Thanksgiving is almost upon us. In a couple of days, you will look around at a table; at all the food, friends and family and really appreciate what you have. Then maybe you'll sneak a glance at your phone to check if the Mets have made any progress towards 2014 and you won't feel so happy.
The meal that the Mets are currently serving on Turkey Day is most likely nothing compared to the feast you will indulge in; mostly because a lot of it is still last year's food. Sandy Alderson forgot to go shopping and right now we're reheating leftovers. Players like Ruben Tejada and Lucas Duda are attending fitness camp. That's all well and good, but those lumpy potatoes won't taste any better just from whipping them a little. Ike Davis has been part of trade discussions and yet he is still here. I don't think anyone really wants a guy who looks like his legs are stuck in gravy when he swings. The rest of the squad resembles stuffing. Guys like Jonathon Niese, Zack Wheeler and Daniel Murphy are not going to make anyone come back for seconds just yet.
So where does that leave this team? We already have a turkey, albeit a slightly overcooked one in David Wright. We put too much heat on that bird and it needs some support to carry the meal. Sometimes you need a nice ham to sate the masses. Where is that prized ham we are searching for? It certainly isn't Chris Young. He's more of an old, dented can of cranberries the Mets paid too much for. Players like Jhonny Peralta have been bought up already and it leaves a big hole at the Mets' table to fill.
There are still some options for last minute shopping on the shelves. Nelson Cruz may be a little aged and was previously pumped with taste enhancers, but that doesn't mean he can't be a helpful addition to this team. Stephen Drew might be the most expensive side dish you'll ever see, but when you wait too long to shop, beggars really can't be choosers. Why not add Scott Kazmir who had some years to marinate and improve? He could certainly help fill the void left by Matt Harvey this year. Hopefully we'll have something to be thankful for in the coming weeks. Winter meetings are on the way, and maybe I should just be hoping for a Christmas miracle. But I'm hungry right now and I bet many Mets fans are as well.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.
Looks like the Mets will be spending one more year sitting at the kids table.
ReplyDeleteHey Matthew, I wish you didn't choose to describe David Wright as a turkey. I prefer to say Main Dish. Also, we already have a ham in Jordany Valdespin, although I am hoping he will be off the table some time this winter.
ReplyDeleteNow, to the meat of your post. I hate to disagree with you, but I think Chris Young will make one fine appetizer. He may have been a bit pricey, but he's onply the beginning of our off season meal. Then, in addition to Wright, we need another main dish. I don't mind the fact that Nelson Cruz has been in the soup lately, but he has not been nearly as filling when he has been on tables away from his home in Rangers Ballpark. I would much prefer to buy the Grandyman, who has been effective in pitchers parks away from his hitter friendly home.
And Stephen Drew is much too rich a side dish to appeal to me. There are a few "outside the box" opportunities which would be very hard to get, like trading for Ben Zobrist or signing Omar Infante, but many more available side dishes would be fine on our table. We need to be shopping for a shortstop in the affordable trade market and not the upscale free agent market where prices have gone through the roof. If we can find a deal for a Lowrie, Aybar, Cabrera, Escobar, Hardy, etc. he would compliment the main dishes we have put on the table.
For dessert, Kazmir would be fine. But we need to look at other options as well, pitchers like Hughes, Feldman, or even Halliday would top off our meal just fine. Now that we are finished shopping for the meal, we can turn to the condiments for the bench or the pen to round things out.