13
2012
MMO Fair or Foul: Mets Are Waving The White Flag?
An article by 
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported today that the Mets are one of five teams waving the white flag. Here is the segment he wrote on the Mets…
The Mets’ payroll has dropped roughly $50 million since this time last year. They lost popular shortstop Jose Reyes because they weren’t able to match the Marlins’ offer — a notion that would have seemed absurd two years ago. Sandy Alderson, the general manager, told reporters in December that the franchise had an operating loss of $70 million last year.
The Mets are doing business in a manner uncommon for a New York baseball franchise. And with Bernard Madoff litigation still pending, there’s no foreseeable end to the ownership’s cash shortage.
Yes, this is a lousy time to be a Mets fan. The Marlins and Nationals did more to upgrade their rosters this offseason, while the Phillies and Braves return most of the players who helped them win 102 and 89 games, respectively. The Mets suffered 85 defeats in 2011 and responded by signing closer Frank Francisco to a two-year, $12 million contract.
It seems that every team in the National League East is getting better — except the Mets.
“It’s a perception,” Alderson acknowledged Sunday. “But I don’t think anybody in the division could add any more talent to their roster than we can. We’re talking about adding Johan Santana. We’re talking about adding Ike Davis. Daniel Murphy was the fifth-leading hitter in the league when he went out with his injury. David Wright missed two months. [All are expected to be full participants in spring training.] We’ve substantially improved our bullpen.
“So, did we add talent? I think we did, the fact that we didn’t sign someone for $100 million notwithstanding. … It’s an uphill battle getting that message across.”
The Mets’ payroll should be around $90 million this year. Alderson pointed out that there are some “misconceptions” about how far that figure has dropped in recent months; he said the on-field payroll is close to what it was at the end of the 2011 season — after Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez were gone.
However one adds up the salaries, the Mets face a daunting task. They must contend with a division that Alderson said “rivals the American League East” in its competitive depth. The Mets’ best hope for a .500 season involves Santana, Wright and Jason Bay reviving their careers in the same year. If that doesn’t come to pass, they could finish last for the first time since Steve Trachsel was their No. 1 starter.
A little over the top?
I certainly think so. This goes to what I wrote about last week about the lack of journalistic integrity and this all out war that’s been declared on Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins, David Wright, etc.
If he’s a Met, he’s fair game. Shoot first, ask questions later…
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.
54 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
Recent Comments
- Bootyclapthunder: on Harvey Flirts With No-Hitter And Ks 13 As Mets Top Braves 4-3: I would imagine they would Alex, clearly...
- Tommy2cat: on Mets Acquire Eric Young Jr. For Collin McHugh, DFA Cowgill and Promote Brown: Good Trade> Okay - for those interested in...
- jdon: on Mets Acquire Eric Young Jr. For Collin McHugh, DFA Cowgill and Promote Brown: McHugh stinks. Young stinks. I...
- Sloatsburg Mets Fan: on Wheeler Deals, Mets Sweep Braves In Nightcap, 6-1: Exactly what I was thinking!!!
- Metro12: on Wheeler Deals, Mets Sweep Braves In Nightcap, 6-1: Congrats to Wheeler! Not a bad...
Latest From Mets Minors
Check Out These Great MLB Links!
Photographs From Gordon Donovan
Fans Follow Us On Twitter!
1332 Fans Like Us On Facebook!
2341 Fans Read Our Feed!
1702 Fans Subscribe via Daily Email!
nothing to do with a lack of journalistic integrity , it is calling a spade a spade, the mets suck and all sandy has done is make it worse. this will be the storyline for years to come if we dont goon out of the FO.
“So, did we add talent? I think we did, the fact that we didn’t sign someone for $100 million notwithstanding. … It’s an uphill battle getting that message across.”
that should tell you all you guys need to know about your loveable GM.. he’s a LIAR by saying we added talent… also, he’s saying he’s right and the fans and evryone is wrong for him not signing reyes… snark as* comment right there, typical of him though.. just like that shot he took at the nationals last year after they sign werth…
ohh, and joe D, to answer your article question, YES, WE ARE.. hell, we did that last july…
Sandy and his arrogant self seems to underestimate the intelligence of fans.
Sandy I wish you were reading this:
Nobody is complaining that the Mets didn’t sign a 100 million dollar star. The fans understand the teams is broke believe or not you pompous, arrogant SOB.
What some of us are complaining about is the way you are spending. Other teams are getting good players at cheap prices and making you look like a fool. The problem is you and the way you go about your business. the fans ALL know the Mets cannot spend a hundred million dollars so knock it off.
Try spending smarter and try competing for once. And try making some trades because you have talent on the roster that can compete so support it and STOP wasting everybody’s time with your arrogance and your stupid tweets.
“Sandy and his arrogant self seems to underestimate the intelligence of fans.”
I guess he did read your tweets
“Sandy I wish you were reading this:”
Because you want to confirm his suspicions?
Yep and apprently you seem to be only interested in starting another slugfest where you and your Buddies beat up on Bayonne!
GET LOST!
He made a baseball statement and you treplied with utter CRAP!
And then we he resonds in kind you will go back to making posts about how awful he is to everyone right?
Hmm, tough article for sure. Again, one will have to be patient and if you are unable to be patient then yeah it will be a long year for you. I for one see hope in not doing the same method over and over of signing the biggest name in FA and throw some other crap on the wall and see if it sticks. If you do not then it is your perogative. I choose to focus on the youth in the organization, Omar obtained, Sandy Obtained, Paul obtained, Terry obtained I don’t care who the hell brought them in. I am excited to see how Murphy, Davis, Duda, Tejada, Wheeler, Harvey, Familia, Havens etc perform. No matter how negative the press or certain posters may be, no one can take my excitement for Mets baseball way. Hell I lived through the 90′s when there was actually no hope at all, I can certainly live through this with all the names above on the roster.
Yes we should be waving the White Flag and flat out admit that we are REBUILDING! I think Met fans would understand that, if you brought up as much young talent that was ready as possible and played them.
Instead of B.S.ing the fans and acting like we are going to be competitive, when everyone know we are going to be in the basement. Stop bringing in these ‘Dumpster Diver” has beens.
Fans get it when you are being square with them. just don’t spit in my face and tell me its raining, like the Mets are trying to do!
This team sucks and everybody knows it!
I think the problem is two-fold. Most Mets fans don’t even read a blog and you still have to sell tickets to them. Thus no GM is going to come out and say, we stink this year, we know we stink and don’t bother buying a ticket… it’s spin and all GM’s do it.
2nd, the point on bringing in has-beens, the problem is that not all of our prospects are MLB ready and they don’t have the money to sign real replacements. It’s not worth rushing a guy like Kirk just so we don’t see Torres. If Kirk does well in AAA and Torres does what most expect then he will be here soon enough. Also, many of these guys that he has signed are just minor league filler, we seem to forget that AAA has to have a team as well and like wise our organization does not have the depth yet to fill in those spots or the help is not ready yet.
right. rebuilding is about bringing up guys when they are ready for the promotion. not plucking them out of the minors when they are still developing and letting them flounder, just because they are young.
So, if you have a guy at AAA that has earned the job and is ready, you play him. If you think he needs another year, or at least a partial, you sign a stop-gap veteran to hold the fort.
Plus, if the guy is a real prospect, probably bette to play every day instead of coming up to be a bench player. So you get vet types like Hairston that are used to the role, and where you don’t have to worry about slowinghis development.
This year, that is why Torres is out there, because there is no guarantee coming out of ST anyone in the system (Kirk) will be ready for the job. If by 7/1 say he is, then you can bring him up, and torres is not going to be in the way.
No argument from me on this thinking.
If we had just one or 2 holes – and had money – we might have seen a better FA signed for say CF and maybe one for the SP rotation.
Right now though the Mets have no money (evidenced in how much cut back they did across the board).
And even though we’ve got some nice prospects who hopefully will be ready in a year apparently we don’t have enough depth to let loose 2-3 prospects for said hole. Either that or they just didn’t want to do it this year considering that one trade might not have made a difference.
Take that 12 million/2 year contract away for Francisco, take that 3.5 million for Rauch and they’ll have money to spend on SP/RP/Catcher…. use 1+ million to sign Lidge or Qualls. Or go another route and see if they could have gotten Ryan Madsen for one year at 8.5
Here’s a list of starting pitchers to choose from:
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions/free-agents/pitchers
How about making some trades? Murphy is a good bat but he’s not gonna last at 2B and IMO you cannot win if you’re not strong up the middle yet Sandy is allowing the Mets to be largely WEAK up the middle by trying to sell us Murphy at 2B and ignoring the catching.
I am so sick and tired of this person saying “no money, no money” WE KNOW THAT.
How about spending it smarter – that’s the issue and these 2 absolutely REFUSE to accept that.
How about spending it smarter?
Talk about second guessing. You have no way of knowing Player A would be a better signing than Player B at this point. NO WAY.
Just because you read blogs doesn’t mean you know who SA did and did not go after, you just know who was signed. Maybe some of the guys you “think” would make this team better were approached and said NO.
Do you think it’s as easy as just making a phone call “Hey Player A, come play for my team”
Player A “Oh sure no problem be on the next plane”
WAKE UP
Well we do know what he signed and for how much and we also know who he COULD have gone after and if he did then he didn’t bother to offer enough or as much as he did for the crap he DID sign!
It doesn’t seem like a hit piece, Joe. We should be honest, this is not an ideal position. Whether or not you want to blame Alderson, it was a rough off season for the Mets.
While I won’t go as far as saying “waving a white flag”, it certainly is a daunting task. And the Mets need to be honest with themselves about certain facts and how best to address them.
Does the media seem to revel in burying the Mets? Yup.
The problem is, for a while now, the franchise has seem more than willing to provide the dirt.
Agreed, if nothing else the circus around the Mets had to be cleaned up. I just hope that can happen without the Wilpons selling because if not it may be a while.
Well, gotta go coach some basketball…Good luck guys.
We didn’t add talent, we lost talent! We lost Reyes and Beltran(the Mets two best hitters, IMO) from a year ago. True Beltran didn’t play all year for us, but he still lead the Mets in HR’s and RBI. I can’t see the Mets being good without them. Those are two HUGE loses.
The potential (on paper) strength of the division is often overlooked as to why the mets are not projected to have a big year. Put them in the west of central, and they suddenly look a lot more competitive.
We’re putting all our eggs in the they’ll-all-come-back-healthy-and-play-up-to-their-potential basket.
I’d love to see it happen. I’m a realist though. Either way I’m looking forward to the season.
And BTW, the elephant in the room seems to be a few of those teams mentioned were better than us to begin with so they’ll have to regress while we improve – to climb over them.
Well, when 45% of your ML payroll is tied up in 2 immovable contracts for subpar players (last year), do you really have much choice?
And no one realistically expects the team to compete for the WS this year, or even the playoffs. Sure they should try their damndest with whatever talent they have, and maybe a miracle occurs, but if not, just enjoy watching games. root for the young guys, revel in their forward progress.
sorry that they aren’t on a run of sustained success right now. Crap happens. And the sooner the whole Madoff BS is over with, the sooner the team can actually move forward.
If nothing else, hopefully the Wilpons have learned the hard lesson that they have to have professionals running the operation (and that means keep their fingers out of the pie), and that they need to spend money in the right places, and smartly.
I just don’t see them going back to the old way of doing business after this.
‘If nothing else, hopefully the Wilpons have learned the hard lesson that they have to have professionals running the operation (and that means keep their fingers out of the pie), and that they need to spend money in the right places, and smartly.’
Couldn’t agree more. Just commented almost the same thing on an earlier post.
“If nothing else, hopefully the Wilpons have learned the hard lesson that they have to have professionals running the operation (and that means keep their fingers out of the pie), and that they need to spend money in the right places, and smartly.
I just don’t see them going back to the old way of doing business after this.”
One would hope.
I have to ask, if the Madoff thing hadn’t hit, what would the roster look like now? Would the Wilpons still have been battered by lost revenue to the point where Selig has to step in and send Alderson?
Would they accept that they fudged things up royally and that the organization is broken top to bottom? That just throwing money at the problem doesn’t work?
Would they step back and let baseball people fix the farms and get the organization righted? Would they have swallowed their pride and learned their lesson?
Or would they have simply gone into their reserves and tried buying more free agents? Resign Reyes long term and over pay for someone like CJ Wilson or Edwin Jackson? Would they have just bought us another season of skating along, waiting for next year’s free agents?
I will go with your last line there.
Mets aren’t waving the “White Flag”…They’re trying to save money, they didn’t buy a flag and they fired the guy who waves the flag anyways.
It is actually Mr Met running around his his skivvies.
A little over the top? Journalistic integrity? How about being a homer? Does anyone not a Met fan think they won’t finish in last place? If Wright is traded does anyone think they might be the worst team in the league?
With or without Wright, they will be “competing” to be the worst team in the league. They are probably better than the ‘Stros and Padres, but other than them, the Mets are the worst team in the NL. I think trading Wright might actually make the team better. Murphy could move to his “natural position” and Turner could play 2B. Or, if Havens is actually healthy this year (big if) and proves he is capable of playing in the show, then he could play 2B and Turner and Murphy could platoon at 3B…Met’s would lose Wright’s, now occasional, power, but Murphy and Turner both put the bat on the ball more regularly than Wright does, and since Wright had the worst fielding percentage in the majors at 3B last year, the defense shouldn’t take a hit.
And to answer your question, “Does anyone not a Met fan think they won’t finish in last place,” it’s tough to sift through all of the double-negatives, however, I think you are saying that only non-Met fans think the Mets will finish in last place, and that is not the case…because I can’t imagine that actual Met fans, who also understand baseball, believe the Mets will finish anywhere besides last place.
It feels like these new Mets fans are just so spoiled and when they get what they want and realize they messed up then it all falls on everyone besides them. You want Vaughn and what happen next? bust. Lo Duca? mediocre. Martinez? mediocre. Valentine slipped and you wanted him gone and what happen? last place. K-Rod? mediocre. Beltran? did really good but one strike out when it mattered and then all his hard work was completely gone (Beltran didn’t lose against the Cards, The METS lost against the Cards, let it go).
You loved Minaya spending like a new yorker, close to or more than 300 million during his tenure and you would expect at least 5yrs of playoff berths, 2 World Series appearances and 1 World Series win right? WRONG, 1 playoff berth and 3 collapses and not one, ONE, World Series appearance. So then you want him and Jerry gone and now we have Sandy and Terry. You wanted Luis “Butterfingers” Castillo and Ollie “Madonna” Perez gone and guess what Sandy did? Cut them before 2011 regular season. You wanted Beltran gone because he chocked once (Bonds chocked too but you don’t see SF whining about it), and he’s gone and we got SF best prospect in exchange. You wanted Sandy to not trade Reyes and guess what he did? ONCE AGAIN made you people happy and didn’t trade him even though we never even came close to top 3 in Wild Card.
Now you want him gone because he couldn’t make an offer of 5yrs $90mil? but we always bashed Reyes for his injuries. He wasn’t even clutch, mediocre power, amazing speed (when he’s healthy) and his last full season was in 08 but nooo, one great season and now you’re dying for him. Let Marlins choke on that contract, I’m glad Reyes is gone because at least our future stars can finally shine.
Another thing, no one better even mention anything about Terry Collins because that man poured his heart out for a team he only spent one year with, he worked very hard for an ounce of respect, made a team that looked horrible on paper look like a team with promise on the field, had the most passion that no other manger has in baseball, went through hell with the Angels and was robbed of what he loved but most of all he believed in this team and never gave up on us but instead pushed even harder and made that Mets team play even harder.
For once people, stick with something and ride it out until the end. Giants stuck with Bruce and look what happen. Believe me, everything will work out and we will all meet in Citi Field and high five each other during a Playoff game. Believe me but most of all believe in the Mets.
LETS GO METS!!!
“It’s a perception,” Alderson acknowledged Sunday. “But I don’t think anybody in the division could add any more talent to their roster than we can. We’re talking about adding Johan Santana. We’re talking about adding Ike Davis. Daniel Murphy was the fifth-leading hitter in the league when he went out with his injury. David Wright missed two months. [All are expected to be full participants in spring training.] We’ve substantially improved our bullpen.
When Omar Minaya said the same thing about Pedro, Alou, Delgado and Wagner coming back they killed him. I guess now it’s okay to say something like that and get away with it.
He says nobody added more and then doesn’t name the three all stars he lost. It’s kind of funny. He’s a funny guy.
Is that all you got? Wah Wah when Omar………….
OMAR is gone, Omar failed, Alderson is not adding big stars simply because he does not WANT to, despite your immature rants that you and your 3 friends keep repeating.
yeah yeah could have spent better – the ultimate in second guessing….
I agree on half of what you’re saying. Whining about Omar is like whining about why the Great Depression ended so soon. Omar ruined this team single handedly and now Sandy is cleaning up after his horrible mess and whats worse is we can’t do anything about it but either move on or whine. I don’t know about you but I moved on but I only reference to Omar to a lot of ignorant Met fans.
“Baseball101″ I completely agree that Omar failed but that Sandy didn’t want to add stars then there you are wrong. How do you know he didn’t want to add stars? He answered your tweets or had a private conversation with you? I’m guessing no. Every GM wants a team of all-stars but the big difference is can they. Sandy can’t because you have to understand the Wilpons don’t have that type of money to spend on people like Pujols or Fielder or any other $100+ million player. I think Sandy wanted Reyes just as much as Collins did but Reyes didn’t want us because if he did he would have signed a contract before the end of the season and not wait for the highest bidder who would do something desperate like pay 6yrs and $106 million like the Marlins.
Pauly, Omar failed and had to be fired and I agree with that move and what’s done is done.
But don’t forget that every single young player on the Mets and almost all the kids in the minor who we are hoping to be part of the future belong to guess who? Omar Minaya
historic injuries to major stars contributed to 2009 & 2010 otherwise he’d be here with his impact coming full circle – staying competitive for playoff competition for consecutive years while the farm comes up to keep the team strong.
Oh wait, isn’t that what Sandy is being credited with trying to do? I say being credited because judging by his half-assed attempts last off season and this off season it doesn’t seem like he wants to compete but instead sign players as cheap as possible so the team doesn’t do well and he can garner his precious draft picks
“Bayonne Mets Fan” thanks for agreeing with me on one subject but I have to correct you on something. Omar didn’t draft these players were hoping on, the Scouts did. They are the ones who have look at the players and do the numbers. I just really rather not even talk about Omar because he single handedly put this team in a hole and now the Mets are trying to dig themselves out of it. Sandy can’t do anything but try to get players he thinks will help this team only with what he is given. I don’t think Sandy would be with the Mets just to ruin them and waste his time because he had a better job than he has now. Why would he leave the MLB office to join a team’s office? So he can try to improve this team because he’s getting paid for it. It is as if I give you $100 and tell you go get me a computer. Your would tell me “how the hell can i buy you a computer with only $100?”, I tell you because i said so and you tell me “fine” you buy a used computer and try fixing it. Why? because it’s the best you can do with what I gave you. Get me?
I get your analogy Paulie but i don’t think it’s the same. We see other teams making trades and getting good players for prices that the Mets can afford too. Sandy has really only made one “real” trade since he’s got here and that was the Ramirez/torres for Pagan trade and I liked that one. I think his judgement is awful and I don’t like the way he operates. I think if we had a different GM or even if Omar was here and he hired Bobby V we’d be in a better position.
I make my living online so the 100$ analogy isn’t good in my case because I can use that money to check on my sales, make changes, add new items and then buy a new computer, lol. But I dont’ need to cuz i already work with 2 – a PC and a Mac.
And I disagree that Omar single handedly put this team in a hole. It was the Wilpon private business matters (e.g., madoff, etc.) that did that.
the 2 bad contracts (Ollie & Castillo) would not have mattered if the rest of the major players didn’t get hurt in 09 & 10
Everything on this blog through my eyes is all opinions and thats it, thats why I love it so much. I understand why you might not like Sandy but you tell me off all those players who were bought by other teams on cheap prices I only agree with one. That would Burhle, I really never understood why but if I did then I wouldn’t be on this blog but instead in a Mets office working for them. The one thing I never understood is why does everyone here talk about the FO and not the players. This FO whining crap is really annoying. All of Sandy’s moves were good but all people are doing is saying what he didn’t do. People really forget to mention. He won a World Series Championship. A ring is a ring and we can’t deny that. Now you tell me if this guy has no clue what he’s doing.
Well that’s more the argument in favor of Omar doing more of what he was good at, rather than less.
His entire career has been based on young player evaluation. he has gotten us some guys but how many MORE guys could have gotten if he hadn’t given away 3 #1 picks and 2 second rounders and then tossed away the chance to pick up 4 more #1′s and then spent another #1, two #2′s and two more #3′s on college relief pitchers.
That’s eight additional pick from 16-60 and four more from 61-100.
I’d say he probably hits on half of them. From 1997-2006 65% of first rounders get up here. With so many “holes to fill” every year and a GM who’s best asset is evaluating young talent you don’t think he could have pulled out a starting pitcher, Major league capable catcher and a couple of 5 tool position players?
With 6 more guys with the talent of Ike, Harvey, Havens, Niese, Holt and Parnell and a better development plan we would be serious contenders right now and for years to come.
To think he couldn’t have done that is to sell him short.
I think you misunderstood, or I wasn’t clear enough. The poster above was making assumptions and has said in a few threads about him not wanting to “win” get the right players paraphrasing, and I was saying the opposite.
I am sure SA is trying (KEY WORD) to get the best he can in the circumstances. All us baseball fans know that there is no GM that has had 100% accuracy in attaining all the best players, sometimes they fail with some players. You hope that more good than bad is signed.
Pauly how on gods green earth can you say the guy who had GMed this team into three competitive seasons after one year of wok, ruined this team and the guy who has done nothing but take Wins off the win column is doing the better job?
I love how everyone uses the phrase “Under the Circumstances” when they praise the job Sandy has done!
Well here are the circumstances…
We lost 50 Mil in 2010. Is that because Omar spent too much or is that because 2010 was the year all this BOYCOTT talk over hatred of the Wilpons started? People wanted Omar fired even before the season started! Manuel too! Why? Because they had one year in 4 that wasn’t competitive due to injury?
Sandy came in an added 20 Mil of loss to that 50! For this he gets a slap ion the back and a “Good Job” rating!
Who actually created these “CIRCUMSTANCES” being used to lower the “Good Job” bar when rating Sandy?
Omar? no! Wilpon? NO! It was the boycotters and Sandy telling anyone who would listen that we were going to be rebuilding and it was going to take awhile, not making any effort to resign any of the STARS people WOULD go to see if their hatred of the Wilpons didn’t blind them, not making an effort to sign ANYONE of any substance or statistical promise instead signing based on who was thrown into the bargain bin and would fill a roster spot for pennies.
Sandy was quoted as saying we are spending roughly the same amount as we did at the end of the 2011 season considering the loss of Beltran, KRod, perez and Castillo coming off the books. So you know what that really means?
We traded Reyes production for Rauch, Francisco, and Hairston without saving much more than one dime!
And when things turn to crap this year and we lose more money again who will you blame for the CIRCUMSTANCES? The guy who left two years ago or the guy who is here right now?
How many years of sucking does it take for SANDY to get put into the same position Omar was?
Omar was basically put on notice for having one BAD injury plauged year after three years of playing for the playoffs and one year of actually making the NLCS!
Here is another little fact to ponder…
We drew 4 Million people to see the Mets in 2008!
Highest attendance draw in Met History! Even more than the 86ers!
Without Beltran for half a season and Delgado we lost 10 measly Wins from 2008 in 2010!
And had half the pitching we had in 2008!
And that was when people decided to BOYCOTT and stop going!
and THAT is who put us in the position Sandy finds himself in!
And his moves and statements have only made his CIRCUMSTANCES worse!
Oh god not you again. The analyst is on the loose from ESPN again. Now besides that, are you really telling me Omar was a good GM? You seriously need to check Mets history during his tenure. Omar plagued us with injuries after injuries after injuries. Omar spent roughly around 300 million and we only made the playoffs once and you’re praising him for that? now let me quote you “how on gods green earth” can you say that man made us so damn good? He single handedly ruined our team with horrible contracts. He had all the power and the money to do whatever he wanted to but Sandy doesn’t have that luxury. Sandy had to cut that last 2 our of 3 bust of Minayas contracts. Perez and Castillo are gone because of Sandy. We have the Giants best prospect because of Sandy. Sandy is doing the right thing on building a competitive team from the ground up. It’s patience that is the only thing that is stalling us but at the end of that process the Mets will be competitive because we know what our guys can do because they have been under us for years. Omar was also a racist because all his contracts, they majority were Latinos and the other contracts were other people and the salary was no where near the Latino contracts. I’m Latino myself and I noticed that; having merengue concerts, salsa concerts and making this team all Latino and thats not how you run a team, thats racist man who threw everyone else in the dumps. Look at his last move. “How on gods green earth” can you let Frenchy go for a scrub like Arias. Arias looked like a bat boy on the field. He was crap and what happen to Frenchy? Come back year happened and was hitting .300 up to the All Star break, RBI’s all over the place and HR’s weren’t to bad either. Frenchy would have been the great piece we would have needed now. Don’t tell me Omar was great because if that’s the case then say Mo Vaughn was our best player and trading Seaver was the best thing the Mets ever did. Thats not even a damn opinion, thats a stupid comment. Sandy listened to the stupid people who wanted to not trade Reyes, why? because he is a Mets guy right? You know who else was a Mets guy? Nolan Ryan. Instead of killing Sandy what about Bob huh? trade Seaver and Ryan why don’t you and see where the hell that got us. Don’t agonize me on Sandy’s job because he didn’t spend on “stars”.
One more thing, the CAPS on every so on WORD is getting ANNOYING. You should WRITE like an ADULT not like a CHILD.
Yep Pauly! He was a GOOD GM!
Name another GM in the last 25 years who had three consecutive competitive seasons or last weeks in September where they were STILL fighting for a Playoff spot!
Then name on who accomplished that within a year of taking over!
This is Sandy’s second year in charge you think we are Playoff competitive this season?
No?
Think he is better than Omar?
Guess again!
Don’t tell me Omar left him with a crap team because the team he left him with and the team you ALL hang your hats on are all acquired by Omar!
Including the 4 All stars three of which are gone because of Sandy and one soon to follow!
Lets see who on this team is giving you guys hope or has been mentioned in the WHAT IFs as proof that Sandy is doing a good job….
Santana – If he is still and Ace…Omar
Tejada? Omar
Davis? Omar
Dckey? Omar
Duda? Omar
Harvey? Omar
Familia? Omar
Havens? Omar
Niuwenhuis? Omar
Niese? Omar
Gee? Omar
Who has Sandy borught here?
Wheeler and Nimmo? When do they help?
This year? Next year? the year after that? Three years from now?
Francisco Rauch and Ramirez? really?
Get a clue Pauly!
BTW When i asked you to name a GM I meant a Met GM…Anyone can pick the Yankees or Boston!
Don’t make a mistake Metsie cuz those guys will run with for weeks because they have nothing else. That’s what they do, it’s in their nature
1. Omar had no limit on spending when doing all those signings that he made during his time as a Mets GM.
2. What is so damn hard about spending a lot of money on free agents.
3. Since you like throwing out names then let me ask you this, which of those people which you named has once made it to the all star game? or hell even won the rookie of the year award?
Really Metsie stop thinking you can trump anyone. Omar Minaya not once made it to World Series. He reminds me of Rex Ryan, all talk about a championship, going to the big stage and winning it all but nothing. Omar’s knowledge in baseball is the same as him being a gambler, all bluff. If you speak so proudly of Omar then tell me why no one in WFAN, SNY, MetsBlog, Mets announcers, Mets ownership or even anyone in MLB said “oh man, Mets really messed up now, why would they let a GM like Omar leave?” Omar is irrelevant and heck, I’m shocked I’m speaking about him. Another thing, if Omar was so damn good then explain why he isn’t with the Mets no more?
Since you like playing guessing games then I find it appropriate to ask you a question and see if you can guess the answer.
Question Number 1: Which General Manager drafted the Major League Players, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco?
Question Number 2: What does Mets General Manager, Sandy Alderson have which former Mets General Manager, Omar Minaya does not have?
Answer to question number 1: Sandy Alderson.
Answer to question number 2: World Series ring.
Hey I wish I can say I’m as baffled as you are but sadly, I am not. You know what they say “To the victor goes the spoils”
Oh by the way, I almost forgot to answer your question about the last 25 years what GM made a team competitive thing, let me be so kind enough to answer your question.
Since we are talking about the Amazin New York Mets, I just find it proper to speak of a Mets GM who did such a thing of which he made the Mets competitive. He also did a big splash and landed a soon to be MLB Hall Of Famer, Mike Piazza. Steve Phillips, you remember him right? He did something correct, oh man my mind is a little foggy but let me see if I can remember.
Um he did something Omar didn’t do; oh yeah, he took the Mets to the 2000 Word Series against the Yankees. That subway series thing, you remember right? about the 7 and the 4. As a New Yorker you should know that. Oh man he did something else Omar didn’t do. Didn’t Steve do something like take the Mets to the playoffs in 1999. But Omar and Steve does have something in common though, they both saw the red birds in the NLCS, only difference is that Steve beat the Cards. Omar didn’t. SHOCKING I KNOW RIGHT???
Also another thing. You asked me if I think the Mets can make it to the playoffs this year? call me crazy but i don’t recall of a moment of which I said no. Spring Training hasn’t started so how will I know if they will make it or not. As a proud Mets fan I say yes, why can’t they? because paper opposes them? because more doubters than believers? because you the “analyst” thinks so? Anything can happen in baseball. The Mets chances of Playoff ball is the same as any other team. Thats the beautiful thing about baseball, nothing is predictable. If the Diamondbacks can win in 2001 against the Yankees, the Angels can win in 2002, the Twins can win in 1991, the Cardinals can win in 2011 then why not the Mets? I’m a fan, I cheer for them all the way, I don’t care what a “expert” tells me, what you tell me, what NY tells me, I care about what the Mets do on the field because I feel fortunate as a fan of baseball to know my team still exist and plays every 162 games in the season. Call me a fool, puppet, crazy, stupid or arrogant but I believe the Mets can always do the impossible, sometimes I’m wrong and sometimes I’m right but I always believe they can win and I tune in every single 162 games to find out. Why? because I’m a Mets fan and I make damn sure since 1995 ever since I was 4 that all those years weren’t gone to waste. I might be a young man from Flushing, New York born on April 22nd 1991 but you know what I believe makes me different and special? being a Mets fan. I defended them every single day in my young life and in spit of always being laughed at by Yankee fans for me being a Mets fan, you know what, I’m proud. I’m damn proud to be a Mets fan. So heck yeah I think they can make it to the playoffs.
By the way Bayonne, I do have something else to do in my life. I go to college to earn a career, something i doubt you know anything about.
They are al kids dummy how the hell do you expect them to make the All Star game in their very first two seasons?
Asnwer Sandy drafted those guys who sucked until the Doctors injected baseball skill into them!
Now your turn…
Who has the better winning record?
Sandy Alderson or Omar Minaya?
as long as the wilpon’s have their claws sunk into this team we will never be successful.
Thats not true. Wilpon is not that bad of an owner because he did spend before and you can’t deny that but he slipped up on trusting Bernie. The only problem is that all the money he spent wasn’t given to the right people because of Omar. Just because we don’t have the best baseball players doesn’t mean we don’t have a successful team. Look at the Mavericks compared to the Heat, Giants compared to the Packers/Eagles, Cardinals compared to the Phillies/Red Sox.
What wins championships isn’t how good your players are on paper but how good the chemistry is and how good your players are in key moments.
LETS GO METS!!!
the wiplon’s have had full ownwership for like 25 years, and only three playoff apps. i don’t call that successful.
How is that Wilpons fault? If what you’re trying to do is follow a cult of anti-Wilpons then by all means stick to your opinion but did it ever come to mind it’s the General Managers fault? From Cashmen – Alderson. Some looked at players reputation and numbers while others looked at which players will benefit the team and improve their chemistry. At times it’s the players fault for not trying as hard or just bad luck. Wilpon isn’t the best owner but he isn’t the worst. He spent money and always tries to promote the team but he does have his flaws and some actions I disagree with but at the end of the he’s the owner and you can’t do anything about it.
By the way I never said he was successful.
The problem with the spending is just as much a Wilpon issue as anything else.
For two decades their business plan has been to generate excitement among the fan base at ticket selling time.
They import an expensive big name player or two, generate a lot of publicity and start reaping the ticket selling windfall before they even have to write the first check (April 1st) They also defer some of the first years salary to get even more of a boost. For example Bay got 8 M his first year here when his average annual salary is 16 M.
If instead they made the everyday/every year consistent investments in the draft and international free agency that cost a nickel to the FA dollar they’d easily have 25 good solid players up here at the same time and another 10 fresh horses in AA and AAA just in case.
Oftentimes those expensive imports wind up just being dumped a year or two down the road near the end of yet another losing season, not for prospects but to save the cash. Look at Wagner. Saved 4 M on salary, another 1 M on the buyout and at least another 2.5 M signing bonus the two draft picks would have commanded.
That trade wasn’t for Chris Carter and either was the Kaz Matsui deal for Eli Marrero or the Francouer deal for Joakim Arias and those are just a couple of examples.
I disagree with you “t agee” but I will ask you this to cut this short and not go rambling on something that can go all day.
Define a General Managers role in baseball. After that I will give you my opinion on why I think the Wilpons hasn’t been a total bust for the Mets.
“They” love to kick you when you’re down. The media feed on the carcass left for dead like vultures. They can all do time in the hot place. LGM!!!!
Bob I’ve been saying this for years now and I’ve been defending the Wilpon’s on this Maddof thing on what I think is an outrageous over the top persecution of them. and I’m not boycotting them. I’m just speaking about two decades of the way every Met GM has gone about things except the one who was fired after cleaning up “the worst team money could buy” after only 3 years on the job.
Well there you go folks straight from the horses mouth!
Sandy said…
Our Salary was the same as it was at the end of 2011 where Beltran, Perez, KRod and Castillo came off the books!
All those guys you got this offseason were at the expense of having Reyes!
Was it worth it?
Foul. The game is played on the field by the players. No in the office by management. No player on any team is waving any sort of flag. To go along with Terry Collins’ thought process, if you’re a pro baseball player, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be in any game.