Mike Piazza spoke with reporters on Wednesday before the Mets’ Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros.
The Hall of Fame catcher spoke about a golf outing he had with Jeff Wilpon recently and the misconception that he thinks fans have of the Wilpons currently.
“As a player, it’s not like ownership doesn’t want to win,” Piazza said (Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “The perception that spending money will get you a winner is obviously not correct. You have to have the right blend of talent and youth and experience. Things have to go together, you have to stay healthy.”
Piazza said that ownership is also looking to “turn his legacy over to someone who cares about the team,” which obviously all Mets fans are hoping is true (Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). He did mention that he would not be among the people looking to purchase the team as he joked of needing to “look in the mattress and ashtray of [his] car” when asked about that.
However, while many people are focused on the sale of the team, Piazza thinks that the Mets’ 2020 aspirations should be the priority for everyone right now.
“I think Mets fans rightly should be interested,” Piazza noted about the sale of the team. “Obviously it’s the future of the team, but look, I mean the team had a very good second half last year. I was able to talk to Luis [Rojas] this morning. I think they’re in good hands.”
Every team in the NL East outside of the Marlins will have a real shot at making the playoffs, though, which Piazza acknowledges.
“I think it’s a very difficult division,” Piazza added. “The division is obviously the defending World Champs, the Phillies are tough, and obviously Atlanta is tough so it’s not going to be easy, but as a player, you just have to focus and play. You can’t worry about that.”
