Just read your response to my note in the Josh Satin interview thread. I agree that GM/Mgr must be the first priority in October. I still have this notion that Joe Torre is in the picture (Brooklyn connection) but haven’t heard it anywhere except inside my head. And the thread that runs inside my head is that he is someone who Bobby V. could work with and vice versa—ESPECIALLY if they both knew that BV would rise to GM in, say, 3 years. Let Backman (and for that matter Teufel) do what they’re evidently best at—getting kids to learn the game—and one of them takes over when BV moves up.
That’s my three year plan.
Frankly, three year plans are probably the way most of us should go.
It's going to take at least one year to get the new management acclimated with the team they have been dealt in 2011. That will be followed with the elimination of existing contracts over the next two years.
I don't expect much off-season action beginning next month, simply because of all the movement that will happen in the executive branch of the team.
The core of this team is changing and, by 2013, it will not include names like Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, and probably Angel Pagan and R.A. Dickey.
Star potential is pretty slim on the "new Mets", consisting of David Wright, Jason Bay, possibly Ike Davis, Robert Parnell, and Jenrry Mejia. It should also begin the Wilmer Flores era, which will happen in right field.
Yes, there are another level of good major leaguers... Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, Josh Thole, and Ruben Tejada... but the future success of this team will come from the organization (Flores, Reese Havens, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Josh Satin, Jeurys Familia) and selective free agents that hit well in Citi Field. We're seeing this week that Jerry Manual's decision to leave Nick Evans down on the farm probably has been a big mistake. There may be more.
My three-year plan would include:
-the release of Luis Castillo, Kelvim Escobar, Francisco Rodriquez, and Oliver Perez
-the refusal of renewing the contracts of Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Eddie Kunz, Tobi Stoner, Henry Blanco, Fernando Tatis, and Jason Pridie.
-the hiring of a new, young, exicitng General Manager, with full approval by the Board of Directors to run the team.
- the release of "the past"... Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel, John Ricco, and the rest of "the administration".
-the hiring of an "ex-Met" as manager... Valentine, Mazilli, Bachman, whatever. Just make sure they are an ex-successful New York Met.
-trade Jose Reyes for a starting pitcher and prospect pitcher.
-package Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy, and Dillon Gee for whatever top bat you can find.
But, that's me.
Wow. And add to your list "sprinkling magic pixie dust on the team to make it the 1927 Yankees." That's just as sensible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feature, Mack.
ReplyDeleteSome thoughts:
I don’t see them DFA’ing Oillie, K-Rod AND Luis with the possibility of only being relieved of the mlb minimum while they play somewhere else. The object will be to get someone to bite on some larger %. K-Rod is the most likely there, Ollie ONLY if he exhibits a lights out winter ball tour; Luis most likely will be just cut loose.
Release/non-tender/non-renew the rest of those you suggested.
They’ll pick up the option on Reyes and see what the status is at the 2011 trade deadline.
Beltran will only go if someone takes the entire contract load OR bowls them over with a deal which includes some Beltran $ubsidy. (trade speculation is silly, but would you do Beltran for Dice-K straight up? For Rios & Jenks?)
They sign Dickey & Takahashi and maybe pick up Pierzynski to augment Thole.
But nothing matters if they don’t acquire a GM/FM team (and some hot-shot sabremetric back-room guy)—you know my thoughts on that.