Reese Kaplan -- Build From Within and Supplement With Outsiders

Mack seems to reiterate a worthwhile theme in commenting on improving the Mets' roster -- that trades and free agent signings are not the only ways to build a team.  On the latter, I am operating in somewhat unchartered waters as the Wilpon family was never shopping in the steak and caviar section of the supermarket.  Steve Cohen seems willing to indulge himself and fans in some top tier talents, so free agent dreams are something in which Mets fans can and should indulge even if they never happen.

Who remembers last year when everyone was hot and heavy for Trevor Bauer and George Springer to come to Queens?  Bauer was coming off a stellar season and Springer could provide them a combination of speed and power in the outfield that they've been lacking.  Bauer was having a nice start for his new employer in Los Angeles with an 8-5 record and a highly respectable 2.59 ERA before his off-the-field behavior ended his season prematurely.  

Springer had an injury-shortened half year typical of a three-time All Star with a finishing line of 22 HRs and 50 RBIs in under 81 games.  

This coming season the Mets may be more inclined to trade away some pieces from the major league roster to help fortify their arsenal to help get back on a winning track.  If the rumors about a Javy Baez signing are indeed true, then Jeff McNeil will likely be on 29 other teams' radar as a highly effective hitter with better than average power who can play all over the field.  

Wouldn't it be nice to see the Mets for once be in the driver's seat for these types of transactions instead of peddling away all of their top prospects?

That thought brings us back to Mack's thought on how to grow and build a team.  It should happen from the inside with steady advancement as the best of the best make their way up the ladder instead of seeing them leaving on a jet plane.  

It's been a very long time since the Mets concentrated on building internally.  Jeff McNeil was a late arrival.  So too was Jacob deGrom.  Michael Conforto got his start due to a rash of injuries forcing them to promote earlier than planned.  Brandon Nimmo is about the only one who followed a conventional ascension and he's gotten better each year (when he can stay healthy).  

Part of the whole front office revision is not simply about who can demonstrate what he or she has done in the past at the major league level, but equally important is what is the plan for building long term success?  We've already discussed powerhouse rosters like the Big Red Machine and the Yankees teams of the Steinbrenner era where buying and leaning on the premier talent in the league helped make them into insurmountable opponents.  

However, is that the route being taken nowadays by the winning franchises?  How many $341 million player contracts are on the Tampa Bay Rays?  The Dodgers aren't averse to spending money but they also have developed a number of players internally.  The all minimum wage approach is no more valid than luxury threshold roster construction.  The better teams do try to build internally for both economic reasons and for building fan loyalty.  Then they supplement gaps with free agents or trades.  They don't rely entirely on outsiders to make them great.

So to come back to Mack's point...the Mets had better take a long and hard look at how to improve their drafting, their international scouting, their minor league development, their medical and exercise teams, and understand that all of that hard work can indeed result in long term success.  

It's nice to see the guys like Max Scherzer, Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw hit the market and be readily available to the highest bidder.  The issue here is overpaying for past accomplishments when a player is often on the wrong side of 30 and your results, like EPA gas mileage ratings, should come with a warning about expectations.   

Oddly, think back to the Wilpon days when second and third tier free agents were the primary acquisitions and were not of the caliber to make for a winning team.  Now rethink that approach as supplemental acquisitions to help balance out a strong internal core at minimal pay and now it starts to make some sense.  

Similarly, look how the Rays, the Rockies and a few other teams routinely trade away good talent as it starts to get pricey or is starting it's second career half decline.  Hey, if it works, don't knock it.  

Going into this off season I expect a major roster overhaul with 13 people as free agents and a new front office eventually taking over the management of team development.  The issue of how it will transpire is still up in the air, and the longer the Mets take to address the POBO, GM and field manager resources, the easier it will be to make these types of changes.  Unfortunately right now everyone is on pins and needles awaiting something to happen and that's an uncomfortable place to be.