Reese Kaplan - You'll Get Nothing and Like It!

This morning I awakened in a cold sweat with a vision that the Mets rallied to finish nearly .500, there was a ticker tape parade led by Terry Collins waving his contract-for-life high over his head, the Wilpons were lighting big Cuban cigars (embargo be damned!) and Sandy Alderson somehow negotiated a sweetheart deal that allowed him to become the next baseball commissioner while simultaneously continuing to forge the Mets’ future.  At the press conference he announced his new plan to give back to the fans by rewarding them with a nickel for each empty $12 beer cup they recycled.  “We’re rewarding our fans for believing in the plan – and for drinking enough to forget about the on-field results!”

Aaaah!!!!!!!

I know what inspired this nightmare.  It was the recent non-waiver trading deadline in which Sandy Alderson sat on his hands, apparently turned off his cell phone and emerged from the feeding frenzy no better and no worse than before it started.   What’s interesting to me is that as you ask around what people think about this approach, you have some in the “Buy!” camp, some in the “Sell!” camp, but I’ve yet to find a single person who felt doing nothing was the right approach.  It signaled once again that the front office is hopelessly out of touch with it customers.

Look, either approach could have worked.  The division leading Washington Nationals were buyers (or more accurately, renters), landing quality infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Indians in order to fortify their lineup and to make themselves more difficult to beat.   While you could debate the merits of whether or not sacrificing anything for a few months of help for a free-agent-to-be is good business, the fact remains they made a decision and acted upon it.

Even the Florida Marlins, the crown princes of the fire sale, acted boldly, trading a couple of top prospects to get a pitcher from the Astros who could step in and help them right now while they find themselves surprisingly in third place in the division.  Was it a gamble?  As Sarah Palin would say, “You betcha!” but again they identified a need and addressed it.

The National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals recognized they desperately needed pitching.  Furthermore they had a crowded outfield which had no room for top prospect Oscar Taveras.  They traded All-Star slugger Allen Craig and starter/reliever Joe Kelley to the Red Sox for veteran former All-Star starter John Lackey who would help them in their quest to return to the World Series.    Trading a 26 year old pitcher and a 30 year old outfielder for a 35 year old starter who is also due $15 million next year may not be good business either, but they got out from under $10 million per year in salary obligations and  opened the door to play the speedy, slugging Taveras.

Even the cross-town rivals who only have the Derek Jeter farewell tour to celebrate this year took decisive steps to reinforce their delusional quest for relevancy.  

Now let’s look at the Mets.  If they were true believers in the nearly .500 level of play they’ve delivered for the past month or so, then they would have been buyers.  The needs were obvious – a left fielder and a shortstop – but as they began the first post-trading-deadline game, they were once again limited to just two hits.  Getting rentals would probably not be a prudent move but it would signal to the fans that for the first time since the current front office came to power that they were serious about winning.

Maybe they were ready to build an even stronger foundation for the future.  Then they could have unloaded salary to give themselves the ability to address these needs during the off-season via free agency or by taking on players under contract.  Between Bartolo Colon and Daniel Murphy they had nearly $20 million of salary tied up in two 2015 players.  Whether it was for AAA players who might step in and help rather quickly or lower level prospects whose value wouldn’t be known for 3 or more years, the fact remains that the option to be sellers was there for them as well.  After three losing seasons which featured late season collapses, they probably didn’t have the stomach to be honest with the fans by doing what was necessary to ensure a more solid future and grant them increased payroll flexibility. 

Instead, what did they choose to do?  They wouldn’t commit to be buyers.  They wouldn’t commit to be sellers.  They did nothing. 

What does that decision say to the fans?  “Hey, we don’t really believe we can contend!” or “We’re afraid of losing what few fans come to the ballpark!”  Neither is a particularly good message.  You could market a decision one way or the other effectively given the price paid or booty received.   The only thing accomplished was reinforcing apathy which is a curious decision to make when things are incrementally better than it’s been since 2011.  You’d think they’d want to build on the soupcon of optimism that’s permeated a plurality of fans and even some of the media. 

Earlier in the week I opined that fans should be prepared to temper their expectations.  Unfortunately I was right, yet it still stung a bit seeing nothing happen at all to make the team better either now or in the future.  Here’s hoping the off-season is a little more active (and that Terry Collins will play out his final season with the lineup pencil in his hand.)