A few minutes ago, I was scrolling through MLB Trade Rumors when I noticed some Yankees’ notes. Turns out the Yanks, long believed to be trying to climb under the luxury-tax threshold, are going to spend this winter. (I know – pick up your jaw) The clip listed their preferred targets as Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. I read the names and had to laugh. The dichotomy between these two clubs in New York is simply incredible.
When Sandy Alderson arrived in Queens in the Fall of 2010, many Mets fans – including myself – were eager to see the legend from the Bay area work his Moneyball magic on the Amazin’ Mets. Many of us were ready to watch him restock the farm and make some dynamic trades that would bring in the next star we could pair with David Wright and Jose Reyes.
Three years have passed. Many of those fans that were in Team Sandy’s corner are long gone. And one word summarizes why they jumped ship – losing. Under Sandy, the Mets have remained mired in the 74-77 win range of baseball’s no-man’s-land. You’re never good enough to contend, but you aren’t bad enough to get an elite drafting position either.
The net result of all of this is very clear – and for Fred and Jeff Wilpon – very unsettling.
21 and 31.
21 is where the New York Mets ranked in attendance in 2013, out of 30 major league teams. The New York Mets – not the Milwaukee Mets – the New York Mets.
31 is the percent decrease in SNY viewership from 2012 to 2013. What has happened is the sports and entertainment industries’ worst nightmare – apathy.
By the thousands, Mets fans are finding other ways to spend their time and money. They aren’t going to games and they aren’t watching them either. Some are, of course – but the sheer volume of fans that have already tuned out is staggering.
In short, this organization has bigger problems than winning ballgames. The Mets have sunk back into the mid-90s era of fan disinterest.
The franchise and fanbase was eventually jolted back to life by the May 1998 trade for Mike Piazza – a trade that catapulted the Mets back to respectability and – two and a half years later – back to the World Series.
I believe that is precisely the course the 2013-14 Mets need to take. A direction-changing trade. Who that player is – I honestly have no idea. Maybe its Jurickson Profar or maybe its Giancarlo Stanton. No matter who it is – a player of that caliber would be exactly what this team and this sleepy fan base needs.
Because right now, this brand – the “Amazin’ Mets” is in trouble. Their lifeblood, the fans, are beyond angry. Many of them just don’t care anymore.
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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader, Matt Mosher. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 22,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to [email protected]. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.
