8
2010
If You Were The Mets GM…
An article by Former Writers
If one plans to fail, there’s no easier route to get there than by failing to plan…
To the many fans of the Orange and Blue, and bloggers and journalists in general, this topic may be coming too early to garner discussion or deep consideration.
I am a planner and if I was anticipating every possible angle to make enough improvements this year for a beleaguered Mets franchise, it’s not hard to see where to first focus my attention. We have gotten a steady dose of ideas internet-wide.
It’s clear that the job of our GM has become overwhelming to say the least, and possibly leaves little wiggle room if you include the internal dramas and the effect (or non effect depending on who you ask) of the Ponzi scheme. It’s easy to slam Omar even when much of the criticism is unwarranted. If you were the GM, how would you have addressed the offseason differently? It’s not as easy it may appear…
If, as the Gm, you bought every high priced free agent that came down the pike, you would probably be the equivalent of a 1 year rental because you more than likely will soon be unemployed. Quality over quantity, right?
Would you preserve one of the hardest hit farm systems in the game? Before you answer consider that Buffalo, Binghamton, and Savannah finished dead last respectively with 56-87, 54-86, and 30-37 records and that PSL was middle of the pack and 2 games under .500.
Would you spend like crazy in 2010 and hope that it all pans out regarding chemistry, on the field play, and a post season appearance?
Would you be conservative, and when the next offseason comes around go completely out of the stratosphere and compete for the services of bats like Carl Crawford and arms like Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, or Brandon Webb? Actually, the ideas are endless, but reasonably what can be done right now?
Whether the well is truly dry or not, the remaining FA class is less than desirable, kind of like that last sandwich in the vending machine. You have to ask yourself are you really THAT hungry?
The 2010 Trade Deadline is a thought. By July 31, it should be clear which of your players you will not sign and who could leave your team without garnering you anything in return.
If the talk about trading for Bronson Arroyo continues throughout the offseason, this is a possible move that can happen before the end of the summer and bolster a post-season run for the Amazins. Brandon Phillips and Francisco Cordero have been other names included in previous rumors. (Note: Felipe Lopez is still a FA)
Here are just a few more names to consider if we have to look to the Trade Deadline to increase our hopes for a postseason appearance and beyond:
Adam Dunn (no Nats extension just yet, just chatting. Big bat, no defense, just a thought) – Magglio Ordonez (Detroit would love to drop him now but do you need him?) – Carlos Lee (Houston always wants to trade him. Big contract but very big bat!) – Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle’s actually considered this) – Aubrey Huff (A $1 mil contact is nothing to escape nowadays) – Adrian Gonzalez (then Murphy won’t have to work with Keith Hernandez so hard. Just kidding. I think that’s a sign of a smart baseball player. Way to go, Murph but we’re talking about….Adrian).
Lots of room for discussion on this topic. If proper planning was exercised earlier, I’m sure you can agree that the face of our beloved team would look a lot different. We may be taking more confidence, depth and stability into our 2010 season, not to mention a fan base with a full head of hair and far less stress. If you were GM right now, what would you do? Now it’s your turn to put on Mr. Minaya’s shoes just for kicks… Oh, the possibilities!
About the Author: Former Writers
9 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 20 | .565 | 1.0 |
| Mets | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Marlins | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 23 | 23 | .500 | 4.0 |
Last updated: 05/25/2012
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Write Your Own Mets Post
As the Mets GM I wouldn’t move Fmart, Davis, Flores, Mejia, Thole or Havens. But everybody else would be available. I think the Mets will need pitching more than a Bats during the deadline. And Arroyo isn’t worth a big prospect. I would be looking at the Rays and Diamondbacks for pitching, The Twins for their cathcer prospect, and the Reds for Mr. Phillips. I would give Castillo, Maine, Perez, Murphy and Pelfrey to the end of May to see where they are at and release or trade them if they’re not making the cut.
In the end as the Mets GM it all depends who comes back healthy and whether Wright and Pelfrey can correct themselves. On top of that are we going to get Bay of the Pirates or the Redsox. Francouer of the Braves or how he performed for the Mets. And is Thole and Davis going to be ready incase Murphy and the question mark at home plate don’t perform.
A lot of questions. This topic needs to be brought back around June 1st. Becuase right now…who knows what you really have!!!
Will, I tell you what, buddy. You must have read my mind on some of this. I am under the belief that Castillo, Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey are at the place where they need to show us what they have or that’s it! It’s clear that, in many instances, many of our pitchers were rushed to the majors. I am not including Murphy in the trade or release list because I believe that he has potential to be valuable at some point. Pelfrey has had more than enough tries and may be well suited elsewhere if he can’t turn the corner. Ollie and Maine, you know what that is but they have as much of an opportunity to make a difference this season. You’re right! It’s a wait and see! So let’s do that!
The headline should read “If you were the Mets owner” because with Jeff running the show the GM is the GM in title only. Jeff is running things when it comes to building the roster.
With that said if, I was the owner. I’d move everyone other than Reyes and Wright and Rebuild this thing. Because I have the foresight to see that we have no chance of competing in 2010 and I gotta be honest, 2011 looks like a long shot too.
Keep all our prospects. Try to anticipate what 2013′s roster will need and work backward. Anticipate a need before the year you need it. It always cost less to buy something when you have time to shop. Biggest question for 2010 how can we get some late inning D and a right handed bat at 2B. Where is our next CFer going to come from? Where are we going to get a complement for Josh Thole in 2011 or 2012? Which pitcher will make it to free agency in 2011? Fern/Francouer platoon in RF? Biggest help right now would be to identify and follow 5 minor leaguers from each teams system so we are ready should someone approach us with a need of their own.
This is 100% correct, I couldn’t agree more.
It infuriates me that the Mets can’t figure out this simple concept of a “plan”.
First I want to make one thing clear. If I’m the Mets GM I just took over today. I’m not responsible for anything that is the way it is right now, just for fixing it.
What I would do right now is see if I could sign Felipe Lopez. I’m not sure he wants to come given that at least technically there are people in front of him at his main spots, but I’d just point him to Luis Castillo’s “highlight” reel and his defensive stats and say “don’t worry, if you have your head on straight it won’t take you but a couple of spring games to pass this guy on the depth chart.” I think I could get him with a fair market offer and the enticement of a starting job. I might even give him 2 years if I have to but it would be front loaded because I’ll want to be able to trade/waive him next year if one of my kids suddenly proves they’re ready. I could just keep Castillo in that scenario but I’m throwing my fans a bone.
Then I would call any free agent catchers whose numbers are in the office rolodex and tell them no thank you. I’ve got a full quota of crappy catchers I don’t need any more. If Thole can demonstrate anything along the lines of what we might call “defensive competence” he comes north out of spring training and Blanco tutors him while being Santana’s personal catcher. If not, I’d keep Santos up and Coste down because I want Thole learning at AAA from Coste, not Santos.
Then I’d sign Kiko Calero. After Santana, this starting rotation just isn’t very good but I can’t do much about that right now. I need as many viable arms in the bullpen as possible because they’re likely to get a lot of work. If Escobar or Igarashi flop, Calero can set up. If they don’t, Calero still gets lots of work anyway. If my offense is any good at all, whoever pitches the 6th inning is going to vulture a lot of wins.
I also sign whichever lefty of Ohman, Beimel or Mahay blinks first. Feliciano needs a lefty buddy out there or his arm might fall off. I like Calero and any one of those 3 lefties better than Green/Parnell and Misch/Marshall so my bullpen depth is better with these new guys.
Then I roll with this team. None of the available FA starting pitchers are worth the trouble. I make sure everybody knows I’m the new boss and I ain’t the same as the old boss. I tell them this is their year to impress me and wish them good luck. Except Castillo, he doesn’t get that chance, Lopez has already replaced him and I spend the next month figuring out the best way to get rid of him while absorbing the least possible amount of his salary by the end of spring training.
While closely monitoring the team through the first 3 months of the season I make friends with every GM in baseball and build bridges for possible deadline trades that would be additions if this roster shows signs of life and subtractions if it doesn’t. I can’t realistically trade away anybody “big” so this wouldn’t involve anything that could be called a blockbuster, but my fringe for your fringe ala Church/Francoeur is about all I can do. I’m not sure next year’s free agent market is going to help a lot either because I don’t have a lot of money coming off the books so I’m going to have to be creative whatever I do. This first year on the job will give me some time to figure out how to execute that.
Big budget teams like the Mets should use their money to gain an unfair advantage in signing draftees. The Mets act like misers, refusing to pay more than standard slotting. All that does is benefit the low budget teams.
If big money teams loaded up on prospects, and kept them, they could quickly establish dynasties that small budget teams couldn’t touch.
Like the Redsox!!!
I definitely appreciate your opinions, folk. Some really good ones out there. It’s a mixed bag: Get quality starters (but that time may have passed unless you are making a trade or two or three) so in that case, you’d surely have to shore up the bullpen to have guys that can go more than two or three innings. Or you can do what most have suggested which is try to be competitive and work towards 2011 where you can get a fresh start. (That’s good as far as preserving a farm system that could use an upgrade but the 2011 FA class is not as plentiful as in years past.) The only thing that is certain is that we will love and root for our Mets. I think they will be competitive and fight for respectability. A postseason bid is not out of the question before the season even begins.