And that is exactly the point. It wasn’t about the future of the team – it was about the future of the ownership.

At the time, the author saw the obtaining of Wheeler as a brilliant coup of maneuvering on the part of Sandy and thus the first of many steps to come to put the Mets on the right track.
Was it? No, it already was one of a series of steps we had already seen to save money for an ownership that needed to bailed out by MLB just to meet it’s monthly bills (twice). Many of us saw that as the real motive from the beginning.

It began with a winter of signing nothing but “inexpensive players” as Sandy later admitted the Mets (i.e., he) had been doing the past two years. The organization was intent on salary dumping with nobody expecting the team to do anything and thus anticipated us to be sellers with KRod, Beltran and Reyes by the trade deadline.

But the team fouled him up which took away the smokescreen of a master re-building plan as a cover for drastic cost-cutting that we began to see taking hold. Don’t forget in June and July the organization was beginning to heavily promote how the team had put itself in the middle of wild card race. How often during a game did they flash the standings and show the scoreboard to update us on important games in progress, talking about “scoreboard watching” and how the Mets could move further up by a game, etc.?

While we were told how the Mets were inching themselves up and were the surprise of major league baseball, Sandy was already negotiating with other teams to unload Carlos (he said serious discussions had begun around the first of July). It didn’t matter how well the team had played since that awful start (.575 ball) – in Sandy’s opinion, financial circumstances called for immediate salary dumping instead of further investing banking on added revenue from increased attendance due to the playoff chase.

And then after he already sent our ace closer packing he states he needed another two weeks to see the direction the team was heading before making any decision with Carlos. But note, he already sealed their fate by getting rid of KRod and thus the seed was planted which would cause the team to stumble – because in getting rid of KRod we had absolutely nobody else qualified to take over the role of closer. With that he could publicly justify getting rid of our top hitter – which, like with Jose, he had never even entered into negotiating a contract extension.

Still a master plan? What had been done since then to carry it out further?

How many promising young players did he go after via trades (Pagan) or free-agent signings? None that came with a price tag as you mentioned. Not in the draft, either. This past year only one team signed less than we did. We also did not sign our number two selection (75th overall) because we would not negotiate the approximate $40,000 in slot money we did not want to pay. Then there was the one year closing of our rookie team in Port St. Lucie.

Then there was the ten percent cutback across the board in all non-roster matters. There was the close to billion dollar debt that required re-financing – a refinancing we must remember that the Wilpons could not get using the Mets because unlike SNY, financial institutions found the Mets too risky to put up the money for.

And then this season he said we were buyers but he never made any effort to do anything to help the team which eventually led to the players feeling they were “kicked in the teeth by the front office”.

So that is why I attached that article written at the time of the Wheeler trade. The author even acknowledges that it wasn’t so much acquiring Wheeler that was important (for he might not ever turn into something) but rather the posture that Sandy was taking in which his great eye for talent and negotiating brilliance was going to lead to better times ahead.

I think we all know now what posture that really is. It is to balance the ledger books and if that means not investing more in raw talent, scouting and the farm system, so be it. It never was like some were seeing it back then as perceived in that article. Sandy was doing exactly the job he was hired for – business before baseball in the form of the Wilpons not being forced to sell the team.

But if re-building up a team for the future was the goal, rather than have keeping the star players he had and adding to them, why didn’t Sandy trade Pagan for more prospects? Why not acquire young free agent talent instead of older veterans who will not be part of the team by 2014? If Sandy’s vision is long-term in nature it would mean struggling for a few seasons as the kids progressed. Would rather have seen us lose 88 games with young kids getting their chance in the outfield and the bullpen to compliment current developing players like Davis, Duda, Gee, Parnell, Neise, Harvey, Turner, instead of the likes of Torres, Hairston, Rauch, Francisco, Carasco, Byrdak, Young, etc.

And why sign veteran free agents like Francisco and Rauch instead of relievers south of thirty who were available like Broxton, Capps, Mijares, etc. – all of whom had good seasons in 2012?

http://espn.go.com/mlb/freeagents/_/year/2011/position?

This year there are those not yet 30 like J.P. Howell,

http://espn.go.com/mlb/freeagents/_/position/rp

Not saying the above should have been signed as it the above-type that should have instead. These young relievers could still be productive as the kids come around by 2014 and as we know, a team needs a healthy blend of veterans and youngsters to be complete.

Alas, remember when Sandy was being hailed as having a specific vision and direction? I wonder if anybody sees him today in the same light that was expressed in the attached.

http://newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-mets/2011/7/29/2302182/mets-giants-carlos-beltran-zack-wheeler-trade-win-new-york-mets

If he traded Pagan, Reyes, Wright, and Dickey for prospects the way he did with Beltran, at least I would see direction…

The reason many us feel frustrated and don’t trust Sandy (“hate” is too strong a word) is because we’ve gone through this with him so many times in the past when he said he wanted to make moves but wanted to wait so he would be in a better position to do the things that, for example, you now suggest. He then wound up doing nothing using as the reason that the situation had changed since he last spoke.

The trust part deals with the conclusion that despite that past promises, it wasn’t never his intent to do much of anything. One thing we have learned is that by stalling, situations do change can be used as an excuse to change positions. He did that last summer, saying we were buyers as the team was playing well. Yet, as other clubs began dealing, he said we were having talks with other teams but there was still time to wait which would put us in a better bargaining position. Yet, as we all knew, the club already needed help to continue playing at the pace it was, however, not only were no moves made to help us, as the slide began no moves were made to stop the bleeding as well. Within two to three weeks we suddenly went from buyers to sellers.

He also said he wanted to re-sign Reyes while having no intentions to negotiate. He also said the money not used on Jose could be used to obtain other players instead. He also said that 2011 was going to be a “transition” year and when we rid ourselves of financial obligations to Perez and Castillo we would be able to get back into the bidding process. He also said…., need we go on?

That’s why many of us feel it’s not so much that the winter meetings are over in as much as we already anticipated that despite the talk nothing of significance was going to happen and that it will stay that way. Sandy lost his credibility with most of us a long time ago and is also starting to lose it with those who were willing to give him a two-year honeymoon period.

Trade deals are not something that results in higher bids against each suitor.
Each team decides what they think a player is worth to them and either it’s enough or it’s not…
No one says well what are they giving up we will match and beat it….

Not the way trade negotiations work because most GMs think thier player is better than the other guy’s player and already beats his offer!

People just don’t want to admit that the Mets aren’t going anywhere in 2013. Unless you plan on getting a championship catcher, three championship outfielders, and a championship bullpen, all with less than 20 million dollars.
The days of 140 million dollar payrolls are over until they start winning again. Phillies payroll didnt go up until they started winning. Rangers payroll didn’t start to go up until they started winning. Giants payroll didn’t start to go up until they started winning. Winning comes first. The BIG payrolls come second. You can’t name me one other team this century that has started spending big when they were LOSING and then won.

People think it’s supposed to be different here because “this is new york”, as if the rules of economics don’t apply here. If I hear “this is New York” one more time I’m gonna vomit. The Mets are not the Yankees. No one is the Yankees. The Yankees are in a world of their own. You’re talking about the most popular sports franchise in the WORLD. If you think the Mets are supposed to act like the Yankees you are delusional. The Mets need to do it like every other team not named the Yankees did it in the last ten or so years. Stop thinking we can be different because “this is New York”. Thank god we finally have a GM here now that actually realizes this and also understands the concept of value.

Delusional.

I wouldnt mind trying Wright out in RF during the season (and in spring training). Flores can play 3rd (and most likely 1st) but with the speed and arm Wright could play RF. So yes, lets at least try it.

As for BABIP for pitchers: As I said before I love Niese and his BABIP was about .330 in the past which showed with normal luck he would get better. In 2012 his BABIP dropped to.272. His “K” walk ratio is a good but not dominating. He has the John Maine syndrome ofr giving up alot of foul balls. He reaches 100 pitch count at about 62/3 innings. Everything shows he will slip slightly in 2013. Niese right now is a No.3 and nothing more. Yes he is a crafty lefty but not dominating.