I’m currently on the West Coast for the week so the “morning” part still applies to me, however as for the “grind”, a rant is still the same no matter where in the world you are, so here I go:
Yesterday the illustrious COO of the New York Mets, Jeff Wilpon, spoke to reporters, saying that their first priority — allegedly — is to re-sign both David Wright and R.A. Dickey to deals this winter. However if that cannot come to fruition, he foresees them playing out their option years rather than trading the two Mets stars.
Upon reading this yesterday, my mind immediately went back to Jose Reyes. As we all know, Reyes walked last winter after a monster 2011 campaign in which he won the NL Batting Title. Alderson’s inaction at the July 31st trade deadline was a HUGE miscalculation, as prior to his injury, Reyes was one of the most desirable players on the market. Teams like the Rays, Giants, Angels as well as many other teams with strong farm systems were willing to give a great deal up to acquire the all-star shortstop. However, Alderson stood pat. Come winter, he did the same, and opted to let Reyes walk for two draft picks as compensation rather than re-signing the Mets sparkplug.
Granted not attempting to match the Marlins — or essentially the Blue Jays — 6-year, $106 million dollar deal was wise and we still don’t know what will come out of Kevin Plawecki or Matt Reynolds down the road. But the way the situation was handled left a bad taste in every Met fan’s mouth. These players are at least another three years away, assuming they develop.
Now faced with the same dilemma the Mets are about to make the same mistake again. Are you really considering letting David Wright and R.A. Dickey walk after next season as one of your options?
How are fans supposed to rally around this team when the product on the field in Flushing is already a joke? Can you imagine it getting worse than this without Wright and Dickey?
Sandy Alderson and the Wilpons better get this call right, because if they blow this one, they will completely lose the fan base even more so than they already have.
