New York State and Illinois politics are infamous for the corruption there has been among their legislators and highest elected officials. On rare occasions the voters can rid themselves of the worst of the worst by voting them out or indicting them so they can have some alone time in prison.
Major League Baseball has had its share of scandalous owners and while they (regrettably) can not be voted out by the fans of the team sometimes they get weeded out by the other owners through the power of the commissioner. Some of the worst ones like Wayne Huizenga and the McCourts of Dodgers renown are gone. Probably the worst of the worst at the moment are the Mets’ ownership trio of Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz.
There seems to be no great movement within the sport to oust them. The new commissioner terms it a “fun fact” that the New York National League franchise carries a payroll in the bottom third of the sport. So like the locusts who will survive a nuclear holocaust the Wilpons look like they will keep doing what they are doing in perpetuity.
Our choices are to give up baseball which, of course, we won’t do or root for another team, also a nonstarter. What is left is just to understand what we are dealing with so that we are not continually shocked by ownership’s actions.
A pattern seems to be developing in that the Mets’ front office will become connected with names of good players that they might be interested in acquiring. For instance this off season while the Mets were never at all in the hunt for a great player like Jason Heyward they made it clear that Denard Span, Gerardo Parra, and Will Venable were all viable options for the left handed center field job.
We fans probably all selected our favorite but likely could be satisfied with any of the three were they to sign with the Mets. Unbeknownst to us in advance the team – for some unknown reason – decided it could only offer a one year deal to Juan Lagares’ future running mate. This took Span, Parra, and likely Venable off the table. The team signed the only candidate they could find who would take their one year offer: Alejandro De Aza. Whether he can play even a tolerable center field is under dispute. My opinion is that he will be to center field what Wilmer Flores has been to shortstop and what Daniel Murphy was to second base.
The pattern is that they give you some intriguing names to mull and then go for whatever’s cheaper further down the shopping aisle. So if now the question is who should be the right handed outfielder/first baseman to do what they might have gotten from the retired Michael Cuddyer we are hearing the names Ryan Raburn and Steve Pearce bandied about.
These two are veterans capable of playing those positions. Raburn has a habit of being very good one year and then quite horrid the next. In 2014 while making $2.5 million he was scintillating while putting up a 936 OPS in his 123 at bats. Pearce has had a nondescript career except for a remarkable 2014 where in over 300 ABs he put up a 930 OPS. That’s Mike Trout territory in offense. But in 2015 he went back to sleep and had an OPS of 711 which is more like what the Mets’ version of Jason Bay was. He made $3.7 million for his efforts.
So it would appear that it would cost the Mets about $3 million to bring in either Raburn or Pearce. But in a typical Wilponian manner now that these names have been floated might not they look further down the aisle for something in the $1.5 to $2 million range? Maybe they can go to the clearance section and just bring back Eric Campbell for $600,000.
The point is that if you hear it from the Mets’ front office make sure to take it with a silo full of salt.
What really sucks Larry Is that the price for signing Cespedes has come down to where it would of been affordable for our “patient” FO. Oh, well. The SP’s will hold up their end of the bargain and we as fans will have to suffer another let down that’s in the pipeline. No offense and same crappy owners.
When is MLB going to do something about these pathetic owners. Rumors thgis morning is that Washington may be looking at Cespedes. Ugh!
Also, since the DeAza disaster, I have still yet to see any comment by the front office or ownership. Why do these cowards continue to hide?
I think those guys can be had for less than $3 million and Sandy is squeezing them. No problem with that, at this point. Club is seeking a 250 AB guy to fill a real need.
Much more concerned with pen.
Owners suck, we know, but the issue now is how the money is being spent.
I still think Clippard is a real possibility. Not advocating, just saying.
The Mets should think about making Wilma Flores a Centerfielder.
Unless Lagares has a big and I mean big turn around season, CF will be a huge void this coming season. Not acceptable.
Unlike other positions, there do not appear to any CFs on the horizon in the farm, so what’s the plan?
Editor’s Note – This post deleted for violating our Comment Policy.
Lighten up everybody.
We went to the World Series this season. 28 other teams would have loved to be in our shoes.
Enough with the self-pity party.
As for Raburn or Pearce, either is going to cost more than 3 mil. These are free agents likely with many suitors. Pearce isn’t taking a pay cut, and Raburn isn’t getting a raise of just 400 K.
We’re probably looking at $5 million minimum per season and multi year deal.
It’s a fact that Sandy Alderson isn’t a fan of deals greater than 2-years. That’s the way he was before becoming Mets GM, and is his way now.
So stop being so outraged and blaming this all on the Wilpons.
If Sandy Alderson wanted to sign someone to 5, 6, 7, 8 year big contract, he could have already done it this offseason rather than allocating funds in the manner he already has.
Add up what he’s already spent this offseason on free agents, and who he’s still looking to sign – that’s a nice haul of cash = more than enough for multiple upgrades.
His philosophy is to build from within, from ground up, draft, develop, and obtain through trade. Long term contracts get in the way of roster flexibility and homegrown call ups.
We have the starting pitching and closer.
Our minor league position players are moving up, getting ever closer to the majors. Conforto’s already here. Nimmo and Reynolds are just about ready.
Smith, Rosario, Cecchini, Becerra are the second wave.
Span, Fowler, Parra would block Nimmo for years.
And who the heck, other than Larry Smith, is bemoaning De Aza for a year over Wil Venable for perhaps several?
Cespedes is lazy on the basepaths, is bad role model, lacks plate discipline, and often refuses to speak with the press. Once the high of signing him passes, we’ll be left with the warts and buyer’s remorse.
We have a good team. And soon, exciting prospects will form a deep nucleus that will keep this team contending year after year.
Again, it’s Sandy Alderson and his roster construction beliefs that drive this engine. We reached the World Series through that construction. We have a super talented rotation and solid offense with improved defense and speed.
We are currently positioned to get back to the World Series, with or without absurd contracts we don’t need. Want – yes. Need – no.
In two years we should be looking at a loaded rotation and lineup that includes, Conforto, Nimmo, Becerra, Rosario, Cecchini, Smith plus the huge package we’ll get from Harvey trade including top of the line young pitching.
So stop whining as if we’re still cellar dwelling and that the offseason is over. The Mets are trying to build sustained success through short and long term plans. The money saved now can be used to extend our terrific young rotation while still affordable when they reach arbitration..
And maybe, when our position player prospects are in place, spend on the RIGHT free agent at the right time, who ties it all together for the long haul in what will be very deep core.
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LTF1, I agree with you for the most part. Fans tend to look at the off-season as a competition to see who can accumulate the most shiney things. My main concern is CF and the bullpen. The picture in CF is bleak as it stands now unless Lagares has a turn around year snd lives up to his potential. Unless the Mets decide to convert one of their middle inf prospects to CF, they don’t appear to have any options in the forseeable future. Not sure Nimmo is the answer. The bullpen is a work in progress that could use a live arm transfusion. That’s what concerns me.
I’m not whining but SA’s constructiion of the team had a pretty lousy offense the the first half of last season. We as fans are thankful that the Gomez deal was squashed (by ownership?). Cespedes wasn’t even Aldersons back up plan , If it wasn’t for the 6 week span where Cespedes hit lights out do you think the Met’s would of made the playoffs? Let alone the WS? Sandy’s plan is stop gap until the kids are ready. That’s fine and acceptable to me. But would the recet signings “upgrades”? De Aza is not a defensive genius in CF. Average at best. Cabrera falls in the same category. The team still hasn’t addressed third base. Wrights’ health is going to be a key issue for 2016. Who is going to be plan “B”? Flores?
Are you Jeff Wilpon?
Alderson isn’t very creative in his trades or his free agents. He had to give up Fulmer to get Cespedes. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to have Danbrowski take Fulmer and another young arm for two months of Cespedes? Everyone says it worked out because we got to the World Series. But Fulmer is much further along and has less issues than Wheeler did when Alderson gave up a better player in Beltran, who also couldn’t get arbitration, for an A ball kid in Wheeler.
Don’t know anyone who gave up a top prospect for a two month rental and didn’t regret it. There is no guarantee when you are trading for Johnny Cueto or Carlos Gomez, Yoenis Cespedes, or Ben Zobrist. Possibly due to lack of funds, Alderson has mostly missed but sometimes hit on his free agent signings, so let’s not deceive ourselves.
Let me try to take the stance of ownership and the FO (not that I buy a word of it).
1. We have made improvements on the infield, so you got what all you cry babies wanted. Flojada is gone, in replace we hired a professional SS with great baseball IQ who had > 900 OPS in the second half of last year. He also knows the NL East, and in particular, the main competition. Added plus: that malcontent Niese is finally in the rear view mirror. Not happy yet? We also brought in an accomplished professional 2B that has double the WAR of the guy we made a 16M$ offer to, who bailed on us. We all loved but he can neither catch nor throw.
2. Offense? You wanna talk offense? Sure we lost Cespedes, but he was simply outside the budget. Get over it. Here’s what we see in the War Room. Our Captain is back, and we mean b-a-c-k. Hes a Met through and through and has the conditioning of the elite athlete he is. His back held up to extended play, and with continued PT and training, this guy is gonna be the money maker we know he is. Did you all see that HR in Philly when he returned? Wait til he gets more time with Long. Grandy is now the guy we thought hired…easily good for 25+ HR next season. Sure d’Arnaud couldn’t throw a ball to second base using a laser-locked targeting system, but man, he’s Piazza v 2.0 in our eyes. Did we mention our new guys at SS ans 2B are damn good hitters? Duda locked in for a streaky 30 HR, and we project 90+ RBI this year with all the guys on in front of him. And, wow, if that wasn’t enough, lets crack a huge smile for Michael Conforto…you all remember that stud right? Kris Bryant? Kyle Schwarber? Please, we got us a corner outfielder with a mighty bat, great eye, and who’d of thunk, a great glove and arm. Offense? The cup runneth over you crazy Met fans. Our plans to see Lagares come along with defense and whatever bat he can contribute is plenty. At every other position we clobber the ball.
3. Im not sure all you belly-achers out there in Orange-and-Blue Land appreciate the pitching staff we have…and Harvey, deGrom, and Syndergaard should be cleared for 200+ IP this year. Its not clear we need more than a couple relievers in this format, and we landed our prized LOOGY already…and its not even January!!!
So, here high up in the glass-encased offices peering across the surprisingly green mid-winter grass at CitiField to the “coke-mirror porch,” or what ever we call it by March, things look pretty much done. The NL East is a joke, and we look like the boss again. Did you hear that the Nats signed Murph and Drew!!! Even Lagares’ grounders might be hits!!
Long live Fred, Jeff, and Saul.
I say we call it either the ‘Coke Corner” or ‘Coke Cornice” or in honor of Ralph, the ‘Coke Kiner”.
Call it whining, but I would say that 99% of Met fans did not have DeAza on their wish list.
The Mets have a 2-4 year window to try and win this thing before the pitchers start leaving for free agency. Does anyone think that the Mets will pay Harvey 30 mil per year (going rate of ace pitching)? I dont. Same can be said for any of the other young starters.
Why not spend now on one of the top outfielders and go for it while we are paying near nothing for our starting pitching? It is only going to get worse when they start their arb years. You can always shift the player to right when Grandy leaves. Or of the player chosen was not a CF, you could have Grandy play center. Cant be any worse than DeAza.
+2
+3. Mike you’re absolutely right on spot. Ownership made close to 50 million in profit over the course of the playoffs. The money should of been there.
+1 on what Mike said.
The Mets are lacking a right handed hitting bench player that can play the corner outfield positions and fill in at first base. Eric Campbell, with his career .656 OPS vs LHP is filling that role currently. This is unacceptable.
The logical choice is Steve Pearce who has played 172 games at 1B, 115 in LF and 91 in RF with average defense and a carrer split vs LHP of 343/481/824. I am not sure the Mets can afford him if he wants $3.7m+ but I think it would be money well spent.
+1 here too. Pay a good player and stop gambling on scrubs.
Pretty funny
I agree,Larry. I’ve come to the conclusion that the ownership really doesn’t give a damn about baseball except for the bottom line. Real estate’s their game. Maybe when these guys die off or sell, the new guys will care. Then again—
Well, Larry, if you’ve done nothing else, you’ve provided a place for all the Wilpon whiners and Sandy bashers to come out and vent. “There seems to be no great movement within the sport to oust them.” Of course not, because they are not what you accuse them of; ” . . the worst of the worst at the moment are the Mets’ ownership trio of Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz.” They have acted responsibly, both fiscally and professionally, in letting Alderson build a WS team. The team we have right now is far better than the 2015 opening day team, and we still have the rest of the off-season and the trade deadline to make course corrections. It’s nice to see WTF1 as a voice of reason in a sea of smut.
I guess I am one of the 1% who had De Aza on my list. My analysis of the 4 possible platoon partners for Lagares (I discounted Fowler because he is not worth losing a draft pick for.) indicates he is as good as Parrra and Span, not as good as Venable, against RH pitching. He has a better OBP than Parra, better SLG and OPS than Span. More speed and base-stealing ability than Parra, more pop and HR potential than Span. Moreover, the 1 year deal is ideal for the Mets, who want to re-evaluate Lagares as a full time CF this year, or possibly go with Nimmo (or a replacement we get in a trade) in 2017.
Clearly we are not on the same page even though I generally agree with you assessment of the other free agent outfielders.
It is not my job to stir up anti-Wilpon sentiment it is absolutely rampant in the fan base unless you care to tell me what other fan base is erecting signs near the their ball park telling the owners it’s time to go.
The owners in MLB are in no hurry to shove out the Wilpons only because it is not in their interest to have a big pocketed ownership group in New York where they can compete for the top free agents.
I don’t routinely bash Sandy Alderson because I think Jeff Wilpon tells him “Here’s $105 million for a payroll. Do your best.” And he has done well given this kind of limitation. But while the team made the World Series I don’t dismiss the pure luck factor of having the Gomez deal tumble, then having an offer for Upton declined, and only then getting Cespedes.
But I also don’t delude myself into thinking that this is a team built on anything but great young starting pitching. As soon as one or more of them hit the DL this team could sink like a rock because of lack of depth.
“The pattern is that they give you some intriguing names…” Who is giving who what names? The New York Met front office have publicly stated they are interested in certain big name players? When has anyone in the Met front office said the names of all the top players in this years free agent market as someone of interest? The only intriguing names that have been dropped are by the press in their never ending attempt to play GM. When will you guys stop whining? Nobody on this site, including the editors of Mets 360 considered the possibility the Mets were going to win the National League pennant this past season. You guys still don’t get it. The beauty of each baseball season is the everlasting possibility of a complete and total shocking surprise of some sort or another. Why play the games when every critic, every “sportswriter”, every blog editor are already telling us all what is going to happen next season? Sandy Alderson said it is important to know that you don’t know. Four pennants and a World Series championship speaks louder than all the bullshit written on this site.