30
2010
Honesty Begets Loyalty
An article by 
So I was thinking about urinals…..No I’m kidding, that was a fun blog to write though!
As the trade deadline hovers over the sports world, we’re all following tweets and refreshing espn.com several times a day just to see if any deals have been made. Are the Mets making any moves? Are we getting a veteran pitcher? What about the bullpen?
Something occurred to me last night as I was looking over the Oswalt deal, and reading about how the Astros would’ve wanted Niese, and also how the Cubs want Thole for Lilly.
The Mets are rebuilding. They didn’t tell us they are, and it may not look like they are on the surface, but they are. Their not in the Pirates or Astros form of rebuilding, but they are rebuilding.
Think about this, the Mets 2010 team needs a bullpen arm right? The price for Scott Downs is or was Kirk Nieuwenhuis apparently.
If this ownership and management had any intention on REALLY vying for a playoff spot, they’d make that trade in a second. We’re talking about a “prospect” that really isn’t too highly thought about around the big leagues.
A great source for learning about prospects and their “value” is Baseball America obviously. I prefer http://www.scoutingbook.com/ because it gives you more information per prospect. Evaluating prospects is a crapshoot. That’s why some GM’s are so great at it, and others are not. It’s not a skill everybody has. So this is the site I trust the most. Are they right all the time? No way. Nobody is.
Consider this for a second regarding Nieuwenhuis. This site ranks 481 prospects, and he didn’t crack the list, and they update it throughout the season! A good minor league season like Nieuwenhuis is having doesn’t make you a top prospect.
So if this team NEEDS a reliever like Downs to compete and they aren’t willing to give up “Captain Kirk,” then I’m sorry to tell you this, but the New York Mets are rebuilding. They aren’t trading him for a reliever because he’s only 23 years old, and he has more value down the road if he continues on his current path than Scott Downs has on this roster right now.
And you know what? That’s okay. It really is, but they have to tell us that. I was in San Diego last year for the road trip the Mets took there. I had a conversation with a season ticket holder who told me that he will be renewing his 2010 tickets simply because he felt Jeff Moorad (owner since 2009) was honest and forthcoming about his plans for the future of the ballclub.
He would go on the radio and take calls from fans, he’d did internet chats, and he was as honest as an Owner can be when detailing to the fans how he plans to fix the Padres franchise. I mean can you imagine the Wilpon’s or Minaya going on WFAN and taking calls for an hour? Talk about Must-See TV on the YES Network huh?
A lot of Mets fans expect a championship right now, or they expect the playoffs. I really do not think that was really ever in management’s plans. It’s a bummer, but I just think they knew they didn’t have the horses.
First, think about the Mets current situation. Let’s call it the 2011/future roster okay?
C – Josh Thole – 23
1B – Ike Davis – 23
2B – Ruben Tejada – 20
3B – David Wright – 27
SS – Jose Reyes – 27
LF – Jason Bay – 31
CF – Carlos Beltran – 33
RF – Angel Pagan – 28
That’s a very young lineup. If you take Carlos Beltran and move him somewhere in the winter, you’re talking about an average lineup that could realistically have an average age of 25. Do you realize how ridiculously young that is in terms of everyday lineups in MLB?
The 2007 Rockies were a pretty young and upcoming team, but they still had an average of 28 in their lineup.
The 2008 Cubs who should’ve been good enough to get to the World Series after winning 97 games had an average of 30! The 2008 Phillies who won the World Series were on average 29 years old.
The 2009 Phillies up’d that total to an average age of 31!
When you consider the absolute best teams in the league put lineups out there where the average age is that of a player either in their prime or approaching “past their prime” age, you have to wonder why we ever really expected much except a .500 caliber baseball team?
I’ve stopped wondering. This is where I blame the Wilpon’s and Minaya. Look, Mets fans are really disgruntled and it doesn’t help when you flat out lie to them. Don’t go on Francesa’s show and pretend you are going to spend spend spend, and go for a title this year. A lot of Mets fans aren’t angry that this current team is slightly above .500, they’re mad because you said you’d do whatever was necessary to win right now. You’re not doing that, and we’d respect you a helluva lot more if you came on the radio and said the following,
“We believe that we are preparing younger players to be big leaguers by 2011. We have Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, and Jon Niese all less than 24 years old. The fact that we can only acquire a top starter like Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt if we include these guys, tells us how valuable they really are. With the previously mentioned players, we will continue to build on our foundation which is now made up of; David Wright, Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Jason Bay, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana. We are putting a quality product on the field, one that is worth the price of a Citi Field ticket, and we expect the Mets fans loyalty to pay off in the immediate future.”
Bang. Done.
If you tell me to my face, that you realize you made some financial mistakes in the past, but that you have learned from them and feel like the foundation of young players you’ve built will soon payoff in the end, then I’m a happy guy. I’m bought in. I’m not sitting here wondering why we didn’t trade for Roy Oswalt. I know why, because he doesn’t fit the plans for the future of this franchise.
This is why everybody speculates on the amount of $ in Fred Wilpon’s wallet. It doesn’t look like they want to spend any of it, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have it. Maybe it means they’ve started to figure out that when you stack up our “foundation” to the rest of the NL, the Mets are really in quite good shape for the future so long as they stop making poor financial decisions.
I realize I’m an optimist at times, and most likely I’m totally wrong and they really don’t have any sort of plan. I believe every front office makes mistakes. You can’t be perfect in evaluating talent, and signing free agents.
All I ask is for honesty. If the plan is to win now, then act like it. Go spend, go trade guys like Captain Kirk for a good reliever.
If the plan is as I suspect, to build a foundation of young players through the farm system and maybe by dealing away a veteran like Beltran next year, then act like it.
Come out and tell us what your plans are. Tell me or the person reading this why they should go to Citi Field this year? The answer doesn’t always have to be a World Series trophy.
That’s all you have to do Wilpon’s & Minaya.
Just be honest, and we’ll be loyal.
About the Author: Michael J. Branda
I work for a non-profit organization, working closely with all of our fundraisers in hope of one day finding a cure. My time with MMO began in July of 2009 when I wrote a Fan Post defending Omar Minaya (before it was cool to do that.) I grew up a Mets fan with the mid 1980's teams. My favorite Met of all-time is (and was) Wally Backman. When it comes to sabermetrics versus old school thinking, I like to think I meet in the middle. I believe thinking of new ways to get answers is helpful, especially when the same way has not produced results. However, I think over-thinking certain situations can get you into trouble. I'm excited for the new regime, because I believe they have pieces in place to focus on several aspects of the Mets organization. I've waited this long for a World Series, waiting a few more years for another chance isn't going to kill me.
11 Comments + Add Comment
Recent Comments
- Metsfan45: on MMO Player Of The Week: David Wright: So let's review, during yesterday's game the...
- Des: on Series Preview: Mets @ Pirates: Bayonne -- you never let a bad...
- jessep: on Series Preview: Mets @ Pirates: Mets 5th in the NL in batting...
- Bayonne Mets Fan: on Series Preview: Mets @ Pirates: Bobby Ojeda again on pre game ripping...
- Petey Pete: on On The Road With Petey Pete: New Britain, CT & The Binghamton Mets: Well I made it, I'm sitting in...
MMO Live Chat
Recommended Links
Write Your Own Mets Post
Advertisement
Advertisement
We Appreciate Your Help
Affordable Graphic Design
Absolutely! Great post. I’m very ok with things, and I really like the youth we have right now, but you are right, be upfront and say exactly what is going on.
I can be patient (hell been a fan since 69 – patient or sadistic)
Just call it what it is………
Unfortunately for us, the fans, we will never know what direction this team is headed in. The Wilpons like to lie to us. We technically are still contending, but in the hearts of the front office, they know we are f*cked for 2010, but they don’t want to say that; they want to make money with tickets. They are greedy P.O.S.’s that only care about their money. They don’t give a damn about winning, unlike the boys across town. Omar has made bad moves, but I blame the Wilpons more for not giving him more money to work with. All they have to do is follow this idea:
If you give management more money to work with, this enables them to gain more talent. If you gain more talent, your team is better. A good team= a lot of tickets sold, thus making a large profit. Money gained with ticket sales>money lost from giving management money to spend.
But this ownership is too greedy and selfish to realize that. And until they do, or until the Mets get new owners, no championship banners will be hung at Citi Field for a while.
Alex E: See I totally disagree with you. I don’t think it’s a matter of not spending $. I think they were willing to spend a lot of $, but they chose to do it in a poor way. Now they are paying for it and in all honesty have developed a very good young core for this franchise.
The problem to me is, they think I’m going to buy a ticket to tomorrow’s game because they are telling me the 2010 Mets are playoff contenders.
But I’m not an idiot. Neither are you.
I’d much rather purchase a ticket for THIS 2010 team right now if I knew the direction management was really going and knew their goal was to continue to build on this youthful foundation, rather than pretend we’re better than Philly, Atlanta, NL West etc.
If you are honest in telling me what you want me to pay for, I’ll buy in. The problem is a lack of honesty keeps me at home.
If I tell you I have a great stock for you to buy but it won’t be worth as much as I predict for another 3 yrs… are you going to buy it now or wait 3 yrs? Odds are you’ll buy it now.
If I tell you this stock is ready to peak tomorrow and everyday leading up to tomorrow it looks like he’s a few years away, why would you buy it? You’re looking for a quick turn around in that scenario
But this team refuses to go over slot when drafting. That will probably guarantee few studs and far more mediocrities.
Jessep, you make too much sense to be a Met fan.
haha. That should be a t-shirt
I’d buy one!
Hitman: I can’t get into the chat, it keeps letting me login and then it makes me log in again and again. Frustrating.
I saw you mentioned the Rangers $ troubles yet they can trade for all these players. You gotta be fair and remember 1 thing. Current ownership for Texas doesn’t care what 2011 looks like. They are selling the team in weeks… and the way the price goes up is if they sell their young talent, get “now” guys… tickets get sold, playoffs possible… hence the franchise is worth more $ to the potential buyer.
Look at the prospects they are dumping. They are acting as if there is no tomorrow, because there isn’t any
Jessep, I disagree. Do you know that the Rangers have been ranked the SECOND best farm system in the entire MLB? They don’t have to worry about “depleting their farm system”. They have amazing depth in that system. Hell, I heard that they were gonna go after Josh Johnson and they were offering the Mets Rich Harden (which isn’t a bad move since Harden has been great in the NL in the 2nd half).
The current ownership is going all out after guys not because they “don’t care what 2011 looks like”, it’s because they have smart baseball people running the show like Jon Daniels & Nolan Ryan. Also, most likely they’re gonna have Mark Cuban as the new owner so money is gonna come out of the wazoo for the Rangers.
The Wilpons & Minaya could take notes from Daniels & Ryan. If the Rangers don’t win the AL pennant or the World Series with the power packed lineup and pitching staff they have, I will be very, VERY surprised.
Hitman: They really are doing it because the MLB Owners are paying for these salaries since MLB “owns” the team right now and the only reason MLB is not blocking these moves is because it drives the price up on their franchise when the auction begins.
If it was about smart baseball people running the organization… they wouldn’t have gone bankrupt and wouldn’t owe Mickey Tettleton $
GREAT ARTICLE!
Sorry I got excited. Being a fan since 69 I have seen what good ownership and bad ownership can do to a team and a fan base.
I don’t believe that you have to have can’t miss prospects in your system to build a stable future but just a few pieces and then you expose them to major league life, pitching and experience and then when the 2011 season comes along they know the league better and are more comfortable with the expectations on them.
I am an optimist with my Mets. In my mind they should be winning every year and when they don’t I suffer but I am back when spring training kicks in. I am a glutoon for punishment but I love my team.
Wilpons need to be upfront with fans and team so that fans can come see the future of Mets plus also see them push hard and maybe make the playoffs but allow they youngsters to gain valuable Sept experience.
Look at what Nats are doing, getting rid of parts that will not be needed for the future development of franchise and on field team.
Come on Fred just be honest and contrite, we are a forgiving bunch and then lets move forward with a plan and a fan base that will buy into it.