The New York Mets ended up winning 74 games during the 2012 season. Their Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey was traded and their most productive outfielder, Scott Hairston, has departed as well. The farm system may be in much better shape, and their projected 2014 payroll will be in the bottom of the majors for now – potentially opening a lot of financial flexibility going forward. However, is doom and gloom in store for the [...]

Sandy Alderson was quoted yesterday that he doesn´t think the Mets are “far away” from contending at this point. While pretty much everyone agrees that the Mets Infield looks pretty good now & going forward and the rotation at the very least has the potential to become a true asset, the outfield & bullpen remain the most troubling areas on the roster. It seems apparent that the outfield situation won´t  get fixed from within but [...]

While I´m quite tired of the “Omar vs. Sandy” debate, a recent post about the “strong farm system” Omar Minaya supposedly left behind in late 2010, got me thinking and looking. To summarize, as of today, it doesn´t look as if the farm system left behind was all that good. And one  big reason for the Mets´ recent and even current struggles is directly related to the lack of quality (not quantity of ) higher [...]

“The Plan” – or trying to see the future forest amidst a bunch of presently broken trees. We may agree or disagree on whether the current rebuilding of the Mets was inevitable or necessary or strictly financially motivated or even a vicious attempt to alienate the fan base. We may agree or disagree on whether the current front office has done well in their dual task of a) saving the ownership group from losing the franchise – [...]

For the past 30+ years, the 5-man rotation has become a standard in Baseball. Initially, most teams used 4 regular starting pitchers making 36 or so starts per season (when healthy), with another 15 to 18 starts or so going to a “swing-man” (5th starter / long reliever) who only got a turn in the rotation when there were no off-days or (sometimes still scheduled) doubleheaders. Has it been an effective method to reduce injuries [...]