Robin asked – Mack, that’s a pretty harsh prediction. Do you really mean
it?
Mack – Yeah, and I mean it with all my heart and respect for the team I
love. This is not a Wilpon thing. This is an operational nightmare. All my
predictions for a playoff team in 2014 must now be moved to 2015. This team simply
is not going to have the pitching in place to dominate that portion of the
game.
But it will be a winner: Harvey,
Wheeler, Niese, Syndergaard, Montero. It will be hard to come up with a better
rotation that that.
What Sandy Alderson now has to do is spend the next year clearing
payroll, starting off with around a $50mil payroll and a fistful of good potential
prospect starters that are blocked in the Mets system.
The players are out there to fill in the holes (OF, 2B, RP) but the free agent
market will remain lean. I would make a serious, early run at 2B Robinson Cano, OF Shin-Shoo Coo, OF
Curtis Granderson, OF Hunter Pierce, and OF Carlos Gomez.The Mets will have the
money to secure at least one of these for a 3-5 year contract.
The other needs are going to have to come from within the season and
through traded for the myriad amount of excess SP talent the Mets have at the
lower levels. So far, Anderson have proven to be a trading genius (d’Armond,
Syndergaard, Wheeler, Cowgill) so I assume he can get two more key players
here.
Lastly, I’d like a definite effort to develop a closer from within the
system. Both Jack Leathersich and Domingo Tapaia are not far off and both have
the moxie to put this off.
Do all these things, and make them work and you have a great 2015.
That was quick...what has happened with the pitching that makes you think it'll take another year?
ReplyDeleteNiese and Harvey are already here and thriving. Wheeler will be up and have almost an entire year under his belt. That's a potential Big 3 to go up against anyone else's. And that doesn't even include what could happen if the Mets make a trade, sign a FA, or if a Syndergaard or Montero has a blazing year through the minors and wind up in the rotation in the 2nd half of 2014.
Also, you talk about the Mets having money to spend on some free agents that might be able to help, but there are other players out there who will be available via trade. What happens if Flores, Montero, Fulmer, etc. play themselves into big-time prospects or that Byrd, Santana, and Marcum return some good young prospects at the deadline. It's way too early to write things off for 2014.
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