Consider this one of those MMO Mailbag articles I enjoy posting from time to time, only this time it’s not. The question was actually asked and answered by a very popular Mets site, and while normally I don’t like to do rebuttals, I feel that in this case I had to because I didn’t want Mets fans reading that piece and walking away with the belief that Sandy Alderson really blew it and effed up big-time.
The truth is he didn’t. The article had two huge factual errors and the argument that was built on those errors was weak, inconsistent with the reality of the situation, and it unfairly cast Sandy Alderson and the Mets in a very poor light.
Let’s take it right from the opening sentence…
“In early November, the Mets could have paid $1 million dollars to cut ties with outfielder Jay Bruce, making him a free agent, thus adding $12 million to their offseason budget.”
This much is true, but things begin to unravel after that.
“It’s also possible he would have rejected a one-year, $17 million qualifying offer, which means the Mets could have picked up a compensatory draft pick when he signed with a new team.”
Dead Wrong. That entire premise is factually inaccurate because it is based on the Mets giving Bruce a $17.2 million qualifying offer. The fact of the matter is that Bruce was traded mid-season, thus making him ineligible for a qualifying offer.
“Sandy Alderson and his staff clearly misread the trade market for power-hitting, corner outfielders. This is rare. Alderson has historically done an outstanding job with reconnaissance. In the case of Bruce, though, the Mets may have slipped up.”
You can knock Sandy Alderson for a lot of things during his tenure as Mets general manager, but to accuse him of “slipping up” by picking up Bruce’s option and then writing an entire article about it without never mentioning the top reason as to why he did it, is very biased and disingenuous.
The glaring omission in the entire article is that the top reason for picking up Bruce’s option was as a hedge against Yoenis Cespedes departing via free agency.
The entire reasoning for trading for Bruce in the first place, in addition to needing his bat, was that he had that $13 million dollar team option. Alderson himself said after making the deal, that it would have never happened if not for that option.
That option was Cespedes Insurance – pure and simple.
Additionally, the deadline for picking up that option was three weeks before the Mets eventually re-signed Yoenis Cespedes.
The Mets had no choice but to pick up that option. To not pick it up and then risk losing Cespedes as well Bruce, would have been one of the most bizarre head-scratching moves in franchise history – and believe me, the Mets have had some real doozies over the years.
I also take issue with the premise that Jay Bruce will ultimately be dealt for a dozen Dunkin Donuts. While I can tolerate the incessant whining from some ordinary Mets fans who lack patience, I do hold journalists – and especially executive editors – to a much higher standard.
For crying out loud, can we all be a little patient and wait to see what Sandy Alderson actually gets for Bruce before disemboweling him on December 15th?
Will there be a retraction and an apology if we actually get a useful reliever for Bruce while moving his entire $13 million dollar salary in the process for more additions later on?
I just can’t believe anyone would write such a critical article about Alderson’s judgement, one that was fraught with factual errors and an argument that had more holes than one of Donald Trump’s golf courses.
I understand how antsy-pantsy some fans are over the lack of any significant moves thus far in the offseason, but come on people, it’s mid-December not late-February. Let’s all chill the heck out.
Let’s see how all of this plays out before we start writing an obituary on the 2016-2017 Mets offseason.
And please… A little fact-checking and better research next time.
