Mack - Current Thoughts

 Hi.

Yes, I am still retired but, as you know, I have stayed active comments wise.

First, an update in me. My body is pretty broken now and I spend most of my time in my lounger, but my mind is sharp and my family health hiccups have settled down.

I stopped watching the Mets in June but stayed close to the team through posts either here, on X (what a stupid name), or The Athletic. 

The Mets have a lot to get done before opening day. A new General Manager. A new Manager. A coaching staff. A new head of scouting. A new head of development.  Free agency.

I assume Steve Cohen and David Stearns are working overtime on the top floor positions. I hope Craig Counsell and the Mets can come to terms post haste.

I don't happen to think a new General Manager should be on the burner ahead of a new direction in both scouting and player development. There is something lacking in the Mets system. Is it the players they scout? Is it the players they draft? Is it how they are developed level to level? Or is all three?

I have questions.

If Lindor is signed until the next century, why are all these SS prospects not playing other positions?

Why did it take so long to play Mauricio on second?

What was their plan for playing Vientos? 

And exactly who did make out the lineups each game?

And what about pitching?  What is this new pitch count system all about? How come your stretched out starters wind up pitching one or two innings? 

It just doesn't seem all about yearly innings limits.

The amount of upper level management turnover in the past four year is far past the embarrassment stage. They truly look like the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. 

I understand this game. I have worked with people at all levels. I especially know the strong relationships players have with their agents. Players turn their entire financial future to these agents whose sole purpose is to create a contract where they can get the largest slice from.

They don't care if their client plays the rest of their career for a team in New York or Beirut. 

It's the money, honey. 

Players get input and, trust me, they don't want to sign a long term deal with a team only to have all the people they dealt with at the time of the signing be replaced in the first three years of their deal.

Your name is Ohtani.  You were signed and brought to America by a certain General Manager. Your free agency is approaching and that man is now on another team that drools over the chance of contracting you for your service. 

You go to bed and wake up to find that man gone, only to be replaced with someone you have no relationship with.

Add this to the fact you might be playing second or third fiddle to other players from your home country, a place where traditions like this are super important.

Come on.

I haven't even written here about player needs but the writers here do so every day.

I'm an ex-top management guy. You just can't keep feeding new players to a bad system. 

They'll stop signing.

I want you all to understand how adamant I am about this team targeting to 2024.

They must give the Baby Mets another full season to see how many of them are for real.

And they must let the Binghamton Class of 2023 develop in Syracuse and possibly hit Queens in late 2024.

They must build a future team around these prospects.

They must.