Jon Presser penned an interesting article titled “The Credibility of Winning” in The Shea Faithful. (one of those other Mets blogs) In it, he expressed the frustration of many of the Mets faithful with the aimlessness of the team during the Wilpon era. Presser points out the similarities between the Cardinals allowing Albert Pujols to get away and the Mets doing the same with Jose Reyes, both teams refusing to match bloated contracts offered by other suitors. He goes on to discuss the reasons the teams experienced totally different results following their respective actions, with the Cardinals able to survive and continue to win and excel by replenishing with home grown talent. In contrast to the Mets, Presser attributes the health of the Cardinals organization to stable ownership, continuity in their operational philosophy, and an emphasis on player development.
Although Presser acknowledges that Sandy Alderson has transformed the bottom 10 farm system he inherited into a top 10 system, (his assessment, not mine - although I find it hard to argue) still he questions whether the Mets can ever get healthy and thrive with the dark cloud of “Wilpon-ian dysfunction” that hangs over this organization. In the final analysis, says Presser, there is no substitute for winning, that only winning will rebuild the credibility of the Mets. While I think his point is generally well taken, I would like to take slight exception to it.
It is true that winning will earn us credibility, (and winning consistently will earn us lasting credibility) but the Mets can certainly begin to build credibility by acting like serious players this off season. With Matt Harvey sitting out 2014, winning next year and contending for a spot in the 2014 post season becomes less likely, but still not impossible. If Sandy Alderson demonstrates that he is seeking to build a contending team this winter, a measure of credibility will be restored. Actions speak louder than words, in the case of the Mets - much louder, so Alderson’s actions this winter will tell us if he is credible.
There is virtually universal agreement that we need at least one more solid bat in the outfield, (probably two) an upgrade at shortstop, and a mid-rotation pitcher. (some say a TOR pitcher) Filling those holes with quality ballplayers, either by trade or signing, is the minimum required of Alderson to take the first step toward credibility. An early trade for an impact player, David Price, Max Scherzer, Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gonzales, Troy Tulowitzki or the like, would instantly reestablish some credibility. I’m not going to reiterate the numerous outfielders, shortstops or pitchers who would satisfactorily fill the bill, and there are many.
But I will say that bringing back Marlon Byrd and going into April with an outfield of Young-Lagares-Byrd will not do it. Letting Ruben Tejada and Wilfredo Tovar compete for the starting SS job in spring training will not do it. Bringing back Matsuzaka and Harang and letting them compete with Montero and deGrom for the fifth spot in the rotation after Wheeler, Niese, Gee and Mejia will not do it. Now, Sandy, as soon as the World Series ends, go out there and get us some credibility.
For anyone who would like to read Jon Presser’s article in its entirety, here is a link:
http://thesheafaithful.com/articles/the-credibility-of-winning
2 comments:
"Credibility" is certainly a good place to start.
Reading your bio, it's obvious you have some management experience. When changes are needed, changes better be made. For Alderson to go into 2014 with the Tejadas, Dudas, Davis' etc still in place would be a concession to failure, the team's, and his own.
You are 100% right, and sometimes those changes are painful and emotionally difficult. On some occcasions I have had to advise CEOs to demote their children. When making organizational changes it is essential to realistically assess the organization and determine which segments need to be changed and how radical the change needs to be.
In my opinion, the Research and Product Development function of the Mets (player acquisition and development) is working well. We have an excellent pipeline of talent, with numerous young power and finesse arms as well as some recently acquired position talent. However, the Production Department is seriously deficient. We can either wait for the "new products" to come to the market, or we can seek to acquire products that are already highly marketable with the expenditure of resources.
I am all for using those resources we can afford to expend, either financial or young talent, to make the changes we need. But we have to live with certain constraints, just like any other business. We don't want to expend money or talent unwisely. I agree wth you that the Tejadas and Dudas should be replaced. Davis, not so much. I think we can only absorb so much change. Too much change can be disruptive.
So I am hoping that, in this off season, Sandy sees fit to acquire 2 outfielders, a shortstop, and at least one quality starter in addition to bringing back Hawkins. Sandy may determine that he can't make that many changes in a single year and may defer additional moves until next year when Harvey returns. I believe that Alderson understands full well the dire need for changes in our organization, and has been moving us in the right direction, given the constraints he has been forced to work with.
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