The world series is about the begin. For Mets fans, this means we are once step closer to beginning the offseason of shopping, wheeling and dealing. One quick word of advice everybody. Be cautious.
It is not always the team budget and needs that come into play each offseason. It is the market itself, and the players that are available in it.
Outside of Robinson Cano, what does this years coming market really have to offer? Some 30+ year old hitters, some coming off good seasons (while in their prime). And a bunch of mid level pitchers.
Mets fans want a pennant chase. Mets fans want high priced talent, because it is supposed to equal high performance. But is that what this years market has to offer? Reds outfielder Choo sure looked good, while playing in a prime age year. Ellsbury of the Red sox, when healthy, sure looks good again this year. And the whole PED crew (Nelson Cruz, jhonny peralta and even 'still under a huge contract' Ryan Braun) may or may not have put up those 2013 numbers while clean.
I just can't stop thinking about what might have (or was projected to have) been. Tejada was supposed to lead off, make contact, play defense, and hit .270+. Daniel Murphy, depending on who you ask, was supposed to have the potential to compete for a batting title. David Wright.......well, he was supposed to simply stay healthy. Add in Duda and Davis projecting to both be 30 Hr 100 RBI guys, with a Healthy Santana and Harvey in the rotation, and the Mets were 'supposed' to at least play above .500 and threaten a few rivals for a division title in 2013 and beyond.
I consider myself an overall sports fan. And, with that being said, if I'm not mistaken, whenever a team in Football or Basketball misses on a few draft picks, or loses a player or to via retirement or free agency, it can take years (ask the Detroit Pistons) to recover.
Again, depending on who you ask, the Mets have tens of millions of dollars available this winter to bring in new talent. But what true talent is available?
This years world series is between two teams with a philosophy that has worked for at least the past 10 years. Spend money wisely, keep the right players, let the overpriced players go, and hold on to the right prospects.
So which route will the Mets take this offseason. They have the young arms in waiting, but rumor has it they might risk to trade a few of them. They can put all their (temporary) eggs in one basket, spend about $20+ mil/year for 2 new outfielders for a couple years, another $5-10 mil/year for a first baseman, and trade away a percentage of the organizations top 20 prospects for a new shortstop.
For some reason, I can't help but feel like Daniel Murphy (of all people) will dictate how the entire offseason will go. Despite the random hitting droughts and inconsistencies, and despite many fans, including me, wanting to see Wilmer Flores man second in September, all Murphy did was once again hit over .280, hit 10+ homers, improve his defense, and be the only true stable presence in the every day lineup. Because of that, I believe that trading Murphy would be true sign that the Mets are ready for a BIG change. I believe trading Murphy means the Mets are building for the future, and not spending for the present.
However, if the Mets trade Montero, Flores, d'Arnoud, Gee or Syndergaard, I believe its the sign of a desperate organization who wants its fan base back, and will risk everything for an above .500 season, as it waits for Harvey to possibly re stabilize the team in 2015.
A team without without a playoff season, is filled with a fan base of questions. Soooooooo, question is, what direction should the Mets head in????????????????/
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The Mets are a team without a true plan unless the play is to be mediocre. Since the GM Trifecta took over, the Mets have not signed one quality FA. Instead, it has managed to lose and trade away Reyes and Beltran. How much of a difference would those two players have made in 2013 if they were still here?
ReplyDeleteAt least the overpriced Stooges have managed to make some smart trades which netted Wheeler, Syndergaard, Black.
But lets give them this year and see what team they put together going forward because 2014 is the so called target year for the Mets to become competitive again. Lets see some of that moneyball logic they take so much pride in because I have not been impressed with the Marcums, Francisco, Quintanilla's and the other bottom tear players that have been signed by Sandy.
Honestly, I had more faith in Omar Minaya finding prospects and cheap talent.
The Mets are in a tough spot. It's kind of sad in a way that when the Mets had a former scout as general manager in Omar Minaya his hands were tied by ownership to not go overslot so Minaya's ability to maximize the draft was effectively neutered. Has anyone else checked out the potential position free agents for 2015. I did and they are a scary bunch. It seems that building via free agency is quickly becoming more and more difficult as players sign long term deals prior to free agency. With absolutely nothing available next year I think the Mets have to go all in on at least two outfielders and perhaps Tanaka as well. The Mets are in an interesting predicament, they need to improve the team as much for public relations as for competitiveness. It will be interesting what the final payroll is going to be. The Mets can't very well say they are expanding payroll to say 115 or 130 million without being held up in negotiations by agents like Scott Boras so it makes sense they are trying to temper payroll expectations. Choo, Byrd, Tanaka, and Peralta would be my targets.
ReplyDeleteAs far as using a trade of Murphy as a barometer, it depends on what he's traded for. If the Mets just add to the farm system, forget 2014. If they use Murphy's value (straight up or 3-way trade) to bring in a slugger 2014 is not lost.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, there's been SOOO much talk of reinvesting the payroll and /024 being the year, Sandy could very well be starting negotiations now by saying they'll still be a budget and that they won't sign any big FAs.
ReplyDeleteAll the while, knowing they'll finally open the wallet and spend as much as 110-120 in order to get competitive.
I doubt it, but who knows? It's just so early still. The baseball off season and the MLB draft has changed so much in the past 10 years it's insane. MLB has succeeded in making baseball newsworthy for 12 months a year. Actually, the internet has.