Reese Kaplan - The Inmates Are Running The Asylum

You’ve all been to the circus and seen the tiny car when an inordinate number of interchangeable and anonymous clowns comes stumbling out?  This past week the clown car stopped in Queens and 20% of the roster turned over.  And?

This team is beyond rudderless.  The GM has no clue.  The field manager has no clue.  The roster is nearly devoid of talent.  It’s painfully obvious to anyone who watches (a dwindling number, by the way, based upon TV ratings and turnstile receipts).  Yet nothing is done to change course to a new direction.

Now there is hope for the future.  You have pitchers like Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero and Jack Leathersich all beckoning to make it to the majors before the end of the year.  You have a few interesting hitters in Wilmer Flores and Cesar Puello who might have a future here.  You have a few veterans who are worth keeping around like David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell.  You have some young guns who are injured who could possibly have a future someday like Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia.  All is not completely bleak for 2014.

However, instead of giving the high ceiling players a chance this year when the team is already the third worst in baseball (and getting shut down by the second worst team in baseball), we’re treated to the immortal Collin Cowgill and his .267 average, Josh Edgin and his 6.75 ERA in the minors and Kirk Nieuwenhuis who despite a recent home run barrage in Las Vegas was hitting a lusty .220 and will sorely be missed in the desert heat for all of the wind he produced with his prodigious number of strikeouts.  Josh Satin’s chance is long overdue, but in typical Terry Collins fashion he’s been told to ride the pines while shifting Daniel Murphy from the only defensive position where he’s not embarrassed himself. 

Now the talent pool at Las Vegas isn’t exactly Murderer’s Row but has anyone looked at what Andrew Brown is doing there?  He’s hitting over .370 with power and second on the team in RBIs to Satin while spending 17 days on the DL and a brief stint (pattern repeating itself) sitting on the bench in the majors.  He was dismissed after a mere 15 ABs in favor of the lunacy of signing Rick Ankiel (since mercifully released). 

Looking ahead to 2014, who exactly is the core around which you build a competitive team?  As it stands you go into 2014 with no outfielders, no shortstop and no first baseman.  There are precious few “givens” – David Wright, Matt Harvey, Travis d’Arnaud, Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero and Jon Niese. 

This week Sandy Alderson already threw both Lucas Duda and Ruben Tejada under the bus this week while proclaiming the .160 hitting Las Vegas 51 Ike Davis part of the long term foundation.  I hope that was just posturing for the sake of soothing Ike’s fragile ego. 

Bobby Parnell may have to be the lynchpin to bring back some major SS or OF talent as there is little else they can afford to trade without doing themselves more harm than good (assuming Leathersich is ready to take over for him in the pen).  You also have to decide who is your second baseman of the future – Murphy or Flores – with the other one becoming trade bait. 

More importantly, the management of this team has to be held similarly accountable.  Some FrankenManager made up of parts of John McGraw, Earl Weaver and Whitey Herzog likely couldn’t have made contenders of the ragtag bunch Alderson gave Collins to fill his roster, but that doesn’t excuse Collins’ propensity to play washed up veterans while having youngsters like Juan Lagares sitting on the bench. 

Replacing Collins with Wally Backman gives the Mets the unique opportunity to see how the former World Champion performs under the bright lights of the big city while only granting him “interim” status.  If he proves more embarrassing than motivational, cut him loose at the end of the year.  If he wrings some unexpected wins out of this team, then lock him up to a contract.  It took almost 2.5 months for them to hold Ike Davis accountable.  Terry Collins has had 2.5 YEARS.  Enough is enough.

While they’re cleaning house, it may be time for the Wilpons to consider whether or not Sandy Alderson is really up to the task of building a contender.  Thus far his big claims to fame (and infamy) were shipping a batting champion and a Cy Young Award winner out of town, one netting a nice return and the other not even resulting in a draft pick.  He gave away Angel Pagan who has established himself as a solid centerfielder for San Francisco and really not done a whole lot else.  Was the plan to sit on your hands and do nothing?  Or was the entire plan to save the team money?  If so, then give the man a raise as he’s done just that (except for the puzzling Frank Francisco contract and overpaying for David Wright).  The one thing that’s sure about the plan is that building a winning team was not part of its scope.