25
2011
Beltran Could Make It Tough On Mets
An article by 
I never really weighed in on Fred Wilpon’s New Yorker interview yesterday, and I don’t really intend to go into it except to say I was most turned off by the owner mocking Carlos Beltran’s 2006 NLCS strikeout against Adam Wainwright. Wow… Et tu, Brute? It read like something Mike from Toms River would say calling into WFAN.
And if you think this boorish behavior from a team owner doesn’t bother a player, think again. “It surprised me,’’ Beltran said. “I have given all I can, but I won’t let this affect me.’’
Even the remark that Beltran was 65% of what he once was, cut Beltran like a knife. “I don’t feel 70 or 65,” he said. “I feel 100 percent. Unfortunately, the years that you’re hurt, you can’t produce the way that I know that I can produce when I’m healthy.”
This is the third time in 18 months that the organization has intentionally bashed Beltran in the press, and Beltran is well aware, “This is not my first rodeo,” he said.
Even Beltran’s agent Scott Boras, was taken back by Wilpon’s comments, “It’s not the Fred Wilpon I know,” Boras said. “I think that he’ll reflect back on this and certainly wish that those comments were made internally to his staff.”
The Mets have perpetuated many of the terrible rumors and untruths that continue to circulate about Beltran who is only guilty of being the best center fielder the Mets have ever had and always giving the team his all.
Ever since his collision with Mike Cameron in 2005, team insiders and anonymous sources leaked comments that began to feed the speculation that Beltran was soft, a tag he’s carried ever since despite playing injured for most of that 2005 season.
If they were going to treat him like this, why did they bother signing him in the first place?
Those snide remarks and well timed leaks only led to the creation of a large contingent of Mets fans who to this day, knock Beltran every chance they get.
The organization has always managed to cast their marquis player in a bad light throughout his tenure with the Mets.
In 2009, the Mets medical team continuously misdiagnosed the cause of severe pain in his right knee and twice treated him by sending him out on the field pumped up with cortisone to numb the pain.
It turned out that he had a serious knee condition that needed immediate treatment and surgery. But the Mets recommended rest instead and Beltran followed their advice though the offseason.
As the calendar turned to 2010, Beltran, who was still in pain, sought out a second opinion from the leading orthopedic surgeon in the country. They told him surgery was the only option. He informed his GM Omar Minaya, who actually wished Beltran good luck with the procedure. But the very next day the team ripped him in the press and said they were never told about the surgery. Making matters worse was that they even threatened legal action, until Boras informed them their own team doctor was well aware and faxed them his recommendation for surgery 24 hours prior.
After a long recovery, Beltran finally came back mid season, just in time for a voluntary trip to Walter Reed Hospital. Beltran, could not attend as he was already at another charity event that had been planned six months earlier. The Mets did not inform the team of the voluntary trip until two days prior.
The Mets who were still fuming over the surgery fiasco, launched a whisper campaign and leaked their disgust and anger over Beltran not honoring the troops. Morons like Andy Martino of the Daily News pounced on it and before you know it, the organization had everyone in New York calling Beltran unpatriotic and telling him to get out of the country.
The year before, Beltran did attend Walter Reed Hospital, but David Wright didn’t because he had to film a commercial for a vitamin water company. Nobody made any fuss.
You could write a book on how badly this team has treated Carlos Beltran over the years.
The ironic thing is that with all the talk that he is as good as gone and will be traded, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The Mets will be looking to cash in on Beltran’s fine season thus far, a season that may have never occurred had Beltran followed the Mets front office advice and not have the surgery. Thankfully, real medical doctors made the right medical decisions and let Beltran have the much needed operation, rather than letting the Mets board of directors handle it their way.
I wouldn’t blame Carlos Beltran or Scott Boras one bit if they decided to to exact some of their own brand of justice.
Everyone forgets that trading Beltran will not be as easy as it seems. You see there is the small matter of a full no-trade clause that was neatly tucked away in his contract.
They could simply say no and reject any deal, play out the rest of his season, become a free agent, and net the Mets ZERO COMPENSATION PICKS. That’s right no draft picks. That was also neatly tucked into his contract.
I don’t know how this will eventually play out, but I’m pretty sure Scott Boras has Beltran’s ear right now, and after this latest fiasco by the Mets, who could blame them for imparting some revenge and a well timed parting shot for old time’s sake.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
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I just hope Carlos Beltran ends his career with a team and city that will respect him. I’m sad to lose him, but I like him too much to stay here and get abused like this.
That was the best article I have ever read about the whole Carlos Beltran situation.
Thanks Joe, for setting the record straight.
It is really a sad commentary on ownership that they have continually undermined so many different important parts of our team and especially the best position player this team has ever had (and probably ever will) A man who by the way is not only an elite low maintenance superstar but he has never caused even the slightest hint of distraction in seven years, yet has continually been lowered into the muck by small minded petty individuals who’s last thought is about winning and every thought before that on their own priorities. People who are so incredibly concerned with public perception about themselves, to the point of making moves that look good instead of doing things that will work out well and yet they are just too happy to smear a class act like Beltran. Really makes you wonder about these small minded fools tarnishing peoples reputations.
I hate to see any player leave here glad to be done with this organization but more and more that’s always the way. Jose can’t help but be a little hurt by what his owner was thinking and that just reinforces what people say about baseball. It’s a business. Get what you can and move on.
The Wilpon’s like to say how well they get on with everyone. Their partners, unions, whoever but they either get on TOO WELL (see TL Agee’s observations below) or seek to trash people (and damn good people too) behind their back in this organization.
Their incredibly unaware of things that go on for years like gambling and steroids in the clubhouse but quick to lash out without getting the facts when someone displeases them.
It’s really been a very poor job on ownership’s part for over two decades by both Fred and Jeff. Jeff himself has no qualities that dictate he should be running a Major League franchise. Even his official bio is BS. Claims he was drafted and played part of one season in the Expos Organization. Complete BS.
These people are petty, building a team capable of competing year in and year out is so far down the list of priorities with these guys it is practically non existant. They cannot comprehend how difficult it is to play baseball in a negative cauldren. It’s just not like other sports in that regard. There is just always something, and then that something begets another something and on and on and on.
This Organization has really cornered the market on buffoonery since Steinbrenner hung up his explosive shoes.
Either ownership acknowledges what they have done to this organization and does the right thing or what remains of our Fan Base will follow the one’s who’ve already voted “no confidence” with their feet and their wallet.
You can only shoot your selves in the foot so many times before it’s time to go.
I really don’t get how they could be in this business for so long by trashing their top players and running this culture of undermining. It’s mind-boggling, really.
How long did Steinbrenner last coop? How did that turn out?
Nothing wrong having a tough boss, only having a boss who thinks he knows better than the experts.
Which also happened to be Steinbrenner for awhile.
people make allegations that the Wilpons did that but can never cite an example to prove the point.
Wilpon makes the same mistakes most OWNERS or Presidents do in business. Too much trust in their Staff and Employees. Steinbrenner was succesful because that trust was NEVER Exhibited, kept his staff on his toes and made them cautious to the point of surety that what they were going to do was the right thing to do. They do this by a better Work Ethic!
Didn’t happen here.
Omar bought and his initial plan was to buy for quick win and rebuild. Wilpon trusted him. Omar bought but what he bought got hurt, Hard for him to predict, but they still got hurt. Wilpon says hey I gave you plenty of money you need to win to pay for it, they didn’t they couldn’t pay for it!
The trashing started with Omar, All about the timing of the surgery. Things been bad ever since.
Wilpon trusted Omar, just as he trusted Harazin and McIlvane and every other guy who didn’t get the job done despite fred giving them pretty much whatever they needed. And people started slamming Wilpon for not continuing what Omar started by not going after Halladay last year and dragging our feet on jason Bay (A signing that many regret now while forgetting how badly they said at the time we NEEDED to sign that guy!)
Fred went and got a guy who has shown some ability to deal well with ANY salary structure in place, He won a WS with unlimited funds in 89 and had a decent team in 95 when his salary was gone and moneyball was invented.
He has done everything we could have wanted him to do and damn him for doing it!
I don’t see why everyone lays the blame at Wilpon and not also take into account what AFFECT “OUR” not going to games and buying tickets has done to our finances not anything he did with madoff!
Just like we blame the stadium for the team sucking all because it started when we moved there we blame Wilpon for all the suck from the past 4 or 5 GMs because they have all sucked since he took the team over!
Not because of any one thing Fred did!
And the worst thing he did was show his frustration with a 140 Million dollar 5-13 team during an interview!
Hell he should have been that honest 9 years ago maybe we would not have been so long absent from the WS!
Worked for George!
It’s not hard to predict when you have a dozen 35-45 year old’s that some, many or most of them will get hurt, especially when the steroid testing began the very year you started accumulating them.
I see what you’re saying Metsie. But that’s a horrible example. Steinbrenner was run out of baseball, and had an empire build after he got himself banned. Prior to that, the Yankees were horribly run. They were kind of like the mets. This culture of undermining may not be exclusive to the Mets, but there’s no need for it, esp since the bad behavior typically starts (and is endorsed) from the top.
Sure he was run out of baseball, (Some here would love it if the Wilpons were run out too!)
But in the end like it not Leo the Lip was right!
Nice guys DO mostly finish last!
A Boss who has a tendency for firing you for SANE things DOES tend to inspire you to not even get NEAR the dumb things!
It’s not an ideolized world in which we live!
And just for the record, the Yankees did pretty good in the 10 years before he got banned. Came to the club in 73 and was in the WS3 years later and 4 years out of 6 before he got banned! Winning twice!
It shouldn’t have to be like that and I’m not saying it HAS to be like that. just saying that it DOES work! If you are constantly questioning your staff they will prepare themselves better to be able to defend their moves, And that means they thought about their moves a lot more than someone who just gets the rubber stamp by ownership who says Yeah whatever you think is best!
Which is what the Wilpons have done since they took over.
Personally I think the Wilpons only affect is that they have tried to do everything to repeat george’s success without that key ingredient of being a hard nosed boss!
And thats why it hasn’t worked for them!
It’s not hard to do?
Ok Name the next 4 who will be hurt because they meet the criteria you set…We will settle this issue if your right at the end of the season and PREDICT who is ABOUT to get hurt!
Get real Metsie. You can predict some of them but who? Which ones? No. Beltran would have been one of the last choices. Reyes too but a season can end on a FB up and in. That could happen to Piazza or Ordonez.
But a dozen 35-45 year old’s? What are the odds on all of them staying healthy?
Excuse me I WAS being real by saying you CAN NOT PREDICT based on their AGE group who will get hurt in the next 3 or 4 years.
If you say you can then Prove it dude!
If you can prove you know then I will believe Omar should have too!
I however can NOT predict who will get hurt and who will not.
All I know is that once you GET hurt it is difficult to play the way you did when I hired you!
And if you DO thats all I can ask for!
Thanks for this, Joe. As usual you are always an interesting read.
Yesterday, on another thread, I posted an old article about Nelson Doubleday versus Fred Wilpon and who would have been the better owner. It got me thinking about many unusual and bad things that have happened because of the way this team has been managed since Fred became sole owner.
Here are a few of my observations:
Like Bobby Valentine or not, Steve Phillips would undermine him and his ability to manage the club. This was never so true as when Dave Wallace was hired as pitching coach. Now Wallace was a good coach but had zero relationship with BV. His loyalty was to the owners and Phillips which put Bobby in a very bad position.
When John Franco was injured and recovering from surgery he developed, in my opinion, a very unhealthy relationship with Jeff Wilpon. He wasn’t playing but many writers at the time believed that Franco was whispering – and poisoning – into Jeff’s ear some his personal opinions of other players.
Then there was what I refer to as the ‘gang of three’. Three left handed pitchers who were at or near the twilight of their careers. Franco, Leiter and Glavine were given unprecedented access to ownership to give their personal opinions. Normally, its not a bad idea for management to hear things directly from their workers, but in this case, these three did not represent the entire team – indeed, if they represented anything it was they were similar (white, experienced left handed pitchers) to Sandy Kofax. I believe these three were able to run the clubhouse in a self-serving way.
Among other factions, this ‘gang of three’ might have been very involved in the trading of Kazmir. That’s always been my opinion. He was an upcoming Left handed pitcher who could very well take one of their jobs away.
After Bobby Valentine we had a collection of crappy managers – Art Howe, Buddy Harrelson, Willie Randolph (who was hired more for his Brooklyn roots then his managerial experience – in fact he had none) and Jerry Manuel. That’s management – bad management.
The GM’s were also questionable. Though I will say that Omar was a breath of fresh air when he first came in as GM. I think he had a good eye for talent – albeit a definite lean towards hispanic players which, some could argue, alienated and fractionalized the clubhouse causing the team to fail to gel when they really needed to and resulting in poor September performances.
A lot has been written about the staggering amount of money that ownership paid to put the teams on the field as proof that ownership cared. But the money was not well spent at times. 20/20 hindsight is always an advantage so I won’t go into individual failures but I will say that there were certain times over the past six years that a simple trade for a bullpen pitcher or a hitter to replace someone who got injured wasn’t made and left a lot of fans scratching their heads.
I could go on and on (I already have) but things like the breakup of the bullpen after 2006 was just stupid. And every winter until this past one they would make a major and expensive signing and ignore some of the basic things the team needed.
Will Sandy and Terry make a difference? Not if Fred’s comments to SI that the team will lose $70 million this year is true.
All good businessmen know that it takes money to make money – but it also takes a good deal of common sense. If the team continues to play average or poorly less fans will want to fork out the $250 it costs to take a family of four to the stadium. Less attendance means higher losses. Pretty simple math there. If Fred doesn’t sell this team will struggle for years to come. Loser management calls it a rebuilding process. Along with many other fans of the Mets – one of only two teams to be in the number one market in the world – I don’t want to hear that.
All good observations TL. I have to agree with you about Doubleday. He’s the one who dug us out of 1979 and got things back on track.
Especially since Wilpon would not have bought the mets or even been on an investment team to buy them without Doubleday buying 95% of them. NINETY. FIVE. They were able to purchase 45% and equal partnership with fictitious profits. You can almost point to when the Mets started going downhill in the ’80s – right after the Sterling crew bought in after the 1986 world series.
That really is true Coop. Latched onto the tail end of Cashen’s team and ever since then, taken the pot hole approach and caught a bit of luck 3 times in 23 years.
Won one Division title in that time period, WITH the largest payroll in the NL. If that doesn’t spell incompetence I don’t know what does. Even the Pirates and Reds have won more pennants than that. TWO more to be exact. The expansion Marlins ONE more. Astros, Dodgers Padres and Cubs THREE more. Phillie and SF FOUR more. St. L SIX more. Altanta THIRTEEN more.
Who do we have more pennants than since the Wilpon became a 50% partner? Milwaukee and Washington. And that’s with constantly going for it every year at the expense of future years AND with the highest payroll AND starting out with a World Series Champion. It would really be almost impossible to be more inept than the Mets have been.
That is just incompetence at a level almost unimaginable and unattainable by even the most severely inept owners in any industry.
Makes you wonder if the Wilpon’s were the brains behind the Yugo.
Very good , except Buddy Harrelson was not after Valentine but before and yes he was still crappy.
Damn, you beat me to it.
Minor quibble with an otherwise good rant:
Harrelson came after Johnson, not Valentine and had a .529 winning percentage. You can argue it had nothing to do with him, but still, hardly in the domain of Art Howe.
Metstheory and Donal — Thanks for the correction on Buddy – I was wrong that he came after BV, and he was a nice guy – but he totally lost control of the clubhouse.
The Mets will always be my team and I will always be proud to be a Mets fan.
But heck, this situation is pathetic.
I don’t want to hear about rebuilding – it’s another word for ‘we give up right now’.
Owning a number one market team comes with certain respondsibilities. If you can’t live up to them then sell.
I predicted a 30% cut in payroll next year days before Wilpon confirmed it in SI.
It’s like watching a slow motion train wreck.
Thank god we’re a bit resiliant – we’ve been down this path before – remember the early 90′s?
…Beltran has that clause in his contract?
So even if he finishes the year as a Type A (Which is likely), he won’t net us any picks.
So we NEED to trade him. And he has a no-trade clause.
As much as Wilpon could have screwed himself over with that comment, I think highly of Carlos Beltran, and I think if the opportunity was presented where he would be traded to a contender (in the case that we weren’t in the race at all), he might take a move to an AL team and DH or so. He’s still got a lot in that bat.
My thinking is that the mets are putting these unattributed (and not-so-unattributed) quotes about Beltran so he’ll approve a trade. If he has a chance to win a title, even for half-a-year, what does he have to lose? The Mets would have to pay half his salary but they could get some decent prospects in return.
That’s a great point Coop, and I wouldn’t put it past them! Make it so hostile for Beltran that he’d even approve a trade to the Pirates. Terrible but very likely.
Coop! Thats probably the BEST statement about the reasoning for what Wilpon said posted yet!
Beltran is going to be traded for SOMETHING they simply do not trust his knees.
That has been decided long ago if you ask me.
So POing him publicly has two functions, One what you stated and two to let everyone know He’s Up for Sale!
And from the sounds of it Wright and reyes might be as well!
#Mets crushed, on field and in spirit. Read all about the massacre and get the Outsider’s (and consensus) Opinion: http://tiny.cc/347md
So David Wright was filming a Vitamin Water commercial while Carlos Beltran went to Walter Reed?
Imagine if it were the other way around
That is so true. Not a word about a player missing the Walter Reed visit to go film a commercial but plenty of negative press about a player missing the trip due to his own charitable activities.
Racism? Hard not to draw that conclusion. True or not when you treat people differently that charge is hard to deflect.
Small minded pettiness? That’s been a staple of the Wilpon ownership for years now.
What Carlos has done to deserve the constant attempts to embarrass him by the Met hierarchy is beyond me. His first year here he offered to work out with Wright and Reyes. He did work out with Pagan in the off season. He was misdiagnosed by the Met Medical Staff. He played hurt and came back….twice. He made it easy for the team by moving to RF. He provided quiet leadership to young players like Tejada and Duda. He never even said a word about a teammate not removing the bat from on top of home plate when he caught **** for not sliding with his bad knee.
What did he do? Was it a surprise to everyone in the Met FO that he didn’t hit a HR in 3/4′s of his games like he did in Houston’s playoff run? If it was their bigger dopes than we already suspected.
One AB can win a playoff series, but one AB can never cost you one. Big money guys like Wagner (16.88 ERA) and Greene (Spezio’s 2 out 3 run game 2 “triple”) get a total and complete pass while the guy who was primarally responsible for us being there in the first place gets **** on, even after his .296/.387/.667 3 HR’s and 8 RS in that series.
With all the injured, underperforming, self interested freaks we have lavished wheelbarrows full of cash on through the last two decades, Beltran is one of an extremely small minority of players who has risen to the occasion here. One of the accepted tenants of free agency is that you have to pay players for an extra year or two to get them to come here. Overall his 7 year career seems to shape up as one year mildly disapointing, 3 years MVP caliber, 2 years injury plagued (after being misdiagnosed and treated by the Mets) and one year very good (so far) That is about as close to the best you could possibly hope for as it gets.
Coincidentally his 3 MVP caliber years all came in years in which we either made the post season or came within a game or two. His mildly disapointing year came before we were even ready to compete.
That is so vastly superior to almost every other expensive acquisition this team has EVER made and yet never a word about any of the other guys. Guys you just know Fred and Jeff had a hand in bringing here. Oh no. Just the best all around everyday regular this team has ever had and one of the very very few who has lived up to his contract.
Man, these guys are self sabotaging dysfunctional morons.
T-Agee, I’ve always maintained that Beltran is the true “catalyst” of the team — my definition of catalyst might be different from others but the truth is, the Mets are a better team with him. It took me awhile to realize it, but I am fully in beltran’s corner on this. BTW, about D-Wright. He does make charity appearances, tis true. But regarding his non-visit to Walter Reed, I have one better (sort of, I mean not on the caliber of visiting wounded veterans but still…) — I went to a charity dinner featuring the mets and they are supposed to sign autographs afterwards. He disappeared — he had to make a paying function later that evening. I get that he may have double-booked, but DW is hardly the angel people make him out to be.
Coop, We can only guess about things but you know the three that were singled out to leak the Walter Reed incident were clearly out of favor with the Wilpon’s.
Why Beltran was included in that just shows how little regard they have for the players as Human beings.
Hey you want to dislike someone you signed to a big contract go right ahead, petty but not unheard of. Beltran though. Your medical staff mis diagnosed and then mistreated his injury, which is more like a condition he’ll have to live with the rest of his life.
Why do that?
The priorities with these owners are all wrong.
Yes, and I didn’t mention it to knock Wright, I wanted to simply illustrate the hypocrisy in how the Mets raked Beltran over the coals when he didn’t show up even though Beltran had a far more noble reason than Wright.
It’s sad to see but this fiasco with Fred Wilpon publicly bashing his players is a sign of frustration by a man who always could keep his cool. There is no doubt that Fred has poured many a million into this team over the years and while they have had many successful seasons they only won the whole thing once and Fred had to share that with Doubleday. There were many great moments but not enough championships for the fans and certainly not enough for the media who still drool over the Yankees glory years. Personally, I think that Fred Wilpon could never accept the second class status that the Mets get from many in NYC.
I think that Fred had the right idea and the best interests of the fans when he “broke the bank” to bring in many free agents and to resign many of his best guys. Pedro Martinez was one of those great moves despite the eventual outcome. Injuries can never be accounted for. Trading for and then upping the pot to keep Mike Piazza in NY was great too. Fred made many such moves through his then “genius GM” and Omar made lots of good acquisitions. The only knock to me on Carlos Beltran was the handling of his knee surgery and it looks like there were lots of guilty parties involved. Carlos may be physically a softer player than some but he has always played hard. I suggest that his natural gifts of grace,speed and power that we all admired make him like a thoroughbred race horse but we all know how fragile a race horses legs can be. Beltran has delivered good numbers in every season that he has been healthy other than the first one.
Much can be said about Jose Reyes who is still the most exciting player in the National League but he too has been fragile. I personally get annoyed at his mental lapses on the bases and would have thought they would diminish with maturity but alas Jose may always be a bit on the wild side.
In conclusion….I think it is evident that the team will have to be sold by Fred Wilpon as I don’t see anyone coming up with enough cash (to barely keep the team afloat) and yet have little to say in the daily operation of the club. It would be great to have an owner with deep pockets that is committed to having a winner and who can compete with the Yankees for the fan base in NY. Marc Cuban would never take a back seat to the Steinbrenner kids but it is unlikely that he would be approved by the pro Selig owners of the other teams in the sport….
How can anyone say Carlos may be a physically softer player than some? He came right back from that horrendous head on collision with Cameron, played hurt on a misdiagnosed knee condition for a couple of months, then came back TWICE to play in meaningless games down the stretch.
Soft? What’s your idea of tough? Wagner shutting down in the stretch of 2007? Alomar standing in there are on DP’s? Greene making that great catch in game 2? Perez vacating his roster spot for the good of the team? Coleman throwing firecrackers? Saberhagen bleach? Glavine’s gritty game 162? Bonilla threatning reporters? No one taking exception to Clemmons? Utley, except Carlos? Schneider? Schowenweiss? Rogers?
I don’t know. I think Beltran has been every much a gamer as anyone we have ever brought in here.
That’s another thing – Beltran may have a disposition to break down. He has an arthritic knee FCOL. He’s only, what, 33? 34? (I forget). My grandmother developed arthritis in her knee in her 60s! And she didn’t play baseball! I mean, no one ever questions Moises Alou for being a tough guy and he was ALWAYS hurt. This dude would have been a first ballot HOFer had it not been for his injuries. But because he came up screaming when the Cubs fans reached for a fly ball in 2003…that makes him fiery and passionate. Beltran doesn’t act like that. Whatever.
Great post. Beltran has been one of the most underappreciated player in Mets’ history. I doubt he’d veto a trade to the right team; he wants to win, and I’m sure he’d look forward to playing for a contender, whether it’s in the Bronx, Boston, or even Texas (although I’m sure he’d prefer to stay on the east coast).
A couple of things to keep in mind, Carlos smiled when he talked about not feeling 65-70%, so I’m not sure he’s taking this all that seriously, and he’s not the vengeful type. I’m sure he’s annoyed, but Wilpon’s comments weren’t nearly as bad as the whisper campaign that took place after his surgery. Yet he’s continued to play hard, and play through pain.
The whisper campaigns remain a problem. It occurred not only with Carlos, but with Jose last year, Bay, and Ryan Church before them. I’m sure many of us thought they would cease when Omar left, but apparently he wasn’t the source. I have my opinions on who it is (*cough*Jeffy*cough*), but whoever it is, it has to stop. What FA’s would want to sign here?
Thanks for the comment. We have a very tabloid style media that thrives off of the Mets leaks and whispers. Guys like Martino and Lennon are the worst.
Of course Beltran will make it all about himself not the team he’s Carlos Beltran. Wouldn’t expect anything less from him.
Ya, he such a jerk for busting his butt for a team and fanbase that mistreats him every chance they get.
Yes, Donal, the only time Pomes will EVER respond to anything (including his own stuff) on MMO.
I hope I wasn’t too mean
Nah, you were on target.
I actually asked Greg to at least comment on his own posts last week, he said he would. We’ll see. For myself, reading my comments and replying is the fun part.
“I don’t know how this will eventually play out, but I’m pretty sure Scott Boras has Beltran’s ear right now, and after this latest fiasco by the Mets, who could blame them for imparting some revenge and a well timed parting shot for old time’s sake.”
No, Beltran is still a professional and a very proud man. He’ll give it his all the whole wya.
Also, him and Boras probably both realize that his market value would increase if he were traded to a contending team and he performed in October.
Say no to a trade? Beltran and Boras probably got on the phone yesterday with ol’ Fred and pleaded to get off of this train wreck of a franchise.
the most underappreciatted met of ALL TIME!!!!
what ppl failed to realize is that mr #5 w/o reyes and beltran on the lineup look marginal at best, a white version of placido polanco, but with beltra and reyes in the lineup he was a stud, a “franchize player”, but we all know how much of a choker he really is once the pressure was solely on him.
beltran did everything for this franchize, played hurt, gold gloves, most hr by a met, and yet, never got the praise he truly deserve, and is a shame, i really wish he goes to a team like the yankees, mets, or hell even the phillies sp he can win a championship and rub it on wilpon’s face!!!!!
the MOST? It’s close maybe carlos gets the edge…
I personally think Ray Knight was the most underappreciated player we ever had up until Carlos came here….
Yes we had HoJo in the wings who probably put up better numbers, but Knight is the guy in the 86 lockeroom who kept the different factions in the 86 clubhouse in check (remember the Hernandez Strawberry scuffle?) and was a key component in motivating those players to do what needed to be done late in games to compile that impressive record.
Carlos may be under appreciated for what he has done but Knight was NEVER appreciated for his contributions, in fact he was shipped off right after he helped us win the WS!
That 86 team was much more like the personality of Ray Knight than it was the personality of Keith hernandex or Gary carter!
They were not fighters…Ray Knight was!
Beltran has been mistreated by MOST of NY!
Why is pretty obvious. He was the signing that gave us hope, He was the signing that was supposed to carry us, He was the guy that was going to take us to the WS, and finally HE was the guy who kept a bat on his shoulder and took a called third strike that ended the closest run we had!
Is it fair to put all that hope on one player and then hate him due to failing in one at bat?
NO! and NO!
Some (misguided) people blame Carlos for being hurt two years in a row. He wasn’t thats a lie. Carlos was hurt for a SINGLE year it’s just that single year happened over the span of two season! Didn’t have to be that way if he had the surgery immediatly he would have likely only missed April and May last year!
Beltran holds a lot of power in his eventual fate. He can’t be offered Arbitration so no picks if he walks. He has a No Trade clause that means he can limit who we can deal him to and the players we can select from.
Did Fred help that situation? Hardly but face facts here the relationship between the Mets and Beltran were strained long before Fred ever opened his mouth!
I am one of those who feel Beltran has always given us whatever he could and I can’t honestly say he was not worth the money he got paid. While that called third strike was a bad call by himI can not nblame him for it because if not for him we wouldn’t had even BEEN in a position where a called third strike could be thrown! We would have been sitting on our Duffs watching it on TV, not in the playoffs!
I don’t know where or how Beltran will wind up when all is said and done but I vcan say this,
Carlos you gave us plenty and while the NY media, fans and owners may not have given you the appreciation you deserve I will still say you were one of the best signings this team has ever made!
I can’t see how fans can under appreciate Carlos Beltran. Since he came here he has averaged about 28HR, 103 RBI, 102 Runs and 163 hits. Look at his stats the year he got hurt. In 81 games he already had 100 hits, 10 HR and 48 RBI and hitting .325. Players get hurt and that is part of dealing with their contract. MOST players spend some time hurt in some way, some play hurt, some don’t. You can complain about his play last year when he came back early. He should have taken rest of year off, but came back as early as possible. Did not work out well for him or team, but he tried to play and help team.
I can’t see how either MT22 but the issue still remains….SOME DO!
I believe that despite what has happened and whatever Boras might whisper in his ear that Carlos will leave on a positive note with Mets despite ownership treatment of him.
He knows that he gave 100% when healthy and most Met fans appreciate what a special player he was.
I believe, having seen how Carlos carries himself, his charities, his family life, and his persona that he will not leave on bad terms or stick it to Mets over stupid comments.
He is a better person than many give him credit for and I believe he will accept a trade to a contending team for a maybe last chance to make it to WS.
You know what I believe Sarge?
I believe we will RE-SIGN Beltran!
EVEN if he is traded by us at the deadline.
I think Beltran will get some interest in FA but I don’t think he is going to get top dollar offered. And if the Mets show they are willing to pay as much as anyone else is willing to pay him (if that number actually works for them) then he will not care one bit about the owner! This is Carlos’ last huge payday. Whoever is willing to pay him the most will probably get him!
I say this because everyone seems to think he is more valuable to an AL team where he can DH. Well how much does a DH get in Free Agency these days? Type A salary? Hardly!
I have no idea what the rest of the league will offer him but if it is a reasonable price that Sandy and Fred feel is affordable they will resign him and he will have no issue with it!
I agree with Sarge.
And I don’t think that Alderson is interested in re-signing Beltran, or most other players currently on the roster. I think he wants to start over, which I’m on board with.
Regardless of what you think of the players, I associate almost all of them with the spectactular failures over the past 5 years, and I’d rather they go somewhere else. I think this crop of players and Met fans need a separation at this point.
There is no chance of Carlos resigning here.
Beltran has been a good soldier, and I think ultimately he is under-rated as a player. That being said, I’m fine with criticizing his infamous called third strike. That was really inexcusable.
Yeah yeah, “it was just one at bat!” You could say the same thing about the at bats the Mets had in the 9th inning of Game 6 in 1986. Same situation. If Beltran had been on the 1986 team, the Red Sox would have won.
Can anyone else think of any other famous “called third strikes”? I’m sure there are some, but I can’t think of any worse than that.
Did you actually see the pitch? It was a perfect curveball from Adam Wainwright. If Beltran had swung, he probably would have just popped it straight up. It wasn’t in the strike zone until it was almost past him.
If he was protecting the plate with two strikes he would have fouled it off and made Wainwright throw an even BETTER one to get him out!
You NEVER want to end an AB caught looking at strike 3!
he most likely would have popped it up and the result would have been the same except we’d be cursing him for swinging at a bad pitch instead. The ball was high and then dropped in at the last second. It was a perfect pitch by a very good pitcher.
Besides, not everyone changes their stance with 2 strikes. I’m not sure if Beltran is one of them, but lots of guys like Ted Williams and George Brett maintained the same stance and swing no matter what the count or situation was.
Hey, Beltran went .296/.360/.667 3 HR’s 8 RS in that series. Greene and Wagner didn’t do **** and no one says a word about them. Why?
Because they didn’t make the final out with the bases loaded!
What was Wagner going to do? HOLD them after Beltran got the klead for us!
Wagner blew three games. Had a 16.88 ERA in that series. You don’t have to be the final out to wear the horns. I’ll give you that it helps but Beltran had a very good series and a fantastic year. How stupid. The guy who makes the last out is the one we should be all over regardless of what else transpired in the whole series let alone season.
Who made the last out last year for the Braves? Who knows. Everyone remembers Brooks Conrad. Was Wayne Garrett remembered only for making the last out in ’73? Does anyone really think he lost the series for us? Did Hojo lose the 1988 NLCS by making the last out? Glavine was gone in the first inning in game 162 in 2007.
If your looking to blame someone for that Cardinal Series blame Wagner. A 16.88 ERA or Greene, flubbing Spezio’s 2 out 3 run “triple.” Don’t blame the guy who played great.
it was a STRIKE! How could it be a bad pitch?
Did NOT swinging help him extend the AB? NO!
So despite whatever LIKELY you want to mention there was still a chance it was NOT an out and the at bat was extended!
You talk about likely as if it wasn’t likely Beltran would walk back to the dugout after looking at strike 3!
Sometimes you get beat. Wainwright made a perfect pitch. Close to unhittable. If Beltran had swung through a FB not much would have been made of that AB. The focus would have been on the whole team. Maybe the guys who didn’t play well. He got locked up 0-2 on a pitch that looked up and in…..and then…..dropped right in.
Credit Wainwright, Molina, Duncan and La Russa. Sometimes the other guys just beat you. This AB was one of those times. The Series could have been won well before game 7 was even played.
Sorry dude but last week you were saying you should swing at strikes because if you force a pitcher to throw strikes you force him to give you a pitch to hit…
Well the pitcher threw a strike so he didn’t do what you said and now your going to change what you said to fit into this situation?
Bottomline was he didn’t swing at a strike!
He didn’t swing at a strike when he had TWO strikes on him!
Did it fool him?
If it did then he should have done what I said he should do, Not GUESS at what was coming, Get defensive and foul off anything close enough to be a strike until he gets a strike he CAN hit!
Thats my way, your method was to swing at strikes not at balls.
He didn’t do it your way either!
If he had only one strike on him then under my philosophy he would have been able to take that pitch. But he had two!
And taking that pitch didn’t help him do anything but walk back to the dugout!
I don’t think Carlos will return to Mets unless he gets crazy jack which isn’t happening so I wish him well and best of luck with his charitable work which demonstrates that there are still players out there that know their responsibility to give back and many times, as Carlos does, without publicity.
What would be the perfect ending for him would be Mets getting hot, Santana returns and Carlos stays and helps us get to playoffs, going all the way would be great but not necessary, so that he goes out having delivered what he hasn’t been able to because of injury.
I am a hopeless optimist.
Well you know why I think it can happen Sarge?
Cause while Beltran has played every game he could at some point late in the season (if he makes it past the trading deadline) all that playing and fatigue is going to show up in those knees first.
If he misses any significant time due to those knees he will not get the big payday everyone is expecting.
I have yet to figure out why a player they say isn’t worth signing would get that kind of offer?
I like the way you think.
NICE GAME CARLOS!!!!