Comments on: Are You Happy With Things?

By: Matt Harvey 2014 Cy Young

Matt Harvey 2014 Cy Young — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:55:34 +0000

Yes I am happy with the current direction of the team. Because we weren’t getting better without having to completely rebuild from the foundation up.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and predict we will go 83-79 and miss a wild card spot by 1 game. 2013, right around .500 as well.

Core players?…I’m gonna say Harvey, Wheeler, and Familia are our only core players, besides Ike…yeah, we are building our future on hope and expectations.

What do I think of this offseason so far? I think its the most depressing, frustrating times in Mets history. Its a harsh reality. I never possibly imagined the Mets would have the serious financial constraints of a small market team…..sad.

I think, after a month late start to the season, Santana only wins 3 games by the all star break, with an ERA ballooning up to almost 6.00, with a fastball topping out at 84 mph, until they send him down to AA to see if he can get his shit together, only to have him re-injur his shoulder, sent to the 60 day DL, and retire before the 2013 season starts.

Is D Wright a part of the future plans? Very much so. He will remain in orange and blue until he is 37 when his 7 year, $114 million contract runs out. Him and Ike will be cornerstones of this team for many years to come. Along with Duda and Tejada…I don’t think Nimmo is gonna pan out as expected. Cesar Puello, although, will be a major contributer to this team for a long time too.

Will losing Reyes affect how many games I go to next year?… I’m sorry, but yes it will. As disgusted as I am with the front office, I can’t bring myself to give them a dollar of my money. The Wilpons have to realize that you can’t save money by putting a sub par team on the field. And if anything, they will lose even more money, because now its gonna be damn near a ghost town at Citi Field next summer. Maybe when attendance is dropping to around 5,000 people on a good day, they will figure this out.

Do I think the Mets exhausted all efforts to keep Reyes. Hell no. They absolutely should have been more aggressive in their approach. There’s no way they couldn’t have afforded that 100 mil. Come on, what was another 10 million or so gonna do? Besides bring them way more than that back in revenue and ticket sales. What is so f@^king hard to understand about this?

R. Havens will be starting 2b and leadoff hitter in 2014.

I very much believe the Mets will be a major contender again by 2014. Even if 2 out of the 4 pitching prospects pan out that would be great. I think Ike, and Duda, will be perrenial 30 HR, 100 RBI threats. Along with Wright, who will regain his old form this year without the mental burden of thinking you have to hit it 500 ft to hit a HR, with the repositioning of the fences. Havens and Tejada will be key members of this team as well. Let’s Go Mets! Am I the only one around here with optimism?

Which NL East teams will challenge the Mets in ’14? It will be a tight division race, down to Mets, Braves, and Marlin. Yeah, that’s right. The Philthies won’t even be in the playoff picture by then. This next year will be the last year they are competitive for a while. They will slowly slip into a dark period in Philly when their stars will start to die out with a depleted farm system and this huge payroll that will end up biting them in the ass.

There’s my opinions/predictions…..this is fun isn’t it?

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:55:07 +0000

I feel exactly the way you do Pete……The team is going nowhere but under the circumstances it is not a surprise. It’s not that ownership doesn’t care about winning but more that they have forgotten how to do it. Bringing in free agents is supposed to complete the puzzle and not be the foundation of it. First, make trades like Mazzilli for Darling and Terrell to rebuild a pitching staff that is poor. You develop a Dwight Gooden and later add a Bob Ojeda and El Sid and then you have a staff that helps you compete for 5-6 years minimum. In those days ownership had hired a “baseball man” and let him make the decisions. Frank Cashen did just that. Now we have a new sheriff in town but he has financial problems so all he can do now is trade off or gamble and possibly lose players who have trade value for the younger guys who will be the rebuilding blocks. Sandy Alderson is doing just that but it will mean a few tough seasons until it will show results. I think that unless Santana has a miracle comeback that he will be cut loose by the end of 2012 but that David Wright will stay because management recognizes that he had been elected as face of the franchise and losing him would be a further embarrassment…..

By: Enjolras

Enjolras — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:51:31 +0000

As we get ready to close out another year and head into 2012, where do you stand as a Mets fan? im really mad at them! theyll prob stink it up

Are you happy with the direction of the team? Why? NOOOOOOO get me good players! no scrubs like thole and stuff

How many games do you think the Mets will win in 2012? What about 2013? theyll win prob like 50 games, 2013 they prob win like 69

Who are the core players of the Mets right now? jay payton, tod zeile, jeromy burnitz

What do you think of this offseason so far? SUX

How many starts will Johan Santana make in 2012? ZERO

Is David Wright still part of the future? No trade his ass for robin ventura

Will the loss of Jose Reyes impact how many games you will go to next season? NO

Do you believe the Mets exhausted all efforts and tried their best to keep Reyes? NO they stink

Who will bat leadoff for the Mets in 2014? Rey Ordonez

Based on everything you see, will the Mets contend for first place in the National League East in 2014? NO

Which NL East teams do you expect will challenge the Mets in 2014? EVERYONE

When will the Mets win 90+ games again? 2027

By: The Answer

The Answer — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:45:29 +0000

As we get ready to close out another year and head into 2012, where do you stand as a Mets fan? I’ll always bleed Orange & Blue

Are you happy with the direction of the team? Why? Not really “happy” but i do understand why things are being done a certain way in regards to building the team for 2012

How many games do you think the Mets will win in 2012? What about 2013? In 2012 they’ll win 75+ games. In 2013, without any major change probably around 80ish

Who are the core players of the Mets right now? Wright, Davis, Bay, Santana

What do you think of this offseason so far? I like the relievers acquired, Torres could be a steal in CF if he plays like he did in ’10, and although i’m saddened to not retain Reyes i do like Tejada a lot

How many starts will Johan Santana make in 2012? 20+

Is David Wright still part of the future? Yes! Please keep him!

Will the loss of Jose Reyes impact how many games you will go to next season? No. Love my Mets

Do you believe the Mets exhausted all efforts and tried their best to keep Reyes? For the most part, yes.

Who will bat leadoff for the Mets in 2014? a FA acquired

Based on everything you see, will the Mets contend for first place in the National League East in 2014? I do believe so

Which NL East teams do you expect will challenge the Mets in 2014? Atlanta and Washington

When will the Mets win 90+ games again? 2014 or 2015

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:17:45 +0000

To add to the above, I do like the direction that Mets are going. Alderson gets it. He knows and understands what needs to be done to put a winner both short-term and long-term. He runs this club like a business, one that has or rather will have good profitable margins with a winning team. He also has the advantage that the farm system is not that bad and we have prospects that should be able to contribute within the next couple of years. Once the contracts of Bay and Santana expire the Mets would be able to maintain their home grown players if it makes sense. Trade others for more prospects, and compete every single year for key players to build a championship team.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:13:04 +0000

I would like to start by what hurt us the most in 2011. The injuries to our core players, the bullpen, oh yea and the bullpen. The injuries and the bullpen were our achilles heel. Too many games did we have the lead going into the 8th inning to just see it slip away in a slow stabbing death. Alderson has done a good job of shoring up the bullpen. If the bullpen is on point then we should at least be able to compete and not let those games slip away. The second part in the equation is the injuries. We can not just seem to get rid of that injury bug. If we are able to stay relatively healthy we should be ok as well. This team has the ability to score runs, the defense is average and the pitching is decent. I think that the 2012 Mets have the ability to win games in the 80s range. If everything goes right I’ll say top 80s. If things dont go to plan then low 80s. In 2013 I definitely expect them to compete for that 2nd wildcard position. By then hopefully we have Famila, Havens, Harvey, contributing to the team.

By: larman

larman — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:48:32 +0000

Well what di i think, i just write all the time. Like i said we the fans are just plain out sick, sick in the way the mets are handled. Wilpons please will you listen to your fans, sell, sell, sell the mets. You people toy with this team. If you had any intenisons at all for this mets team we would have empire to compete for years, not one, not two, notw three, but for years. The wilpons whave been selfish to the city, to mets fan base, and to the mets as a whole. They always let their best players go, and then they shine, tom seaver, daryl strawberry, keith hernandez, john orlerud, mike scott, nolan ryan, jose reyes the list goes on. That’s what i mean no comittent to this team at all. We need players now and for the future. The manager needs to be tough, hello, we need a new pitching coach who’s how to teach to ptich right. We need a hitting coach like a who knows how to use their swing for power and when to know the fields well to go into the gaps. They didn’t need to bring in the walls, these players need to learn how to hit period. Stop the madness. stop crying your way out. Own up and lets play baseball the way the fore fathers who made baseball what it was to be now. Can anybody agree with me. Let’s go mets do it.

By: S.FloridaMetsfan

S.FloridaMetsfan — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:19:01 +0000

Prove it.

By: jdon

jdon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:06:34 +0000

I reserve judgment on this FO until the madoff situation is resolved. And until we unload Bay and Santana’s contracts. The Wontpons knocked the team salary down by 40 mil, and Omar saddled them with Bay and Santana, another 40 mil. I don’t think it is reasonable to expect much with no resources.

By: trs86

trs86 — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:16:29 +0000

Are you happy with the direction of the team? Why? Obviously I am not happy that the Mets are in another transition year. However, I do believe the slashing of payroll and a more conservative approach was needed.

How many games do you think the Mets will win in 2012? 72-78 wins What about 2013? 70-100? who the hell knows? Who knows what the roster will even look like or what players will have break out years or fall of the face?

Who are the core players of the Mets right now? Wright and a bunch of TBA. Hopefully soon to be some of the guys on the farm.

What do you think of this offseason so far? Mostly what any rational Mets fan would have anticipated. Another year of trying to gain financial flexibility while seeing what you have in guys like Niese, Davis, Duda, Thole, Tejada…

How many starts will Johan Santana make in 2012? Uh 18.2.

Is David Wright still part of the future? Yes… what is the future?

Will the loss of Jose Reyes impact how many games you will go to next season? Nope, nor will it affect how many I watch.

Do you believe the Mets exhausted all efforts and tried their best to keep Reyes? Yes and No. They could have released Pagan and Pelfrey, brought in no one else and trotted out an even worse team than last year still having no financial flexibility and an over dependence on someone who can’t stay healthy. They did not, why are will still talking about this?

Who will bat leadoff for the Mets in 2014? Strawberry JR. Again, who the heck knows?

Based on everything you see, will the Mets contend for first place in the National League East in 2014? Again, what good is basing everything on what I see? Would it even mean anything if they were first on paper? Think about last year’s Reds, weren’t they at the top of a lot of list? How about the Dbacks they were… uh never-mind. Do I think the team will be better in 2014, it depends on the development of that new “core” that I alluded to earlier.

Which NL East teams do you expect will challenge the Mets in 2014? All of them if there is still a NL East as it stands.

When will the Mets win 90+ games again? Next year or sometime in the future.

By: Met Maniac

Met Maniac — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:03:17 +0000

Yes I’m thrilled. I cant wait for opening day. I love this direction because I know it will soon lead to the end of the Wilpons and the end of this front office.

By: calimetsfan

calimetsfan — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:18:28 +0000

I am ecstatic as a Met fan.
It is great we are taking a different direction. I think we will creep over 500 this upcoming year can’t speak for the year after. Santana will make less then 10 starts. The Mets made no attempt to whatsoever to keep Reyes. Because they didn’t want him. A decision I am glad they made. I don’t think Wright is or should be a part of the future other then the guy were trading for more prospects.

By: t agee

t agee — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:29:14 +0000

1.) Pissed off

2.) Yes, had to be done someday basically the price we pay for “going for it every year.”

3.) 2012 – 72, 2013 – 75, 2014- 84

4.) Davis, Niese, Dickey, Duda, Murphy but I could see it expanding to include Tejada, Thole, Nickeas, Fern if he’s up an doing something, or really anyone with 3 years of team control left that’s pulling their weight + Dickey and possibly even Torres who seems like a team first guy and could have 3 years here including a couple as a 4th or 5th OFer. Older more aloof questionable weight pullers like Pelfrey in particular and the last remnants of the “who can we get” gang like Bay are just riding out their tenure. Wright is the PR spokesman for the core.

5.) About what I expected. Still very disappointed we couldn’t come close to what I feel was a very reasonable free agent contract for Reyes especially in light of the fact that there was just one team in it. No SF, no LAA, just the Marlins. Man, the world turned upside down. Plenty of potential deadline chips that could result in us picking up some above average all around talent to back up Omar’s first wave of true talent ballplayers.

6.) 15

7.) No

8.) Maybe, but I’ll probably wind up going to the same anyway cause I like going to see my team and I like hanging out at Citi and I’m interested in seeing the kids improve, play hard and come through.

9.) I think it was a foregone conclusion that Reyes was not going to be able to be obtained and the only chance at all was to depress his value by not bidding for him and hope that no one got crazy. No one did but by being standoffish it gave the Marlins the opening they needed. Only the tried and true monkeyballer can’t see beyond the spokesman to realize this was an organizational direction from the very top down. Not the other way around.

10.) Torres may get the first crack but I expect to see Tejada there by June.

11.) No.

12.) Washington and Atlanta are poised to be 1-2 for a long time to come. Their talent level and options coming up through the system is off the charts compared to the Mets. Philly will fall back and Miami will be mostly mediocre with an occasional flash of brillance but nothing sustainable or ultimately satisfying.

13.) Not in this Division until we start producing our own top talent that is here for 6-10 years in it’s prime and not one dimensional. Half of our games are played inside the NL East and compared to the other 3 our 25 is the least talented, with the most holes of them all and our farm is better than only Miami and about the same as Philly. Without the ability to outspend our numerous glaring weaknesses we are hosed until we can back the guys currently in AA and A+ with at least a similar amount of quantity and quality and that’s just to get competitive.

By: XtreemIcon

XtreemIcon — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:04:55 +0000

As we get ready to close out another year and head into 2012, where do you stand as a Mets fan? — Same as I’ve always stood. Nothing’s changed my fanhood.

Are you happy with the direction of the team? Why? — I’m happy with the direction, but I can’t say the journey won’t be frustrating.

How many games do you think the Mets will win in 2012? What about 2013? — 72-75 in 2012, 80-82 in 2013.

Who are the core players of the Mets right now? — Wright, Davis, Duda, and Niese. Those are the players that, if traded, would have to be for a huge haul. To a lesser extent, Murphy and Tejada.

What do you think of this offseason so far? — Trying to rile us up, Joe? I think with the marching orders Sandy was given, his budget and his restrictions, he’s done as good a job as he could. It could have been better, but that would have required looser purse strings and more freedom, and we all know he has neither. But turning Pagan into a good pen arm and really good defensive CF with Duda and Bay in the corners was a fine trade, and the pen FA signings have turned a disaster into, if not a strength, at least something that doesn’t have to be worried about.

How many starts will Johan Santana make in 2012? 20

Is David Wright still part of the future? — He is until he’s not. Unless something goes very right in the Picard case, I don’t see the Mets having the scratch to exercise his option in 2013, but it’s still a long way away.

Will the loss of Jose Reyes impact how many games you will go to next season? — Not even a little bit.

Do you believe the Mets exhausted all efforts and tried their best to keep Reyes? — Reyes, who knew the financial restrictions on the organization, made public that he won’t respond to an offer south of nine figures. He made his bed. Sandy and Greenberg talked and it seemed Reyes wouldn’t budge on that front. Mind you, I have no issues with it and have no hard feelings for the contract negotiations on either side.

Who will bat leadoff for the Mets in 2014? — In three years? That guy’s not currently on the team and may not be in the organization

Based on everything you see, will the Mets contend for first place in the National League East in 2014? — Again, that’s three years. But I’ll say this. Since Havens is the only one who seems to have real, legit health issues, I’ll say the Mets will compete in 2014 because there’s nothing to say that the kids who’ll contribute by then won’t play full seasons.

Which NL East teams do you expect will challenge the Mets in 2014? Tough to say. The Braves could have the best pitching in the league by then, but who knows if they’ll hit. The Marlins I don’t think will be a factor. The Phillies won’t be a factor and the Nats seem to be doing the right things, but like the Mets, they’re going to need some more than just their kids to do it. I can’t say for sure the Braves and Nats will or won’t, but I’m fairly certain the Phillies and Marlins won’t.

When will the Mets win 90+ games again? 2015

By: Metsie

Metsie — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:04:13 +0000

1 – Are you happy with the direction of the team? Why?
Nope! See it getting worse and digging a deeper financial hole because they are cutting overhead when they should be increasing revenues!

How many games do you think the Mets will win in 2012? What about 2013?
70 games

Who are the core players of the Mets right now?
Davis and Duda maybe Tejada who will stick around at SS for awhile

What do you think of this offseason so far?
Retreating! Not even Trying!

How many starts will Johan Santana make in 2012?
About 20-25 and worse only 5-6 innings per start!

Is David Wright still part of the future?
Nope they will trade him mid season because they will still lose money even after all the cuts they have made (46 Mil after a 70 Mil loss that will only get worse due to less attedance!)

Will the loss of Jose Reyes impact how many games you will go to next season?
Yep!

Do you believe the Mets exhausted all efforts and tried their best to keep Reyes?
Nope! They didn’t even make a single offer if they had they would have gotten a pass for not getting him for at least trying and telling him what they could afford to pay him!

Who will bat leadoff for the Mets in 2014?
Murphy or Tejada

Based on everything you see, will the Mets contend for first place in the National League East in 2014?
No they will not contend until 2016 the latest!

Which NL East teams do you expect will challenge the Mets in 2014?
All of them!

When will the Mets win 90+ games again?
2017 or 2018

By: USMF

USMF — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:44:49 +0000

I think that because Wilpon and Selig are buddies is the reason why it’s a secret takeover in hopes that Fred can get his sh!t together…if it wasn’t for that, then I think the rest of the MLB brass would have been all about completely taking over and not caring if it hurts Freds reputation.

What I wonder is, how long of a deadline did MLB give Fred to get his money problems figured out? There seems to be a big push to get chunks of the team sold off before the start of the next season. I could see MLB putting deadlines on Fred to meet criteria, and selling of part of the team and raising the 25mil to pay them back by April 2012 being one of them, then Fred has until 2013(?) to get the team back in the black…

By: any

any — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:25:58 +0000

I partly agree with this (the action, but not the reason). I agree this was a stealth takeover by MLB, but with a chance for the owners to get their crap together and get it back.

But i don’t think it was Selig being buddies with Fred. remember, there are more people (and the other teams) involved with MLB, and Selig can’t just do any damned thing he pleases.

My WAG? they did not want to deal with the dodgers and met takeovers at the same time, and are afraid of the can of worms that could be opened up if they make it official, if Fred decides to fight tooth and nail (entirely possible), or ends up having to declare BK (the team, and sterling mets).

Just seems to me (MHO of course) that even if Bud hated Fred, there are reasons MLB would try to keep the team afloat for now.

By: any

any — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:20:46 +0000

Unhappy with ownership, and the fact that the financial mess is impacting the team on the field.

core: right now, the core I see is Davis for sure, and I see Duda as part of it too. Other than that, I wouldn’t bet on anyone else on the team now being around 2-3 years down the road.

1/2 -1/2 on the front office, since we really don’t know how much autonomy they have.

reyes? I think the FO was given a small budget, and the cap was hard on reyes. Maybe they could have used every $ on him, and roolie pay on everyone other open spot? I just can’t see it being clear how much was sandy drawing a line (years mostly) vs. having it drawn for him.

Happy to be looking forward to a full year of the new lefty bash brothers. there will be some bombs leaving the yard.

Not happy to have Bay still hear, but can turn to happy if they get aggressive and plug in a LH hitter to face the RH pitching, and platoon since Bay is useless vs. RH pitching now.

By: USMF

USMF — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:05:12 +0000

I think that Sandy isn’t working for Fred…I have the feeling that MLB and Selig placed Alderson in the Mets FO and silently have taken the control of the Mets. I think that was the only way Selig could protect his buddy Fred…I think that MLB is taking the position of, “because you (Fred) are completely screwed right now and owe potentially over $100mil including $25mil to us, the team is under control until you (Fred) get your sh!t together…)

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:56:38 +0000

Understood.