11
2010
Conference Call With Sandy Alderson And Fellow Mets Bloggers
An article by 
Openness, honesty and transparency. Virtues that tend to unfortunately fall on deaf ears in the many parts of the business world let alone professional sports. With the new administration gradually taking root in Flushing, times, like the saying goes, “they are a changin” and the man ushering in this change believes deeply in these virtues. This former Marine doesn’t just talk the talk. Sandy Alderson is a true believer and wants to make all New York Mets fans true believers once again.
Just a few minutes ago, Sandy Alderson, through a conference call, spoke to a few of our fellow New York Mets bloggers including myself, Matt Cerrone and Micheal Baron from MetsBlog.com, Jason Fry of Faith and Fear In Flushing, and Kerel Cooper of On the Black.com just to name a few. The topics ranged from the Winter Meetings which capped off today in Orlando to the overall direction Sandy Alderson wants to take the Mets in the coming years.
Here is some of what Sandy Alderson discussed -
- He would have NEVER accepted the position to be the General Manager of the New York Mets if he was forced into a “Moneyball-esque” type of approach.
- He believes that in spite of the current financial constraints that if the team were to be in contention by the All Star break, he would hope if not even expect ownership to provide him the necessary finances to acquire talent as he deems necessary.
- He wants fans to understand that New York is NOT Oakland and the decisions made there do not effect decisions he has and will make in New York.
Many of our fellow bloggers were able to ask questions regarding many topics including his overall philosophy regarding player development.
- He believes in using both Metrics and traditional scouting to achieve his goals
- He relied heavily on scouting for this past Rule 5 draft
- He also said that the non-tendering of Chris Carter and John Maine and the predisposed realization that Pedro Feliciano may sign elsewhere, does not concern him very much.
He also understands the fans’ frustrations and concedes that this past Winter Meeting wouldn’t assuage that frustration. We discussed potential acquisitions, emphasizing on starting pitching, and Alderson stated that he’s been in contact with more doctors than players agents so far. That could be in regards to both Jeff Francis and Chris Young who both have had injuries the past few years.
He was very candid about his relationships with players, as he puts is professional and friendly and warned of becoming too friendly and non-professional with players. Perhaps a Freudian slip and a nod to his predecessor?
He impressed me the most when he said that he wants to maintain contact, within the constraints of his busy schedule, with those of us in the blogosphere. In fact he went on to say that he believes bloggers represent an even more important role than any other in the media as he would be able to express his viewpoints to us and have a dialog regarding them.
I was lucky enough to squeeze in the final question to Sandy and I asked him about his background as a Marine and how that played into the person he is today and the decisions he has to make on a daily basis. He feels that his training as a Marine helped him to forge the structure and discipline needed to run the New York Mets, considering the market we are in. He believes in being aggressive but with good judgement which in turn should lead to good decision making. In the end, what more could anyone ask of Sandy Alderson and just about anyone else.
All in all it was certainly a great experience to have the General Manager of the New York Mets make himself accessible this way and hopefully again in the future.
There is life in Flushing Mets fans. Patience.
About the Author: Joe Spector
I'm just your regular Joe. Staff writer @ Metsmerizedonline.com. Happily married and a father to a baby girl. I attended my first Met game at the ripe old age of 3 where my father scored a foul ball and had it signed by Lee Mazzilli, Joe Torre and Joe Pignataro. It was my Holy Grail - 'till I buried it in the backyard.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 26 | 17 | .605 | - |
| Nationals | 25 | 17 | .595 | 0.5 |
| Marlins | 23 | 19 | .548 | 2.5 |
| Mets | 22 | 20 | .524 | 3.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5.0 |
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We are definitely back on the road to success. We may not get there this year or even next, but as long as I know we are pointed in the right direction I’ll be happy.
Pass me over some of the Mets Koolaid. Clearly I dont see Paulino and Carrasco as reasons for being on the right road. I’ll give them time to prove it to me, but I’m not gonna light my roman candles yet.
Believe me I’m far from one who gets swooned easily by anyone but you have to admit, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s going to take time to put this organization in a place that honestly it deserves to be. Have faith, be skeptical but be open to change.
well, if you don’t have a back up catcher thole is going to get really tired by the end of the year.
and carrasco is a solid pen arm, better than much of the crap they have had out there the last couple of years.
both seem to be upgrades from last year, so what is there to complain about related to these guys? Both those roles had to be filled.
Which Met reliever from the last couple of years would you say Carrasco is similar to? Pick one.
you asking me to defend my comment, or are you just curious who he reminds me of?
I was just commenting that we have had some pretty weak guys out there the last few years at times, and he has to be better than some of them.
Wouldn’t it be a good thing if he didn’t remind us of any? We’ve had a few solid lefties, but right handed reliable bullpen arms have been few and far between here for several years.
K you’re still thinking “the old way” the acquisitions that are indicative of a better direction are these Rule V kids Eamos & Beato, Carrasco & Paulino are merely placecards while Eamos & Beato represent potential growth if not from within by using the development stategies of other clubs when ours fails to supply an adequate solution. We added an Eamus instead of a Cairo to potentially augment the Murphy solution to the potential Castillo hole, if u don’t see that as improved direction buy yourself a new functioning GPS lol.
The biggest question, in my opinion is did Omar’s constructions fail due to faulty bricks or bad mortar? (allegory explaination BRICKS= KEY PLAYERS, BELTRAN,DELGADO,BAY,WAGNER,SANTANA,K-ROD; MORTAR = SUPPORTING ROLE PLAYERS FRANCOEUR,ALOU,TATIS,GMJ,et al
I was most encouraged by the comments about being aggressive at the trade deadline, and getting what was missing. Not something that omar often did (but who knows if he wanted or tried to).
As the days pass, I’m becoming more skeptical of Sandy. I’m not convinced he has the confidence right now to do this job, in this market, despite the image he tries to project. It’s also in his interests to keep Mets bloggers feeling important and he plays on that need well, but quite frankly, I think he’s out of his element right now, running a big market team, with big budget, while his experience is small market, small budget, small contracts, nary a bidding war. He’s been feeling his way around and in so doing, has contradicted himself a number of times, leading me to believe he’s unsteady on his feet here and isn’t quite sure how to manage the budget this year and beyond. Remember, an analytical approach to answering a question doesn’t mean he’s actually answering the question which he typically doesn’t.
a good Gm never gives a straight, definitive answer that they can be pinned down on. Part of the art of doing the job!
ultimately he will be judged like every other GM. On wins.
“I’m not convinced he has the confidence right now to do this job”
Based on…?
“I think he’s out of his element right now, running a big market team, with big budget, while his experience is small market, small budget, small contracts, nary a bidding war.”
Again, based on…?
“He’s been feeling his way around”
Is that another way of saying getting familiar will everything in the org? If so I agree.
“…and in so doing, has contradicted himself a number of times”
Can you be more specific?
I only ask these questions because I have seen when one tries to interpret what one believes is being said it only results in statements like “there you go twisting my words again”. I don’t want to twist anything I just want a better understanding to better respond.
This small market, small budget, small contracts, nary a bidding war thing that is being suggested let me add the following for what it’s worth.
Sandy Alderson as GM of A’s
1988 Oakland Athletics $ 11,380,183 14th in MLB
1989 Oakland Athletics $ 14,602,999 12th in MLB
1990 Oakland Athletics $ 19,987,501 10th in MLB
1991 Oakland Athletics $ 33,632,500 1st in MLB
1992 Oakland Athletics $ 39,957,834 5th in MLB
1993 Oakland Athletics $ 35,565,834 12th in MLB
1994 Oakland Athletics $ 33,169,500 13th in MLB
1995 Oakland Athletics $ 35,961,500 7TH in MLB
Alderson at worst has been middle of the pack regarding payroll and the one time he was 1st that year they ended their streak of 3 W.S. appearances.
content.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx
baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/
baseballamerica.com/execdb/?show=franchise&fid=oak#gm
It’s pretty obvious to me that Alderson is taking his message to the REAL Met Fan directly so it doesn’t get skewed by the main stream media who’s priorities are more inclined to be along the lines of ratings and the number of phone calls that can be milked out of story. The negative side of a story always gets played up because that’s what drives ratings and phone call rants and allows the story to perpetuate itself. The educated Met Fan knows there are numerous problems within the organization that must be fixed before we can get full value out of even the best moves and that sometimes the best moves are the one’s made after careful consideration as opposed to relying on just whoever MIGHT be able to fill a hole under the most optomistic projection possible. Basically, the people who think, exchange ideas and talk Met Baseball 365 days a year are the one’s he wants to get to so other interests by lesser committed go betweens do not poison the well.
Stick, the difference however, is that Sandy promised transparency and was talked up as always providing honest answer, Instead, he invites the public into his thought process, utters it intelligently, and then has many people convinced he gave them an answer to the question, when all he really did was avoid it.
Mr. North Jersey, I think Alderson is a very good executive in restructuring a business model, but he seems out of touch with today’s player marketplace and unsure of himself operating in this environment.
He’s contradicted himself a number of times already regarding the budget and signings for this year and next, which suggests to me he doesn’t adequately understand today’s marketplace and how its evolved since his days in Oakland. If you read through his quotes, you’ll find it. He says he wants to spend next year like big market team, and then he says he doesn’t because it limits flexibility, and hinders team for years to come. He says he has little money to spend for next season but now he says he can pick up player at deadline for playoff run. He says he doesn’t want to sign anyone to multi-year contract for 2011, but then does. These are some examples which show a pattern of uncertainty, lack of preparation, or what have you.
As many adults understand just because you may have $50 in your pocket tomorrow that doesn’t mean you must spend all $50 then. Maybe a real value comes along later and you have the crisp $20 dollar bill to pull out. Alderson is not going to be acting like an 11 year old on a field trip.
OK, let me attempt some of your comments 1 at a time.
1. He says he wants to spend next year like big market team, and then he says he doesn’t because it limits flexibility
“Look, I don’t have any understanding about what the payroll will be or can’t be going forward,” Alderson said. “But, look, let’s say arguably we have like $50 million or $60 million coming off next year. Do I think it would even be prudent to invest that full $50 million or $60 million again in a situation which binds us going forward so that we’re only in the market every three years when this lump sum comes off our books? No. That’s not how we want to approach this. So next year, if $50 million comes off, it’s very unlikely that we would re-spend the $50 million and would commit ourselves for another four years out for all that money and then leave ourselves with a three- or four-year dark period where we can’t do anything else.”
proxy.espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/12765/gm-sees-payroll-decline-next-year-by-choice
2. He says he has little money to spend for next season but now he says he can pick up player at deadline for playoff run.
“I would expect to have much more flexibility. I think any team in position at the All-Star break, to make a run, needs to take a hard look at what we need. If we’re in position to make a run, attendance will reflect that, and so we will be in a strong position to make a move. I don’t think our approach in the off-season would necessarily be repeteated at the All-Star break. We want to be in position to add a player or two and make a run. If we’re in the hunt, we will take hard look at what we can add.”
metsblog.com/2010/12/10/mets-to-announce-coaches-mon-or-tues-next-week/
3. He says he doesn’t want to sign anyone to multi-year contract for 2011, but then does.
“I think we’re nicely set up at this point to be active in future years,” Alderson, the Mets’ general manager, said Tuesday, “and one of the things we’re trying to do this year is not compromise it. It could happen, but we’re trying to be very mindful of the value of that flexibility going forward, and at some point, we want to be in the market every year.”
“Carrasco, 33, signed a two-year deal for $2.5 million, which does not necessarily conflict with the Mets’ reluctance to dole out money beyond 2011. Alderson said he would be willing to do so if he felt the price was right, and clearly he felt it was with Carrasco.
“Our preference now is to stay away from multiyear deals in part because we want to preserve our flexibility for 2012 and beyond,” Alderson said. He added, “Rather than falling back on maybe a second or third choice at this point, it may be better for us to be somewhat more flexible on terms.” ”
nytimes.com/2010/12/08/sports/baseball/08patience.html
Where above do you see contradiction or confusion? What GM you know of is hard and fast locked in to any scenario? Alderson if anything is showing you he has a plan that is also leaving some room for flexibility to make exceptions on a case by case basis.
Now if you still feel to the contrary well then we will agree to disagree.
‘He says he wants to spend next year like big market team, and then he says he doesn’t because it limits flexibility, and hinders team for years to come.’
I disagree with this – or the interpretation of this. From what I’ve heard and read, Alderson said if he had 50MIL coming off the books end of next year, he’s not going to spend all 50MIL right up front as it allows for no flexibility.
he also wants to avoid what omar set up this year. None of the big $ contracts came off the books, so no room for a new one.
better to stagger so that you are always able to replenish.
for the right player, you should be happy to lose flexibility. the best reason not to have flexibility, is because there is nobody better out there than your guy. i don’t think the red sox are worried about their flexibilty at this point.
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I love how Sandy is so open and upfront with us with what his present and future plans are.
Alderson stated that player development is a key ingredient for a big market team that wants to dominate. He also said that you can’t pay 20 – 25 guys 150 million. Both of these statements are 100% correct. The Wilpon’s have proven time and time again that approach doesn’t work. He needs the time to get the prospect flow started and is taking the cause to the thoughtful, knowledgeable fan who wants us to compete every single year with no exceptions and win a few World Championships every decade. He is being proactive because of the short attention span of some of the less knowledgeable fans who are already crying and whining that we didn’t sign anyone to a 20 million – 160 million dollar contract and he is trying to mitigate the damage a jackass like Francesca can do by stirring up the less intelligent fan and short circuiting the work that has needed to be done around here, and wasn’t, for the last 25 years.
I agree. People seem to have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees. It baffles me that people are on one hand sick of the losing and the seeming lack of a plan, and on the other complaining that we aren’t making a “splash”! Does anyone really wish we just signed that Werth deal? Please!
People around here say that “Mets fans are the greatest in the world” or some variation of that. I say BS! How can people have run out of patience with Alderson before Christmas?! He gets stuck with a terrible mess and we can’t give him until ST to figure it out?
The Mets have made the postseason what? seven times in 50 years? Maybe our previous business model isn’t working, unless fans like going to the playoffs a little more than once a decade. Maybe it’s time to try something new.
The Mets have been run very poorly for all but Cashen’s time here. We’ve basically been the Pirates with money. Now, perhaps we are about to be a very well run team with money! I for one, am excited.
I don’t expect the Mets to be run like the 1995-2005 A’s, I expect them to be run like the 2002-present Red Sox.
LGM!
I hate to use this team as an example how development is key in a big market but…. look at the Yankmees. They’re able to pull of these rediculous trades because they have the talent in the minors other teams want
I dont understand why some of you are so resistant to just giving Aldersona fair chance and enough time (at least one damn season please!) to do his job. It seems that the more he shows how experienced, open and understanding he is, the more he gest knocked on the head for it. It’s getting old already.
Nice job by the author who made some great points that I wish some of you would key in on.
Thanks for the kind words Caryn, much appreciated.
One of these days people will learn to ignore what Mike Francessa says about the Mets. It’s not that he doesn’t know a lot about baseball but he is a Yankee fan and Yankee fans have a different concept of the game. Real Met fans should be thrilled that our owners decided that they needed help to fix what is wrong with the team. Spending money they have always done but spending it wisely was not always the case. Blaming Omar Minaya was wrong too because it was not his fault that the team was decimated by injuries in the last number of years. Other than the Oliver Perez fiasco (and I understand why they signed him to that 36 million dollar contract) the most upsetting issue for me has been been the injury situation and bad communication about it in concerns to Carlos Beltran’s knee surgery. Will we ever know if it was simply a poor decision by Beltran to wait so long or did the Mets medical staff screw this up. Regardless, there is bad blood for sure between the club and player and it stands to reason that he probably doesn’t want to be here anymore. The day that Fred Wilpon decided that Omar had gone as far as he could and that Jeff was not the expert about how to fix this franchise was the beginning of a new day for this team. it will take a bit of time but Sandy Alderson was the best choice for the job
[...] the call can be found from Faith and Fear in Flushing, Mets Police, MetsGrrl, Kranepool Society, MetsMerizedOnline, NY Baseball Digest, OnTheBlack (includes a video), OptimisticMetsFan (aka, Ceetar), Always [...]
[...] To read other thoughts from the call, go to Caryn Rose, Mets Police, Faith and Fear in Flushing, Amazin Avenue, Kerel Cooper, Kranepool Society, Always Amazin, Optimistic Mets Fan, Joe Janish and Mets Merized Online. [...]