Met Nation,
We have come to a place I never thought would ever be. Scott Boras, the Super Agent himself, and I might actually agree on something. He believes that the Mets can make a quick turnaround, provided they use their considerable funds. There are a few teams around the league that do this. Should be pretty simple, right?
Scott Boras: Praiser or Poser?
“The New York Mets are probably in the top five in baseball as a model of what can be done,” Boras said. “The business and infrastructure is run very well by the Wilpons. The issue is transferring the success they enjoy in business and operating revenue issues and getting it to the field. I know they’re working hard…….New York is a great place to play. If I had a player who wanted to play there, I’d call any team they desire and the Mets are a valid option…..The GM has to establish his control,” Boras said. “In 30 years of doing this, the best and most successful general managers have the biggest rubber bands and know when to flex them and when to retract and rebuild. If a GM doesn’t have the ability to sign an impact player, it can impact a club for years.”
I may not agree with every single thought but this has merit. Is there an underlying motive for Boras’ comments or does he genuinely feel that Flushing is a great place to play baseball and ideal for his present and future clients? Regardless, I think he is right whether genuinely spoken or not. Speaking of the GM scavenger hunt…..
Wanted: GM
From the looks of things, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, Rick Hahn, and Allard Baird are on the not so short list. What are the merits of each? Hmmm. Byrnes has a penchant for signing players to multi year agreements before arbitration comes up, which could be good or bad depending on the player and any subsequent health issues. (See: Castillo, Luis) Hahn’s name seems to pop up more than most. He clearly is intelligent and knows the mind of the agent having worked with some of the top agents in the game. He’s considered the top GM prospect by Baseball America, for whatever that’s worth. Alderson’s rep speaks for itself. Baird is the shocker here. Here’s some highlights: KC’s spending restrictions both on major league payroll and on amateur signings was enough to make life hard for him there. He was also the GM that traded Beltran to the ‘Stros in 2004 in a 3-team deal for Mark Teahen, Mike Wood and John Buck. He also traded Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye for meager returns but he also drafted Alex Gordon and Zach Greinke and has exceptional scouting abilities. Take it for what it’s worth.
What A Mets!
We can’t make the talks of trading players stop especially after all the uncertainty and the need for a new regime coming into Flushing. Before talking about trading Reyes, you’d have to ponder before deciding on that 11M option if his abysmal base stealing last season was a harbinger of things to come or just an aberration. Aggression on the basepaths gone bye bye. They may not be bad in comparison to others in the league but bad for a guy who, at least, steals one base every four tries. He had opportunities. 216 to be exact but made 30 out of 40 attempts so 176 bases were left empty and “unstolen”. Wright struck out 161 times, mostly on the road (92-24 K to BB rate), which could mean a few things. Keeping Beltran may be the equivalent to saying that you expect him to help you win a championship before his contract expires in ’12. Great player but age and injuries are factors that can’t be ignored. This team, however it’s constituted, needs to play good, consistent baseball. They ranked among the NL’s worst in runs and on-base percentage. Hard to get into the playoffs much less make a run at a World Series Championship. Have a fantastic day and weekend, Met Nation.
