So I was thinking about how angry I am this off season, the anger that has stemmed from the lack of free agent signings and trades by the Mets. I was thinking about the frustration that has boiled over from last season, that continues to stew and is near the top of the lid of the pot and ready to spill all over the place.
And so I thought to myself am I, along with my fellow Met fans, justified to be this mad? Could it possibly be that we have become a little spoiled over the past few off seasons acquisitions? So now I’m thinking may be that is the case. I mean only the Red Sox and Cardinals gave out larger single contracts to a player this off season, in Lackey and Holliday.
I think much of the anger that Met fans feel stems from the lack of spending/trades in actually improving the team’s needs from last season. The main need was starting pitching, and we can say all we want about how guys were over paid this off season, but the bottom line is we did nothing to improve the rotation. One could argue we’ve taken a step back.
At this point it really may be better to take an underdog mentality into this season. Expect the team to be horrible and maybe we’ll be surprised. Yes,this is hard to do considering one year ago at this time we were picked as World Series champs by Sports Illustrated, but at this point I’m almost tired of being angry. I’ve come to accept the fact that we weren’t willing to spend more this off season.
All that said, there are a couple of things that still bother me. One is the lack of real answers, a lack of knowing what the real plan is. A day after last season they come out and insinuate they are going to make big moves and here they are a month before Spring Training and they have signed one impact free agent. I really feel like a pawn in a government run by Omar Minaya as George Bush and Jeff Wilpon as Dick Cheney.
So I’ll ask again Are We Spoiled? Are we acting like spoiled brats pouting? Jealous of the Yankees and Phillies that are contstantly in our face? Are we forgetting about the majority of baseball organizations who don’t have nearly as high a payroll as we do?
Or are we justified in our off season anger? Anger from lack of improving the team’s specific needs and lack of spending wisely. Anger from the high ticket prices for a team that was horrible last year and that hasn’t won a championship in a long tme?
Being a Pessimet, I feel our anger is justified, but there’s one thing that will turn that anger into happiness, and that is simply winning. Let’s hope the team gets off to a fast start in 2010 or things will get ugly quickly, and unfortunately I think it will stay that way for a long time before it gets better.
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I can think of reasons to justify the Mets not spending, but it isn’t even the not spending that should be a concern. It should be the general lack of apathy towards even making offers to certain free agents (Lackey, Marquis, Molina, maybe Hudson), and addressing the key areas that you mentioned.I do not mind them not spending this yr, due to the fact that I feel a lot of the free agents on the market weren’t worth what they were asking early on in the off season. But they should at least really weigh their options closely.
As I mentioned in a prior posting, I threw out the idea of the Mets taking a step or two back to try to get ahead. Not to trade what we have left on the farm, or lose draft picks over signing big free agents. I really think that they need to see what exactly we have in some of these young guys in the minors and let them develop and build value before just giving them away. Our minors are a joke minus a few bright spots. The Mets need to work a little on the actual foundation of the team. The past few yrs the front office has under estimated the value of having a good farm team, and overvalued free agency. Look at last yr. Our back ups sucked, and we had no prospects of any relative value to use for a big trade.
F-Mart is still very young and he had a good winter league and was on fire winning the MVP of the Caribbean WS. I know that doesn’t mean crap but I am bringing a little positive light to Pessimets right now.
Josh Thole, Ike Davis and Jon Niese are all players to watch. I like Davis, he has a really smooth swing. Mejia and Holt may also be up in Buffalo at some point this yr if they do not start the yr there.
There have also been some decent minor league acquisitions Chris Carter (Wagner trade from Boston), Josh Fogg, Mike Jacobs and some other veterans like Coste. It is a good start, but this is not something that they can fix easily and it is part of the rebuilding process.
Footnote: I am bored because I am trapped inside, sorry for the long post.
haha awesome post…well said…im afraid that if they dont get off to a fast start, the wilpons will use omar as the scape goat…the new GM will then have a fire sale selling off beltran and anyone else of value turning this into a major re building process over the next few years…i really hope that doesnt happen but the pessimet in me sees that as a major possibility
Is it really necessary to bring politics into this? Obama is awfu to so don’t go taking shots at Bush cause wants Obama is done W . is gonna look like a saint
SPOILED???? Definitely not! Mets fans are intuitive, knowledgeable fans who know whats better for this franchise than ownership. Don’t come out and state that the Mets plans are pitching, speed, and defense this off-season and address none of those needs. What irks every Met fan is not the frugality of ownership, but the idiocy of Fred and Jeff.
Dominic,
I love the political comparison of Omar Minaya as George Bush and Jeff Wilpon as Dick Cheney – dead on!
The Spoiled Child comparison doesn’t work for me. Firstly, Mets shouldn’t be underdogs. We’re not a small market team like the Royals. We’re in the biggest Metropolis – hence the Mets. And, we have a brand new home to fill. PSL’s too sell. Yet, we are in our own city to the Yankees and down I-95 to division rival, Phillies.
With perennial all stars like K-Rod, Santana, Wright, Reyez and Beltran on the roster (albeit returning from injury), we should be quibbling about Molina, Orlando Hudson, and Pineiro.
Sign ‘em!
The collective cost of these players pales in comparison to the payroll already tied up in the players mentioned above and a yound, unproven rotation. Who’s on first? And, no one’s on second!!
It’s the equivelent of buying a Rolls Royce without snow tires and driving to the slopes. “Don’t worry honey. This dog’s got 13 valves under the hood; and we can always buy some windshield wipers if we get there!
In other words, why are we waiting ’til the trade dealine to add essential parts like a veteran catcher, quality fielding second baseman on the cheap, and a profesional pitcher to stabilize a rockie, rookie rotation?
We’re not in Kansas City anymore! This is NY, NY! If you can’t make it here, then you can’t make it anywhere ’cause last I looked there’s no cap in baseball.
Start spreading the news
I’m leaving today
I don’t want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These cement shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
Kansas City, Kansas City
Not that your off-season aquisitions have helped much. Ready to face Roy?
Bella to answer your question, YES with capital letters the Mets are ready to face Roy.
In 4 career starts versus the Mets the great Roy Halladay is a very mediocre 2-2 with a 5.55 ERA and a WHIP of 1.685.
The better question is, are YOU ready to face Johan? In 9 career starts against the Phillies he’s 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA and a 0.984 WHIP.
I guess my initial response to Dom P didn’t go through ??
1) edit of my original post: ” It should be the general lack of apathy towards even making offers to certain free agents ” this should read general apathy… Lack of concern and general apathy. or something like that. My keystroke blocker messed me up somehow.
2) I think a complete rebuild/firesale is a little too extreme. Trading Beltran would net us some top prospects, however the Mets need to lay off big money free agents, and utilize their draft picks too.
3) Not sure if you noted yet on this site that the Mets will supposedly be lowering the CF wall by 8 ft… Now they just have to think about adjusting LF a bit…
Bella’s in this thread, nice.
I heard they lowered the walls in center field like 8 feet … they need to bring the walls in too. I need Wright’s fantasy numbers to go up big time.
There is no way the mets are going to be as bad as last year … 3 of their 4 top players were hurt. They just need another pitcher … listen I would I loved Jon Garland, yeah I said it. How much was he really asking???
Love the blog.
James P
Gravedigger, a great name for a Mets fan. We’ve been ready every since the final out of the World Series. You know, that interleague game at the end of the season that the Phillies have gone to the last two years.