Paul Articulates – The new direction

Much has been written recently about the trade deadline deals.  Most of those write-ups grade the Mets very highly for the manner in which they advanced (re-built) their player development pipeline by adding several highly rated prospects.  I agree with the opinion that the Mets did the best they could with a very unfortunate situation.  

However, to use an old adage, “A bird in hand is worth two in a bush”.  The Mets were a better team (on paper) before the trades than they are today.  The probability of winning a championship this year or next went down when players like Scherzer, Verlander, Robertson, and Pham exited the stadium in street clothes.  There should be no uncertainty about the fact that watching Mets baseball in the near future is going to be more about seeing how quickly the young talent can mature rather than admiring their path to the World Series.

I also would bridle the optimism with the understanding that a prospect is just someone with the potential to be a very good MLB player.  Whether they will depends on many factors, including their mental toughness, the quality of their instruction, and the influence of those around them.  Many prospects flame out.  Some of these recently acquired players will not become impact players in the major leagues.

This is not meant to be a wet blanket – just a reality check.  There is a long road ahead to develop all these players, identify the best of them and when they are ready, and work them into a high level of play without damaging their confidence.  If and when that occurs, there will be joy in flushing and everywhere else in the country where orange and blue are worn.

Our favorite team has gone from the pre-season optimism of a championship caliber team to a younger re-building team that is at least a few years in the making.  The reason this happened is that despite the strong finances and stronger will of the owner, you cannot guarantee a championship by just pushing the best players out onto the field.  

For whatever reason, this team did not click and when their fate was inevitable, the leadership trust made the best of it by re-prioritizing their assets.  It was a bold move, but a good move.  If you can’t build a guaranteed championship through free agency, you can build a lasting development system that churns out quality players year after year. This is a must for sustained excellence.  The Dodgers, Braves, and Astros have that and we see them in the playoffs year after year.  Do they always win?  No.  But it takes very little for them to re-load and go after it again.  The Mets took a big step towards this kind of sustainability in the last week.  It came at the cost of near term success, but we really didn’t have that anyway. 

This is a great time for you to grab tickets to a minor league baseball game and watch this newly fed machine at work.  There are future stars out there at several levels, so come see them in action.