There is one essential rule in order to survive the Major League Baseball offseason, don’t believe anything you hear. Especially this week during the Winter Meetings in San Diego, about 90 percent of the rumors you will hear are just that, rumors.
A perfect example of how out-of-control the MLB offseason can get is the twists and turns of free agent starting pitcher Jon Lester. At one point there were eight teams close to signing him then it was down to four with a mystery team that could steal him away from everyone. The Chicago Cubs finally inked him late Tuesday night. Complete and utter madness, it definitely does not help that every person on Twitter has a “reliable source” who has confirmed the signing.
Now to get to our beloved New York Mets. At this point I think it is pretty clear General Manager Sandy Alderson loves to keep the media guessing and always has a new way of saying “It could happen. Probably won’t, but don’t be surprised if it does”. This used to be frustrating but now it is just what we have come to expect from Alderson and it’s rather comical.
What makes matters worse is that every Mets fan knows this is the offseason they have been waiting for. The pitching staff is primed to be one of the best in the National League with the emergence of Jacob deGrom and the return of the Dark Knight aka Matt Harvey.
The Michael Cuddyer signing at the beginning of the offseason gave Mets fans hope that they were really going to get after it this offseason and spend money, well that will not be happening. It is not necessarily a bad thing the Mets will not be spending money considering the price tags that some players come with. For example Nelson Cruz, 34 years old, will be making $14.25 million per year for the next 4 years. He did hit 40 home runs last year but in the American League East where the stadiums cater to hitters, he is also one failed drug test from being suspended for a year.
Alderson, as well as 29 other MLB teams, knows that if the Mets plan on being competitive they have to upgrade the shortstop position. Wilmer Flores is a nice player to have and his defensive shortcomings are over exaggerated but he is not a starting shortstop for a team that has aspirations to win 90 games and that’s coming from someone who believes in Flores. It has proven to be difficult to find a team that is willing to give up a shortstop in a league where above-average players at the position are scarce.
Patience is a virtue in the MLB offseason and if no trade is done at the Winter Meetings it by no means nothing will eventually happen. R.A. Dickey was dealt almost two full weeks after the Winter Meetings had concluded. The asking price for mediocre players is immensely high at the start to see if any team is really desperate, those prices almost always come back down.
This offseason has a very different vibe to it in accordance to the Mets, it seems they have been working on multiple deals while in the process of trying to land the superstar trade no one saw coming. Of course, Alderson or the mostly clueless Terry Collins, whom it seems never talks to front office officials, will never admit that.
Expect at least two of Dillon Gee, Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon to be traded within the next month. Some fans may not like the trades but it is a necessity due to the surplus of young starting pitching the Mets possess. Understanding the value of fan favorites such as these three are harder to gauge because of the sentimental attachment. Most likely none of them are bringing back a top prospect unless Alderson is a magician. The players the Mets get back will be solid and have some type of potential, Alderson is not the type of person to give away players this was exemplified by not trading Colon at the deadline last year.
The moves are coming, they may not be tremendously exciting deals but they will be in an effort to improve the Mets for the upcoming 2015 season, that is one thing we do know.
