Regarding that nucleus, in 2014 it is safe to say that part of the plan is that Harvey, Wheeler and d’Arnaud improve upon their rookie and sophomore seasons, Davis, Gee, Tejada and Duda come into their own and others like Wright, Murphy and Niese maintain their current standards of play. And perhaps some of the rookie pitchers start showing signs as relievers.

So the pressing issues of the bullpen and outfield should then be addressed after this season and then Sandy should start making the moves into free agency in earnest.

The re-building will be incomplete because the team is again not going to have the money to finish what it started. The financial situation is not better and only getting worse with the loans and Piccard client’s starting to be paid off in 2015.

What we done are moves that have only saved money. We created the outfield and bullpen problem and will not have financial resources to resolve those two pieces to the puzzle.

For the fan, there is only the hope that all the prospects they obtain and draft somehow all work out and can continue to replenish many of the young players that they will no longer be able to afford if they do produce well once they can command large salaries through arbitration and free agency. It is impossible for them to do anything else unless the Wilpons are willing to continue taking $32 million out of their personal pocket or from the profits made from their other holdings each year like they did in 2011. And as business people, I don’t think that is what they want to do.

Sorry , but the business of baseball has to take precedent over the business of baseball. Sad, but true.

Without Wheeler:

Niese, Flores, Fulmer, Mateo, Nimmo, Duda
Niese, Flores, Montero, Verrett, Duda

With Wheeler:

Wheeler, Flores, Mateo, Fulmer, Duda
Wheeler, Flores, Nimmo, Montero, Duda
Wheeler, Flores, Mateo, Nimmo, Pill, Duda

I also think we should see what we have in Andrew Brown. He may be this year’s sleeper. He’s an outstanding outfielder with an absolute cannon for an arm. He would likely thrive in a mild platoon situation with Mike Baxter, who has demonstrated to be a competent professional outfielder, from Queens no less!

That’s what makes acquiring Giancarlo Stanton so freaking compelling. If we signed Bourn, achieved a competent platoon b/w Brown & Baxter and placed Stanton in RF, we’d go from having the worst OF in MLB to having one of the absolute best both offensively and defensively.

The more I think about it… well, let’s put it this way…

Would you have traded half a season of Carlos Beltran for many years of Giancarlo Stanton?

Sandy – Close your eyes and pull the trigger!

Stanton = Niese, Duda & Valdespin

Stanton = Niese, Mejia/Familia & Valdespin

Help me out here. How do we get 23 year old Giancarlo Stanton without giving up Harvey or Wheeler?

cf – Bourn
2b – Murphy
3b – Wright
1b – Davis
c – d’Arnaud
lf – Duda
rf – Brown
ss – Tejada

Bench: Buck, Turner, Niewenhuis, Valdespin & Baxter (Quintanilla at AAA for quick call-up if Tejada goes down)

The real question is what combination of players would induce Loria to trade Stanton to the Mets? Assume Wheeler and Harvey are out of the question.

Ike Davis, plus Familia, Mejia & Valdespin? Different combination?

With Stanton, the line-up looks like this…

cf – Bourn
2b – Murphy
3b – Wright
rf – Stanton
1b – Duda
c – d’Arnaud
lf – Brown/Baxter
ss – Tejada

Pretty much a powerhouse with speed at the very top. The outfield would be stellar defensively, as Brown and Stanton have absolute cannons and Bourn can patrol cf and the gaps. He’s a gold-glover. Baxter & Kirk are excellent back-ups.

The infield is strong on the left side with Wright and Tejada and a little sketchy on the right side with Murphy and Duda. I question whether they can co-exist on the same side.

So, if we really, really wanted to throw into gear this year, it would require signing Bourn and acquiring Stanton without gutting our rotation.

Our starting rotation would be set, as would our catching, outfield and right side of infield. The left side of the infield could use late-inning defensive support and our bullpen is not quite resolved. But this team would be built to last.

Great we collected kids and have a strong pitching staff now and maybe in the future….

Whatever CORE anyone expected us to build is HERE!
Even Wheeler and d’Arnaud will BE HERE before the season is out….

Why are we going to wait till thier clock starts to build around them?
Clock already has started on Davis, Harvey, Niese, Gee, Tejada and Murphy.

Why aren’t we looking at getting pieces that are available now that makes NEXT year’s task of filling the remaining holes easier?

You MIGHT find one OFer next year…But your not going to find TWO!
If we are too many pieces away from competing this year then get at least ONE piece so next year your not the SAME amount of pieces away two years running….

Now I’m not saying Bourne is worth what might be there with the 12th Pick and I’m not even sure he is going to cost us that pick.

But when you a GM and say WHAT OUTFIELD and you punt on what may have been the largest OF FA class in years you have to wonder what is he waiting for?
Is money really more important than failing?

Whatever promise people thought was coming in 2014 (used to be 2013 till we decided to play soccer with the can) is not going to materialize unless they set up all that CORE you think they have and get it help….

The Yankee, Brave and Phillie Cores everyone point to had a lot of good players filled in before that core arrived.
And if we don’t try and fill the holes now not only will that core not succeed but it will be wasted, lose it’s value because the numbers will be so bad no one will want them in trade!

But, there is still enough to debate with Bourn to wonder if he is the right guy to make a huge (for the Mets) commtiment to right now, since odds are there will not be a lot of them available!

Of course, that is a load of bunk and these are grown men. The actual reason is they are in fact going to get smacked around a little. Bringing in Bourne, even if he has a great year, would be wasted. Let the newbies take their lumps, prove they belong, and then bring in the big free agents to supplement them.

And I do think that Bourn is a long term solution. Please get him. Then you can add Pence or something similar in 2014 to push them over the hump.

Like I said yesterday, the Mets were kicking tires on Bourn and got their hand caught in the cookie jar. The song and dance is them playing things out so they can say…look we are trying. Good for them, but I’m not buying it.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Mets-and-Bourn-match-unlikely-without-break-from-rules-012413