A Letter to A Friend

 

Dear Steve

 

Yes, it’s me. Mack. Back from the dead. Medically, I’m doing better. Two carotid artery surgeries and a TIA later and I’m rehabbing from my home. I’ve retired from writing following the advice of my doctor and the demands of Mrs. Mack, though I am guest posting every once in a while. Consider this one of them.

We haven’t communicated with each other since this season started. You following me when X was Twitter led to my contacting you via private messaging. I remember my first suggestion of getting more aggressive in the international market. You messaged me “I’m all over this” and two days later you snagged away another top prospect. And you weren’t afraid to tell me when things I wrote could have been framed more professionally.

You sure as hell didn’t seem to need my advice after the way your season started. But here we are, a million injuries later and falling to the worst win-loss percentage in the league.

Steve, I’ve never worked an inning for the Mets, but I have written about them for over 25 years, and I’ve been a fan since Game 1 in 1962. You know I love this team as much as you do and I truly feel your pain right now. I just think it’s time to take a good look in the jacuzzi and realize this team isn’t going anywhere this season and the players that matter to you the most may be agreeing with the fans that this is the time to begin building for the future rather than chasing the unobtainable in the present.

I have suggestions based on 30+ years of successful management. They are just MY suggestions. Nothing more:

1 – Whatever you are doing internally that is either unpopular, or not working, stop doing. Today.

2 - Make your operation more people based, rather that AI or analytical driven. I’m not saying eliminate all of it. Just get your organization back to being people driven.

3 - Hire real ballplayers as your instructors. One person suggested Daniel Murphy as your hitting coach. Love this idea. Nothing against who you have, but hire an ex-major league pitcher as your pitching coach. One with a successful tract record wouldn’t hurt either.

4 - Give back the lineup decisions to your manager. He does know his team a little better than people who have never played an organized inning in their life.

5 – Make the decision as to what pitching changes are needed be determined by your pitching coach. Same logic as the lineup decisions.

6. Stop worrying about the fact that what you did in the off-season is backfiring. And don’t blame this on injuries. You don’t see Atlanta sitting on their hands through all their time in the infirmary. You have some great, young talent on this team, but even the most talented minor leaguer rarely comes out of the box like an all-star. Take Carson Benge. Only now is he starting to jell. The BA is perking up, the defense is top-notch, and the confidence is building. You have the most talented rookie pitcher in the league in Nolan McLean. And Juan Soto? Well, he’s Juan Soto, and his current slump is probably highly affected by what the box score looks like at least half the time. But they aren’t the only talented young players you either have under long-term contract or team control. Players like Jack Wenninger, Christian Scott, Jonah Tong, Nick Morabito, and AJ Ewing should all be starting at the major league level for the rest of this season. They too need the Benge plan.

7. There are other players that simply need to be polished off or, if needs to be, determined that that they don’t have what’s needed to be successful at the major league level… and this can’t be accomplished unless they get major reps in the major at some point this season. Players like Dylan Ross, Ryan Lambert, Ryan Clifford. Early? Yes, but so what. Where do they play? On to #8.

8. The trading deadline is coming up. You have players with trade value that either are going to opt out or simply don’t have a long-term future with your team. Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Brooks Raley all have the talent that other teams could use to help them earn a playoff birth while, at the same time, could bring a serious addition of prospects to replenish the depleted Mets minor league teams.

9. And let’s not forget Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos. You need to shop these names as well to see what some teams would come back with. Remember, this didn’t work and all the players mentioned here are a big part of this failure. This is a business, Steve. You operated this like a business when you dumped Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. Don’t be embarrassed at what has happened. The embarrassment begins if you don’t start making changes now.

10. Let’s talk Carlos Mendosa. Let’s me put it this way. Put someone at the helm of your ship and call him your Captain. Then put one of those audio thingies in his ear and have someone at your base be given the responsibility of telling the Captain what to do. This includes steering the ship. Next, tell your Captain to turn left, causing the ship to hit an iceberg. Question: who is getting hit with the blame? See, it’s its impossible for me to call for the firing of Mendoza because I don’t know how much he really is in charge of. On the other side of this, HE is the face of this failure and I’m not sure fans are going to rally around him anymore. Your call here, Steve.

11. And finally, let’s talk David Stearns. This one is easy. If you’re not already secretly looking for a replacement here, I shouldn’t even have written this post. Your players will never want to play past their current commitment if you don’t find a new person to lead this organization. I’m sure he’s a nice man. I’ve had a lot of nice men managing my radio stations into the ground. What I never had was one of those failed stations rise from the ashes still managed by that person that put it in this position.

Lastly, I hope you read this Steve. And I hope you don’t unfollow me now on X. I’m a retired writer now, so I can just be a fan now. I love your team but my heart is broken at what has happened this year. To you.

BREAKING NEWS –

I finished writing this yesterday afternoon, but like everything I write, I wait a day before posting it. They I polish it up and place it in draft form on the site.

Sure as hell, things seem to have started without me. You promoted AJ Ewing in the middle of me watching Hannah Harper win American Idol. Is this a one and done?

Sure wish I posted this a day ago. Woulda looked like genius.