Call it remodeling, Mets not showing clear direction

The term "rebuilding" is thrown around a lot in sports. It basically means a team that is ripping their entire roster apart and starting from scratch. The Florida (now Miami) Marlins did it twice. They won two World Series titles as a result. The Texas Rangers did it. They reached the World Series in consecutive years.

The term does not really apply to the New York Mets, though. They still have many of their players coming back. Out of their 25 man roster, only seven of the players are free agents. They still have the majority of their starting rotation returning (insert sarcasm here) and their corner infielders and corner outfielders are still intact.

Behind the plate, they still have Josh Thole (again, insert sarcasm of choice). The bullpen is hurting though with no immediate closer in sight. The team is not starting from the rubble.

This team is more like the show "Flip this house". For those who are not familiar with it, that series showcases contractors that buy dilapidated houses for very low cost and put a small amount of effort into making the house look appealing. They add siding, cabinets, paint, etc. The major trouble is that they rarely ever work on the essentials within the foundation.

Things like the electric, the roof, the septic and the plumbing all go untouched. What's left is a pretty house that they sucker some schmuck into buying that is ready to completely fall apart after the camera crews leave. That's the Mets right now. They are trying to wrap a pretty bow on the ugly mess that is the state of this franchise.

The trouble to that is the players they still have invested in are broken down. The team needs an injection of youth and a changing of the foundation. Reports are pointing to the team holding onto players like Angel Pagan and taking a risk at losing players like Nick Evans and Jason Pridie.

Moves like this are head scratching. On one hand the team has repeatedly stated they are cutting back on payroll. The idea is to get younger and cheaper. So they plan to tender a contract of a 30 year old outfielder who obviously has played more like himself last year than he did in his career year of 2010. Meanwhile, they demote Evans (25) and Pridie (28) at the risk of them entering free agency.

What sense does that make? Both of them can play multiple outfield positions and Evans can play the corner infield spots as well. Pagan is not the answer for the Mets at centerfield. His speed is on the decline as well as his bat. He will certainly not be the answer at leadoff should Jose Reyes depart. So if they want to get younger but keep Pagan, the direction is a bit fuzzy.

If this were a house being remodeled, the blueprint would have been erased and rewritten a dozen times by now. They need to show a clearer direction. If they are trying to save money, do it. Don't tender contracts of overrated 30 year old outfielders. Rather, they need to cut ties with the old ball and chain type of contracts.

Otherwise, they will be so confused the house will backwards. They need to show their plans openly in a start from scratch type of way, not a behind the scenes and in secret remodeling process.

Instead of trying to "flip this team", the Mets and Sandy Alderson need to try to rebuild them from the ground up. That's the only way they will return to prominence. If that is indeed the goal, the design team is a bit off so far.

Cutnpaste: - Matt Harvey, Carlos Beltran, Chris Capuano, Darin Gorski, Jason Pridie

10-25-11: - http://www.minorleaguerundown.com/2011/10/25/2011-top-20-new-york-mets-prospects - 2011 Top 20 New York Mets Prospects -  3.Matt Harvey, RHP (High Class A, AA): Most importantly for the righty, he continued to throw strikes all year long (2.84 bb/9 IP at A+, 3.47 at AA). Harvey showed good command of a strong fastball and quality curve, with the strikeout numbers to match (10.89/9 IP at A+, 9.65 at AA). A solid ground ball rate makes him that much more valuable. It was a welcome sight to see such good command after a shaky end to his college career. He still has room for improvement in needing to stay around the strike zone a bit more, but a 2.66 FIP in 76 High A innings and 3.23 FIP through 59.2 AA innings is fantastic for a first year pro.

Carlos Beltran: .300 BA, .910 OPS, 22 HR, 84 RBI - The last time Beltran was in free agency, he was the leading man. That was in 2005 when he was still a center fielder in his prime and wound up getting a seven-year deal from the Mets. That deal ended with two injury-plagued years and with him playing right field for the Giants. Beltran is believed to desire a three-year deal, but there are teams with an opening in right field and the willingness. One of those teams is the Red Sox, but that’s if they’re willing to accept a declining defensive player. After scoring the NL’s fewest runs (570), and their worst in a full season since 1985, the Giants have the need for offense from the middle of their lineup. http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1019347--mlb-free-agency-fire-up-the-hot-stove

The word on the street is that the main reason Alderson is willing to let Chris Capuano go is because of the dire salary cap situation the Mets are facing right now. Chris' base salary for 2011 was $1.5 million and that number ballooned to $3.925 million due to incentive caps Capuano reached during the season. Apparently, Alderson doesn't want to commit two years and $8 million to the southpaw, a contract which Capuano is looking to sign. Losing Capuano from the rotation is a big blow to the Mets' pitching staff for the 2012 season. Even with oft-injured star pitcher Johan Santana returning from shoulder surgery, the starting rotation looks very shaky and, in all likeliness, some free-agents will need to be signed http://bleacherreport.com/articles/933465-new-york-mets-chris-capuano-isnt-coming-back-what-it-means-for-the-rotation

Gorski’s fastball is normally in the high 80′s, averaging 89, topping out at 90-91. He has had to rely much more heavily on his off-speed pitches and his improved change-up has been key to his recent success. There is nothing for him to prove in A ball anymore, so it’s a foregone conclusion that he will start next season in the AA Bingo rotation. Establishing himself as the top left-handed pitching prospect in the system, Gorski has come a long way in just one year, and he will be scrutinized in ST much more closely than ever before. But even if he is fast-tracked at this point, don’t expect to see him at Citifield in 2012. If he can earn a mid-season call-up to AAA, It could put him in line for a big league debut by the second half of 2013. http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/11/mmo-top-20-mets-prospects-13-darin-gorski-lhp.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29

The New York Mets did make a move yesterday: according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, outfielder Jason Pride has been removed from the Mets’ 40-man roster. When the 28-year-old journeyman got regular playing time, he had his moments. However, there just weren’t enough of them – in 101 games, he batted .231 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs. Baseball Reference calculated his season was worth 0.6 wins above what a replacement level player could provide. Nothing against Pridie, but I’d rather see somebody better or somebody younger getting those at-bats next year. http://randombaseballstuff.com/2011/11/11/friday-morning-roundup-wilson-ramos-miami-marlins-jason-pridie-more