperate, like the Cubs, Giants or in dire need, the DBacks(no pitching) and have to make moves. I thought the numbers Heyward got were ridiculous. Yes, he’s a great fielder, but is that worth $23 million per? Murphy has a higher slugging percentage, more hr’s, more doubles, more rbi’s despite playing in 25 less games. Samardjiza, who got $90 million, led baseball in hr’s allowed, hits, earned runs and had an ERA of 4.29. I wish we re-signed Murph, but Cespedes? NFW. He had 6 hot weeks, followed by 8 horrid weeks. He went 18 regular season games with zero hr’s and in the post season, he only hit in the games started by a #3(Wood) and #4(Hendricks) when he went 6 for 10. In the 12 other games, he went 6 for 44 and K’d 17 times in 54 AB’s And he blew two balls in CF which may have cost us two games, certainly one. And how about his being doubled off 1st to end one game? Yet, all we get is that we should sign him. I don’t get it. Let him smoke cigarettes and play golf for someone else.
For what it’s worth, Jason Heyward has been worth more than $23 million in all but his 2011 season, according to Fangraphs. In fact, he was worth more than double that last year.
I was for the Mets pursuing him, as unlikely as it always was. It was an imperfect fit, but you’re not going to always get a perfect fit. If you wait on that, chances are you’re going to end up doing nothing. I mean, they just signed a corner OF to play CF anyway so I don’t even know what these guys are thinking.
Spending money doesn’t win pennants. Smart moves by FO’s wins pennants. Let’s have patience with SA.
The Wilpon’s? They need to go, and for the same reasons Frank McCourt was forced out.
Why, I loved Angela’s Ashes!
Daniel Murphy going to Washington. Not good news.
Sandy, can we get a Real Bat here?
Otherwise, what was Bryce Harper’s ring size?
This isn’t about finding the guy who makes the most money to sign to a contract.It is about finding the best player to meet the teams needs. The team should have upgraded centerfield and moved Lagares to fourth outfielder. There were three choices: Span who is older and coming off an injury plagued season; Cespedes who had a career year but wants a mega contract and Fowler who is younger and healthy but has a draft pick attached. The increased revenue from the World Series and ratings should have made any one of the three choices affordable if planned for. Any of the three would have given the Mets a greater chance of defending their pennant. All three have warts but most free agent signings come with inherant risks. It is the risk and cost of owning a baseball team.
“On the Waterfront” of Flushing Bay I hope that Terry doesn’t say in 2020, “You don’t understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody,…”
Metsense, seeing how Alderson likes to sign guys early and it usually is “under the radar” guys, I wonder if he doesn’t see free agent negotiations as a chore, and he doesn’t feel like engaging with these agents that hunt the very last nickel.
Not suggesting they spend like the Dodgers and have no problem with letting Murph walk. What I have a problem with is a a NY franchise that just won the pennant using a windfall of cash to pay down personal debt instead of investing in the team. This team has a golden opportunity that it’s pissing away. While the Cubs and Giants are ramping up their teams with big trades and signings we’re settling for replacement level players to patch holes. More on this in my post tomorrow.