Fred and the Boys could be OK, but if the team is losing money, the finances have to be fixed.

It wasn’t a case that the team was sinking to begin with but that the Wilpons were. It’s not a case either that the team is beginning to float better either than it is the Wilpons are instead.

We both agree Sandy’s true call was and still is to keep the Wilpons financially afloat. But being able to keep afloat the ownership financially is different than keeping the team afloat competitively. We’ve seen that in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and San Diego (which just changed ownership).

So yes, part of Sandy’s job was to paint a sunnier picture of the situation at hand instead of being honest with the fans which he obviously could not do.

But, if he had to give us legal double talk when he was trying to keep the Wilpons from sinking, why should we not believe he is still not giving it to us now while they are on a life raft?

The vision Sandy talks of is the same vision fans of Kansas City, Pittsburgh and San Diego have been hearing year after year after year. For two straight seasons, the city of Pittsburgh had been lifted by the play of their young kids into August only to see them falter because no major moves were made to help them – just like the Mets. And as we’ve seen with our own team, a core of good youngsters can only go so far without obtaining help from the outside.

That’s why keeping the Wilpons afloat financially should not be confused with keeping the team afloat competitively.

Well you had better wait to judge that spending until those contracts run out because next year they could just be the team that runs away with it all….

It’s a mistake to think that spending is only as good as the first year under the contract.

Beltran struggled his first year and you can hardly say he was a waste or a mistake.
They got a lot of time left on that contract to get what they paid for from Pujols and Wilson.
If they go on a 5 year playoff run those contract will look great then won’t they?

Depending on the individual markets and the current state of a team will determine how far into the Free Agent market will a team go. Look at the Angels last year. They felt that the money they spent on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson would put them over the top. Guess what? Total disaster for better than half a season. They went even further and acquired Zach Greinke. They could open their wallets because the money was there….

Truthfully, I wish the Wilpon’s were forced to sell because of things that they did besides the poor results of the team even when they were spending money. Let’s face it…over the years they spent tons of money albeit poorly at times. The results were one thing but the Madoff scandal destroyed the financial backbone of their plans. Fred knew that the only way he could truly compete with the Yankees was to develop the SNY network. It would give the team funds so that they could spend the kind of money that the Yankees do. They came perilously close to having to sell the entire team but Selig stepped in and pushed Sandy A into the picture. He was the contingency part of the Wilpon’s not having to sell.

It would be his job to run the show…keep the team afloat before it sunk until financial situations improved. Looking at the players we had, their current salaries, their injury history and age if out to become free agents and the minor leagues determined the direction of the team that Sandy would take. For the most part, I think that he has done exactly what he planned from day one.within the confines of monies available.

In so far as what he has said publicly…..would you expect him to say that “we suck” and that we are gonna suck for another few years? Was he gonna say that we were close to losing the team? Could he say that there will be casualties now for the sake of keeping payroll low until things get better?

WAKE UP FANS !

IT WAS HIS JOB TO PAINT A SUNNIER PICTURE FOR THE SITUATION. AT HAND.

HE DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU AND ME! HE WORKS FOR THE WILPON’S

BOTTOM LINE…..The ship has not sunk but it has begun to float better….the team still has contracts that it is saddled with but that ends after this coming year. Unless Wright and Dickey are asking for the moon then Sandy will want to sign both players. The plan is all about having a formidable starting pitching staff. Zack Wheeler, wit a good spring training may well come north and join Matt Harvey to form the eventual 1-2 punch they have been destined for. Add in Niese, hopefully Dickey and the return of Dillon Gee makes for a pretty good bunch.

As it looks….there will not be money available this off season to make any blockbuster free agent acquisitions but hopefully enough to fortify one of the big holes we have.

We should be much better if all I have said happens but we will not yet be as good as the Nationals and the Braves. It is gonna take a bit longer, . .

Mike L…..When a team starts breaking down and is committed to rebuilding, more times than none a drop in winning perdentage the first couple of years is not uncommon. Nor should it be an indicator or indictment that they are failing in this proccess. I agree with you about the “hit and miss” with minor league prospects, certainly most are misses. While alot of us here at MMO vehemently are opposed to the moves this current FO is taking, I think to label them failures at this juncture would be grossly prejudging them.

WHAT Direction?

This team is spinning in place and if any direction is apprent it’s backwards as reflected in the Win column.

Throwing your best 1B under the bus before you can even lock him up in a team-friendly deal = building for 2014?

Ok….maybe they are building a cabin in the woods for Jeff …they sure as HELL aint building a winner in Queens

It wasn’t going to happen quickly and I don’t see how it could happen any other way, considering the financial situation of the team. Now, had they had buckets of money, re-signing Reyes or being able to invest again in Beltran would have been options, they wouldn’t have lost draft picks by re-signing their own players and they would have fielded a more competitive team right now. But we need to live in a world of facts, and the fact of the matter is the team for the long run seems to be on a steady path to have a better farm system, which leads to a better major league club.

Waiting is the hardest part. Tom Petty, you are so smart.

Because everyone does it. Literally, every team contacts the guys most likely to be available to them and sees what it would take to sign them.

Also, it works for Selig’s interest. He wants the draft to be orderly. He doesn’t want big surprises, teams being held hostage, or a free for all.