Why should we have to go out and find all those guys for 2012? Is this year’s rebilidng all up in smoke after the 2011 season? If Beltran is done and we need a new CF, Pagan steps in. If we need a RF, shouldn’t we be looking to Duda or Nieuwehuis for 2012? Does Paulino die after this season? We are currently auditioning 6 SP’s plus Johan returns. Do they just go away? We just signed 3 relievers. We have a bench in place. Yes, these players are not on long term contracts. But do we really think resigning what we just put in place is out of the question? If they’re affordable this year, they should only be just as affordable next year even with some expansion of salaries to reflect hopefully good performance in 2011. I can’t get excited about what happens in 2012 if the 2011 season formula works within reason. Given the pieces that are in place are reasonbaly renewable, we should be able to find some ability to upgrade within reason.

Here are a few excerpts.

“This will be the lowest potential payout that the Mets have put forth to free agents in an offseason since committing to only $8.6 million in potential payouts in the 1997-98 offseason. ”

“This year will end a streak of 12 straight offseasons in which the Mets signed at least one free agent to a contract with a total value of at least $10 million. ”

“It should be noted that one of the reasons for that trend ending is that none of the last four of those deals, given to Luis Castillo (4 years, $25 million), Oliver Perez (3 years, $36 million), Francisco Rodriguez (3 years, $37 million) and Jason Bay (4 years, $66 million, has worked out the way the Mets would have liked. ”

espn.go.com/blog/new-yorkmets/post/_/id/13552/its-rare-for-mets-to-be-this-frugal

GETING UNDER THE COVERS OF A FLAWED PLAN, MY PREDICTION IS MANY MORE HEAVILY BACKLOADED CONTRACTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAXIMIZE THE PRODUCTION ADDITION MINIMIZING THE PAYROLL ADDITION SIMULTANEOUSLY.

BASICLY IN A NUTSHELL I INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN THAT WHENEVER SANDY’S DONE THEY’LL REFER TO BEING HAMSTRUNG ONCE AGAIN BY OLDER PLAYERS MAKING MAX MONEY FOR DETERIORATED RETURNS ie BELTRAN NOW BEING 5 YRS OLDER THAN WHEN HE BEGAN AS A MET NOE WBEING PAID 185% OF HIS INITIAL SALARY AS A BROKEN PLAYER TODAY Vs A HEALTHY STUD TO BEGIN.
BELTRAN’S CONTRACTUAL REMUNERATION HAS BEEN:
05:$10M(28), 06:$12M(29), 07:$12M(30), 08:$18.5M(31, 09:$18.5M(32), 10:$18.5M(33), 11:$18.5M(34)
AGES ARE IN ()

CONSIDERING THE ACCEPTED RANGE FOR A BASEBALL PLAYER’S PRIME PRODUCTIVITY YEARS IS AGES 28 THROUGH 32, THE PAY/PRODUCTIVITY BALANCE ABOVE IS SKEWED TERRIBLY WRONG.
THIS WORKS BETTER ON A TEAM SUCH AS THE YANKEES WHERE DAILY RECEIPTS AREN’T AS HAEAVILY WEIGHTED. THIS METHODOLOGY FOR A TEAM IN A HUGE MARKET WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS AMIDST OWNERSHIP’S MODERATE ASPIRATIONS IS CERTAINLY AKIN TO “HAMSTRINGING” YOURSELF WHILE PRAYING FOR A POSITIVE BOLT OF LIGHTNING!

I CERTAINLY HOPE SANDY ALDERSON IS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OMAR MINAYA IN CONVINCING THE WILPONS TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE PRODUCTIVITY THIS TEAM WILL NEED TO STAY COMPETITIVE, GETTING INTO A MORE TYPICAL DRADFTING MODE, NOT AVOIDING SELECTION OF THE TOP PERFORMERS DUE TO PERCEIVED SIGNING DEMANDS.

ONLY BY ACQUIRING GOOD PRODUCTIVITY FROM LOW COST OPTIONS CAN THE METS EVER HOPE TO ESCAPE THIS DEATH SPIRAL OF CRIPPLING BACKLOADED CONTRACTS THAT ARE IMMOVABLE WHEN PRODUCTIVITY NATURALLY DECLINES DUE TO AGE OR INJURY.

JUST AS BACK IN ’86 THE BIGGEST PRODUCTIVE BOOSTS WERE FROM THE MOOKIES.DYKSTRAS,BACKMANS, STRAWBERRYS ON A DAY IN DAY OUT BASIS MUCH MORE THAN THE MORE EXPENSIVE IMPORTED TALENTS OF HERNANDEZ,CARTER,TUFFEL.
MOST LIKELY THE WILPONS CERTAINLY NEED CONVINCING THAST THEIR MINDSET WILL NOT TOLERATE A BATTLE FOR THE BACKPAGE aka YANKEE BUILDING MODEL; BUT WOULD BE BETTER SERVED WITH THE LESSER, BUT EFFECTIVE BOSTON MODEL ESPECIALLY IN THE NL EAST.

I caught one by the way in Maui, took about 45 minutes to bring him in, finally got ‘em on board, the crew of this catamaran I was on grabbed it and put it in the hold and seconds later he banged his way out and was making a break for it. They fileted him for me (keeping a large chunk for themselves) and that night we cooked him on the beach. Best fish I ever ate.

J. Wilpon’s taste in food is obviously better than his taste in ball players, perhaps he should be working in the shake shack, or even fileting fish for a living.

They have a budget (~145mill).
They have a large number of expensive cornerstone players already, courtesy of Omar.

therefore, they were not in the market for more super expensive guys this offseason.

I can absolutely see that type of scenario.

And get some starts out of it too.