Feb
22
2011

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same For Mets

An article by Former Writers

“The more things change, the more they stay the same” seems to apply for the Mets after the last few days. On Friday I posted here that Terry Collins told reporters that it would be up to Carlos Beltran on whether or not he would move from center-field and start playing right-field. Yesterday Brandon Butler posted that Oliver Perez has already been guaranteed a roster spot by Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins. I was hoping with a new regime things would be different but at least in these two instances that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, the last 2 managers of the Mets ran their teams much like this. They would let the player decide things instead of managing the player and doing what was best for the team. I’m surprised that he would let a player decide where he would play. Everything we’ve heard about Collins is that he’s a take charge manager, the opposite of Willie and Jerry. In a perfect world it would be nice if Beltran would go to Collins and admit his days in center are done but we don’t live in a perfect world. Collins needs to do the job he was hired to do and manage the team. We’ve seen what happens when the manager does not have the control to do this.

What doesn’t surprise me is that Oliver Perez might have been given a guarantee that he’ll make the team regardless of his performance this Spring. I knew Alderson would never allow a player making that much money to be released, regardless if his performance is not going to help the team. I understand wanting to get some value from Perez who is making 12 million dollars this season but this makes no sense. Sometimes you have to go against your “moneyball” philosophies and realize a player is just a lost cause. I don’t understand the logic of having Perez occupy a roster spot again this year. It’s not like the Mets are a team that can win with a 24 man roster, they need all the able players they can get to be productive. I would much rather see a young pitcher like Gee who is hungry and wants to help this team win, make the team instead of Perez who twice refused to accept a minor league deal so he can rack up service time.

I understand Alderson and Collins inherited an aging Beltran and an awful Perez but they could do things differently than the past regimes. The whole reason the Mets got rid of Omar and Jerry was because the way they were running the team was not working. I don’t understand why Collins and Alderson are doing the same thing. Hopefully they’ll learn from history otherwise we’re doomed to repeat it.

About the Author: Former Writers

18 Comments + Add Comment

Donal February 22, 2011 at 5:10 pm

What exactly about how Perez is being handled relates to a book written by Michael Lewis?

We’ve had less than a week of official team workouts. How about we let things play out a little before we rend garments?
- t agee February 22, 2011 at 7:36 pm
  
  Perez hasn’t cost Alderson/Collins 1 single game or one regular season roster spot and your all over him, why? Cause of “moneyball?” Give me a break. Grow up.
  
  Man if Frank Cashen had to put up with all you jackasses he would a left after a year.
tomterif February 22, 2011 at 6:04 pm

Greg, you’re really over blowing this. First off, there’s nothing wrong with Collins letting Beltran figure out if he can play center before dictating the move. That’s what spring training if for. As for Ollie, while I would be the first to say “dump him” what’s wrong with Alderson trying to find out if he can at least get something for $12 million before eating the contract. Neither of these moves means that the organization is soft or letting the inmates run the asylum. It just means they aren’t making knee-jerk decisions based on the temperature of the fans.
Marla Hooch February 22, 2011 at 6:47 pm

What a waste of bandwidth.

Why didn’t you mention the actual quote from Beltran about “What is best for the team”…….

hater
- FP Mets February 23, 2011 at 11:05 am
  
  HAHAHAHAHAHA! high-five! You took the words right out of my mouth. It also seems that people are misinterpreting the fact that Ollie will get a shot to join the rotation and also get a shot at joining the bullpen before he gets axed. People look for trouble wherever they can.
Harry C February 22, 2011 at 7:04 pm

Great post pointing out what a fake this new regime is. More money for GMs not one new idea.
Posters are amazingly hypocritical.. Everyone trying to say its allright when sandy’s boy does exactly what was freakin horrible when Omar’s boy did the same horrible thing. What a waste of money. bringing in this useless over the hill Gm and his very overpiad right hand yes men to do exactly what Omar and company did. At least Omar tried to produce a winning team. He failed but he tried. these Omar haters praise all the bad things that alderson and co. mimic Omar/Jerry/Willie about.
For real Met fans (those that want a winner and not to hate on past GMs for cheap thrills) there is hope. St Lucie much emptier this year than in the past. That meeans city will be emptier. That means average fans will turn off sny and turn on yes, Wilpon cash flow problems worsen and pressure to sell grows!!! Maybe us real fans should thank Bud Selig for shoving Alderson on the Wilpons!!!!
- alwaysnextyear February 22, 2011 at 7:15 pm
  
  I know I should walk away, but I can’t. Explain how sandy is doing “the exact same thing” as Omar, yet omar was “trying to win”?
- Marla Hooch February 22, 2011 at 7:25 pm
  
  Real Mets fans? I love how you defend a guy that was fired, one that 99.9% of the fan base wanted fire, yet hate the new guy before a season has even started.
  
  You are a fraud and a hippocrate.
- Pete February 22, 2011 at 8:39 pm
  
  I’ll tell Sandy that the honeymoon’s over.
  - Mr North Jersey February 22, 2011 at 9:38 pm
    
    Atually Sandy’s way ahead of you. He knew the honeymoon was over the day he got hired if you listen to his Francesa interview at 35min 20sec he says as much.
    
    realdirtymets.com/2010/10/30/audio-alderson-vs-francesa-round-1-talk/
alwaysnextyear February 22, 2011 at 7:19 pm

Greg, I think you need to read the quotes (and heck, the 100 comments on the earlier posts about them).

Ollie was never guaranteed a spot on the roster. Simple that he could compete for a Sp role. And Ollie said that if he did not get it, HE was willing to go to the pen. Neither sandy or Terry ever said he was guaranteed a spot, just that he would have a chance to earn one. They did, however, say definitively that if he was not good enough, he would be gone.

and Beltran did say that it was up to the team, and he would do what they wanted. THe quote about him deciding, in full, was that he wanted to complete his running program to see if he felt tht he still could play CF, and if so, he wanted to try. ANd if he felt he could, Terry would give him the chance to prove it.

but bottom line, if the team doesn’t think he should be out there, they will move him. Not up to Beltran to decide where he plays in the end.
- Marla Hooch February 22, 2011 at 7:24 pm
  
  Facts do not matter with Pomes, he just sprews his hate, and the MMO being such nice people continue to allow him to do so.
- srt February 22, 2011 at 7:55 pm
  
  I don’t see any direct quotes guaranteeing OP a roster spot.
  I see metsblog relaying that, without directly quoting anyone.
  
  Rich Couthino of MetsBlog reported,
  
  Meanwhile, Oliver Perez has been promised a shot at being in the rotation by Collins and Sandy Alderson, and, if he doesn’t make it, Perez agreed he will go to the bullpen.
  *************************
  
  Maybe I missed it but who is Couthino quoting here? He threw a statement out there with no credit on who in the Mets organization said that.
  - Danilo February 23, 2011 at 8:23 am
    
    The quote does not say that Perez is guaranteed to come north with the club. Only that they will give him a chance to try out for the rotation, and if he isn’t good enough, to try out for the bullpen.
Pete February 22, 2011 at 8:52 pm

It’s a long season and Beltran must nurse his balky knees along for, hopefully, the long haul. In case you missed him last year, he looked like he was 49 years old, jogging towards the alleys, while catchable drives sailed over his head. Do you think his knees suddenly underwent some miracle transformation during the winter months? Do you think his speed has now returned? Well two things are for sure. He is not ready to start the ST game schedule beginning Saturday, and he is still wearing a knee brace. I for one do not think his speed and agility will ever return. If his knees can handle the rigors of playing RF, I will be very satisfied. In the meantime, we have an Angel in the outfield, and Pagan plays a very very good CF. When all is said and done, Beltran will be manning RF this year. Terry is too smart to be pushed around by a player, and he knows the importance of defense in CF.
Danilo February 23, 2011 at 8:24 am

Hey Pomes, learn to read idiot. Nobody says that Perez has been, or may have, been guaranteed a roster spot.
Henry Rowengartner February 23, 2011 at 8:50 am

http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/02/beltran-talks-about-position-change.html

Anyone else find it funny that this author continues to post garbage, and never has the spine to respond to the comments left, with actual back up and facts?
- t agee February 23, 2011 at 11:45 am
  
  There are never any facts in a Pomes story. He uses his article’s to attack people he does not like and in my opinion to drive up the post count by writing inflammatory half truths or untruths.
  
  A month or so ago he wrote about Randolph not knowing how to use his bell pen despite the fact that in 2006 when he had a good bull pen he used it very well.
  
  Rarely has a bull pen had TWO non closer relief pitchers garner type A free agent status. We did that year. Hernandez and Bradford. Feliciano was another good reliever, Heilman and Oliver were decent. Sanchez out standing. Bell and Julio were the only guys who didn’t perform, Wagner was very good.
  
  I don’t blame Omar for not resigning Bradford and Hernandez, they weren’t going to last forever and at their age would be looking guaranteed years while letting them go would provide 4 high draft choices. Good thought process especially as up and down as relievers are. Oliver could not have reasonably be expected to perform the way he had either.
  
  Feliciano and Heilman stayed, Mota despite his only success coming while we absolutely knew for a fact was on steroids was resigned. Schowenweiss got 3/10. Bell and Ring were traded. Down the stretch Wagner was unavailable because of back spasms so Pomes’ conclusion is that Randolph didn’t know how to handle a bull pen because of the every other day meltdown in 2007 when the fact are he did a great job of it in 2006.
  
  Never a fact to back up his opinion.

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