Mack’s Morning Report – 2-7-14 – Podcast, Finance, 6-yr Plan, Shortstop

Coming up...

       10:30am - Herb G - Ralph Kiner: HOF Ballplayer, Outstanding Broadcaster, Superb Human Being ~ You Will Be Missed!

      11am - Christopher Soto - Top 25 - #22

      12:30pm -   Christopher Wuensch -  Saved From The Trash Heap: Garbage Pall Kids

        2pm  -  D Whit  - How the Mets ended up 8th in payroll and 23rd in Wins since 2009 pt. 2


I spent some time with Ed Marcus and Stephen Keane on their podcast Wednesday night. We talked for an hour about a bunch of Mets related subjects, especially finance, the building of a new team, and the future at shortstop.

Regarding the finance issue…

Look, Mets fans have to realize something before you go on with rooting for this team. The Wilpons are a very rich family. Not one member of them owe a single penny to anyone. They are debt free. Their cars are paid off, there is no mortgages on their homes, hell , even the mattress on their bed isn’t on time payments.

The Mets, which is just one of their lucrative ‘real estate’ investments, has a net worth of one billion dollars. But, their real estate holdings don’t end there and every one of them are pumping out positive cash flow.

The problem you have, as a fan, is you feel the Wilpons look upon the Mets as more than just one of their ‘investments’. Oh, it’s a fun one, but, in reality, it’s just an investment.

And, if they wanted to spend more money on this ‘investment’ they would. They may not have seen their friend Bernie coming, but they knew the economy was going in the crapper. They were going to have to operate this baseball team different under any condition.

They seemed to have hired a General Manager who either a) the Commish convinced them or b) Sandy convinced them… that he could build a new ‘model’ using a salary range similar to teams like the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays. I’m sure he also pointed out that it would take a 3-5 year period to ‘turnaround’ the team from a heavily weighted free agent, large contract team, to a draft pick/IFA based ‘controlled’ team. Fred Wilpon liked what he heard and the rest was history.

Regarding the rebuilding of the team…

            I give Sandy Alderson an ‘A’ for his efforts during the first three years which is obviously a five or six year plan. The only reason I didn’t rate him ‘A+’ was for his lack of explanation as to why he can’t overnight turn this team around.

            The future of this team is within the organization already. Alderson knows that and he also knows he’s going to someday have to pay them, first through the arbitration process.

            Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Noah Syndergaard alone could represent a 2018 combined payroll of $60+mil.

            At the same time, you just can’t throw around multi-year contracts. David Wright, yes… Curtis Granderson, sure… but the rest of the 2014 and (probable) 2015 team will be bits and pieces one year deals while, at the same time, arbitration figures (Murphy, Gee, etc.) begin to pile up.

            You break this out on a flow chart and project where this team is going, salary wise, and you’ll have your $100mil+ payroll in a heartbeat.

Regarding shortstop…

            Every interview has to start somewhere and it took less than ten seconds to get back to the age old Stephen Drew question.

            It seems to me that the job of a ballplayer’s agent is to get the best deal he can for his client and, in the case if Drew, this may turn out to be a one year contract with the New York Mets.

            Boston wants to sign him, but only as a utility infielder. The Dodgers want some depth at the position and the Yankees are also interested in some insurance in case Derek Jeter goes down, but all three of these teams don’t offer Drew the chance for 500+ at-bats and that last great contract every ballplayer wants to get when they are south of thirty years old.

            No, it may be in the best interest of Scott Boras to tell his client… take the Mets one year offer, do the best you can, and then we’ll tell Alderson to suck an egg at the end of the season.

            The only problem for Boras is the fact that this could backfire with a late season trade to even another team, but that wouldn’t get in the way of negotiating a new deal a la the one Marlon Byrd did with Philadelphia.

            So, frankly, until we hear differently, we’re back to square one and the deciding factor could be whether or not Alderson is past all this drama. As I mentioned on the podcast, I don’t think he likes dealing with Boras, nor does he like him personally, and the Mets may just have moved on.

            I hope not for the team. They need to take a close look at the chance of a one year deal for Drew vs. Ruben Tejada. It wouldn’t kill Tejada to spend one more year at the AAA level while Drew gives this team a legitimate leadoff hitter that doesn’t jumble up your outfield.

Dave Cameron chat –

            Comment From Joe - Where and for what will Drew sign?

Dave Cameron: Boston, 2/20.