Dec
6
2011

Alderson On Trading Prospects and Organizational Philosophy

An article by Craig Lerner

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson appeared this evening on the Mike Lupica show on ESPN Radio. One of the better interviews I’ve hear from Sandy recently.

Acquiring Staring Pitching

“Starting pitching hasn’t been a focus for us yet. It’s not to say it’s not important,” Alderson said. “We’ve just been looking at other things. So, for example, the Capuano market didn’t even materialize until January or so of last year. But we’ll have to make some decisions in that area over the next handful of days.”

Market For Closers & Relievers

“If you look at the market, you’ve got arguably two or three higher-end guys (Madson, K-Rod and Francisco Cordero perhaps). You’ve got a couple just below that. And then there are some other pitchers who probably are not closer caliber. With the top-end guys, there are a couple of things: One, I think there’s a demand for more than one year. And, secondly, there’s also an unwillingness right now to drop down below what had been their expectations over the last month, probably since (Jonathan) Papelbon signed. … The problem with a top-end guy is a number of different things have to happen. It all kind of has to fall into place. And the question is whether you want to wait that long.”

Trading Top Prospects To Help Major League Roster

“We’re not going to compromise the top end of our player-development system,” Alderson said. “If you want to look at the top four or five prospects in our system, they’re not going anywhere. Beyond that, we’ll talk about it. But I’d be surprised if we take many of our prospects and turn them into very experienced major league players. I don’t think that’s where we are right now.”

“I think that fans understand we have a general direction we’re taking. I think most fans, understanding that general direction, would be shocked if we traded one of those three, four, five guys. So I don’t think I’m disclosing anything that wasn’t otherwise understood by people. ”

Moving Toward 2012

“Are we one player away? I think we need more than one player to assure ourselves of success in 2012. The fact is no team, apparently, is one player away. It didn’t work for some teams last year that thought they were that close,” Alderson said with a smirk, potentially talking about the San Francisco Giants and Carlos Beltran.

“We continue to work at it,” Alderson said. “We’re talking to free agents, talking to clubs, meeting again with certain free agents and clubs. So we continue to work toward it. I can’t predict we’ll do any one thing or more than one thing or nothing at all. It’s hard to predict at this point.”

I love the comment about teams who thought they were one player away and I have no doubt that was a right hook aimed at the Giants who traded their top pitching prospect for Beltran. Wheeler is now happily the Mets top pitching prospect and Beltran is now an ex-Giant. Just listening to this man talk about his vision is exciting to me. Fifty years and this franchise has never had more than a three year run has a solid contender and here we have someone who understands that and is working toward changing that. The culture of checkbook general managing is at an end. The era of trading 4-5 prospects for an aging player is no more. Let the good times roll. :-)

About the Author: Craig Lerner

I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.

12 Comments + Add Comment

srt December 6, 2011 at 7:36 pm

Love your closing commentary, Craig.

As painful as it was to watch Jose fly south, I have to agree with the overall philosophy here. As a 40+ year Met fan, I’d like to see a contending team year after year myself.

And if the Wilpons Sterling Mets weren’t so flat broke, they could be moving towards this philosophy AND signed Reyes. Sigh……
- larman December 6, 2011 at 7:46 pm
  
  what’s going on with this guy sandy, it really sounds like that he don’t give a blank to improving the mets. That’s why i said thw wilpons made a bad decision hiring him. Maybe in a sense like omar, make the mets doomed. Why, there vision is like crap. If you trade wright now, murphy can play 3rdbase, sign kelly johnson for 2ndbase, sign jason v. of boston to go behind the plate. it’s seems like the mets are wasting time at the winter meetings, bring houston street he had great numbers, didn’t walk much of any body, but the mets staff did and for the last three years under dan wart. Bring up f-mart tro play cf give him the time now that he is still what 25 years old. There’s so much you can with the money you have if you put the right plan in place, and it seems like sandy you guys are now. get us a stopper.. get us a batting coach who will help bay, i just filled in your holes, so what’s wrong what a just put on paper. can anybody tell me something.
- Rickeybobby December 6, 2011 at 7:55 pm
  
  i appreciate your attempt at enthusiasm, but until the Wilpons decide to run this team properly and are on board,, this boats going to have leaks..
  - larman December 6, 2011 at 8:05 pm
    
    That’s what i’m been saying about the mets. You don’t have to be the smartest to know this sport, but look at the picture with an open mind. The wilpons are making harder for mets fans to enjoy our team and staduim. Plus sandy talks rubbish when it comes to improving this team. Make the bleeding stop, please, why come to the winter meeting if you don’t want to be players to turn this around. The mets haven’t a great team since the middle to late 80′s in a row in that span. Wake up, get it. Why is that sandy and the wilpons don’t get it or there fans. Please, please, please sell them, already wilpons now do you get it.
Squidoo December 6, 2011 at 7:47 pm

Spot on comment Craig, nice job. In a few sentences you summarized what this front office is trying to do and what the problems of the past were. I wish everyone else could understand what is going on here.
Bayonne Mets Fan December 6, 2011 at 7:48 pm

..let the good times roll huh? I don’t think HACK begins to describe this imbecile
- Squidoo December 6, 2011 at 7:54 pm
  
  Nobody is forcing you to agree with him. I’ve seen some posts I would deem dreadful on this site in the last 24 hours, but I took the high road and ignored some of the things that were said. I didn’t call anyone a hack though I vehemently disagreed with their opinions. Why can’t you take the high road as well?
any December 6, 2011 at 8:00 pm

I disagree that they have never had more than a 3 year run. The 80′s went from 84-90 really. that was 7 seasons. 97-2000 was 4.

and an off off topic fact, in the early 70′s in a 6 year stretch, they won 82 or 83 games in 5 of them. talk about consistent.
any December 6, 2011 at 8:01 pm

also, why do you want to acquire pitching to stare at people? Wouldn’t it be better if they could actually pitch?
- any December 6, 2011 at 8:02 pm
  
  that was just a little witticism to lighten up the mood BTW>
theonlymaskman December 7, 2011 at 12:19 am

Starting pitching: You’ve got 5: Santana, Dickey, Pelfrey, Neise, and Gee. So shut the hell up, you can’t afford another and you know it.
Closers: Why do you need any, there won’t be anything to close anyway.
One player away: Nah, more like 25 players away.
Trading Beltran: Good move sticking it up the Giants butt – guess they’ll think twice about trading with you again.

Let the good times roll? You got to be kidding. Are you a masochist in love with the cellar?
Alex68 December 7, 2011 at 7:13 am

The question is, who are the top 5 of the organization.. is he on board with HIS prospects or the one here before his? one gotta wonder

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