Unlike in the past, the Mets system now has several options to choose from going forward. There will be attrition, of course. But with the increased depth, that should be made up.

So, yes, the 2014 free agent class lacks true star caliber players. But right now, the Mets are running out a “Quadruple A” caliber outfield. Just by adding, say, Carlos Gomez and Corey Hart as free agents for example – which won´t cost more than 25 million $ annually for sure – you´d be adding 5+ wins structurally without getting star level talent back. Of course, trading also could be a way of improving. Then, you spend less money but need to sacrifice prospects. For the first time in several years, the Mets should have both options to choose from.

So, at some point over the next 12 months or so, the Mets will need to sign or trade for these two missing pieces. That´s besides assuming / hoping that the young talent being assembled at the major league level (and at AAA) right now is good enough to serve as a strong & lasting foundation while at the same time, the lower levels of the farm system are replenished and built-up in a way that this foundation can be fed constantly with fresh young talent to either use as trade bait or as inexpensive fill-ins at the major league level going forward. And for that very reason, making sure that the # 11 overall pick (plus the draft budget that comes with him nowadays) wasn´t going to be lost. Especially since Bourn wouldn´t have been the 28-year-old Carlos Beltran type young superstar you´d gladly give up any sort of draft pick for but rather a helpful complementary piece.

And yes, at some point over the next 12+ months the Mets will have to turn around the switch and start spending aggressively. And whatever financial limitations there used to be between 2010 all the way through 2013 won´t be a valid excuse anymore for not spending.
As of today, the projected 2014 payroll – even while offering arbitration to everyone and including salary spikes for Wright & Niese – is in the low 50s million $ range. Even by adding deferred payments to Jason Bay & others, the actual “payout” figures to be in the low 60 million $ range or among the bottom quarter of the major leagues. Plus, besides much reduced financial obligations compared to any time in recent Mets history, the Mets – like all other major league teams – will receive 10+ million $ in extra National TV funds for 2014. So, if the “break even” point may have been 75 million $ before, it´ll now be 85+ million $. Add to that an ownership group that – now – is flush again with plenty of cash – be it from SNY gains or the general restructuring of their loans, there should be ample of money left to spend.

So, the question is: How will Alderson & Co. spend it ?

What you basically say is all true, however, you probably could figure that I have to disagree about the contention that we are seriously trying to rebuild.

Rebuilding takes more steps than just strengthening the minor leagues and without those steps it really is quite an incomplete plan – if a real plan at all. If Sandy’s baseball people are intelligent, they probably are confidentially being quite honest within themselves knowing that they have not taken the full measures required to put together a good, young team by attempting to acquire the missing pieces that cannot be resolved by the youngsters.

We already have a core of young talent that has been slowly but steadily progressing in their development. A Bourn would not have helped the Mets much but then a Borne along with signing of some other younger, quality players that addressed our needs could have made 2013 a stepping stone to better years ahead. Wheeler and d’Arnaud along with those we already have won’t be enough and to thus stop at that is indication more an indication of one who will not make serious investments in the present that could yield significantly good results in the future.

Why, so we won’t get burned financially? In the world of major league baseball, that is a liability all teams have to share if they want to have the vision to try and get ahead. That does not mean a return to the Mo Vaughan days, either.

Fact is, over three winters, 2nd tier closer Frank Francisco is the “biggest” free agent signing – to a 2-year, 12 million $ contract. Which wouldn´t have even been worth mentioning in past winters. So far, over three years (actually four, counting Omar Minaya´s final year as GM), the Mets have traded exactly two prospects: LHP Mike Antonini & 3b Jefrey Marte
- neither of which was a top 30 in the system prospect at the time of the trade and in both cases for potential bench pieces in their mid 20s. Also, the Mets haven´t lost a draft pick yet for the third straight June draft, instead having the third straight draft with an extra pick (this time, for the failure to sign their # 75 overall regular 2nd rounder last year).

Now, you may question whether this front office is good at rebuilding, i.e. trading for the right prospects, drafting the right prospects, putting the right coaches in place to develop those prospects properly, etc, or not. Certainly eliminating the GCL affiliate for one year and basically ignoring the 2nd half of their 2012 draft seems questionable in that situation. And you can certainly argue that by failing to trade Jose Reyes before he left as a free agent the front office failed to maximize his value.

However, the approach – overall – has been quite consistent. Whether it works or not remains to be seen. And whether the front office is willing and able (i.e. with a higher budget) to turn around the switch from “rebuild” into “attack” mode over the next 12+ months remains to be seen too.

Michael Bourn would certainly have been a nice addition. And the contract seems moderate for a player of his caliber in today´s market. Yet, it wasn´t as if he was the missing piece in a large puzzle but instead could have been one of several missing pieces in a puzzle that´s still in its rudimentary stages.

LOL – if you could go back in time to stop those things – and since I believe you are not a man of violence – instead of harming Omar you would instead shows him a series of self-produced DVDs of the Mets today and let him see the errors of his way and then telling him what moves should be taken instead (satisfying the anti-Omar group). At the same time, you’ll show the Wilpons why they should pull all their money out of Madoff immediately and even give them the information to expose Bernie and become national heroes. Thus this would create a series of events in which we would not require Sandy (satisfying the anti-Sandy crowd) and for all we know, we’d suddenly have six world series flags flying over Flushing.

But then, even though you’d be a Met hero, all Met history would have changed in the process so only you would know what changes had transpired. So when you try telling us how you fixed everything as we are looking forward to our seventh straight WS flag, we will be praising the work of traditional baseball strategy, erecting a statue of Omar as we enter “Minya Field” while the two blood-brothers – Metsie and Jessep – have you taken away in a straight jacket while asking “Sandy who?”.

As you can probably guess, I’m already prepared the first draft of the screenplay. We can literally call the film “Next Year Is Now”!

Guess you’ll be taking back the comment about having an intelligent conversation, right? “)

LOL – if you could go back in time to stop those things – and since I believe you are not a man of violence – instead of harming Omar you would instead shows him a series of self-produced DVDs of the Mets today and let him see the errors of his way and then telling him what moves should be taken instead (satisfying the anti-Omar group). At the same time, you’ll show the Wilpons why they should pull all their money out of Madoff immediately and even give them the information to expose Bernie and become national heroes. Thus this would create a series of events in which we would not require Sandy (satisfying the anti-Sandy crowd) and for all we know, we’d suddenly have six world series flags flying over Flushing.

But then, even though you’d be a Met hero, all Met history would have changed in the process so only you would know what changes had transpired. Swhen you try telling us how you fixed everything and when we are asking “Sandy Who?” while well

There are all ways to judge this decision in the near future based on how Bourn does relative to the Mets CFers (whoever they may be) and how the 11th prospect turns out …

Good Bourn + good Mets CF + good 11th pick = Mets win
Good Bourn + good Mets CF + poor 11th pick = Mets win
Good Bourn + poor Mets CF + poor 11th pick = Mets lose
Good Bourn + poor Mets CF + good 11th pick = Neutral
Poor Bourn + poor Mets CF + good 11th pick = Mets win

… etc. etc. That’s how I see it.

As for the other free agents the Mets could have pursued instead of Bourn who would have cost the Mets a pick, there’s really only Hamilton and Swisher for the OF. Hamilton would have cost the Mets too much, and I can’t see him as a fit in NY. And I despise Swisher. Moreover, with Swisher you’d be overpaying for someone on the downside of his career whose stats were pumped up by a hitters ballpark and hitting in the middle of stacked lineups. Put him in a pitchers park in a sparser lineup and he’s not going to hit as well. So I really couldn’t see the Mets pursuing either of them under any circumstances.

Hey, I liked both Butterfly Effect and Frequency! If I could go back in time and change things, I’d find a way to prevent the Mets from ever signing Ollie, Castillo and Bay!

But it was Michael Bourn, and I do not expect him to now go off on a Hall of Fame tear. In a year or two nobody will remember the connection between the two guys, Bourn won’t do enough to keep it alive.

You actually made a good point about looking back at this decision based on how that “other” guy (i.e., Bourn) works out. Of course, it also depends upon what one considers to be a good or poor performance over the years.

But in turn, you know your point raises another question – what about the other free agents the Mets could have pursued earlier other than Bourn that also could have cost them that draft selection? Therefore it could simply be looked in terms of what the Mets decided to stay with – that “what outfield?” – just to protect that draft pick.

So many what if’s we can make our own version of “The Butterfly Effect” and, of course, a film more related to us, “Frequency”. But then, anybody who would develop some sort of time warp and use it to go back and forth to change Sandy’s decisions really would really need to get a life!

BTW – I think that picture of Christopher Reeve is from Superman III

Great article, John