“Same old Mets!”.”That was a very Metsian thing to do.” “Jeff Wilpon is a *&^%.” etc. etc .etc….
Get the idea?
The very mention of the New York Mets in years past brought about a liter of laughter, a pound of pain, and a bucket of bumbling business men who couldn’t run a baseball team even if they had the Cliff Notes.
Simply put, the Mets were a laughing stock to executives, players and media members for reasons that exceed the word limit of this article.
For months, many in the media (myself included) have been clamoring for one thing, one little thing as the Steven Cohen era begins, and that is, for once and for all, changing that perception.
Going forward, when the term Mets is mentioned, it must stand for a professional, proficient and polished organization from top to bottom.
We all want the Mets to succeed. To that end we all want Cohen’s billions to be used for free agents, and/or infrastructure and/or trades galore to bring the Mets in line with a very tough National League East. Well and good, but the culture must change first to attract the players, coaches and staff to make the team in the higher echelon, not just in on the field successes, but off the field ventures as well.
Many will say that since Cohen has taken control, he has made bold steps to correct the stain of incompetence from the franchise. Team president Sandy Alderson is a highly respected baseball man, and overall infrastructure changes are in the offing. Heck, even Mets employees were given much of their pay back they lost during the pandemic. A good start, but it must be seen to completion.
A giant step in that direction occurred on Monday as the Mets introduced their new general manager, Jared Porter. He made several poignant remarks throughout his press conference ranging for his love of New York and Citi Field in particular to ‘lengthening’ the starting rotation. He did not shy away from his boss’ decree that he expects the Mets to win a championship in three to five years. Rather, he took it as motivation:
“Hearing comments like that motivates me,” he said. “It really excites me. It shows a strong commitment from ownership who wants to win, who wants to put a winner on the field for the fan base in New York, and I completely align with that. I want those expectations.”
Alderson was delightfully smitten by his new GM’s comments noting, “I was taken immediately by his personality. His history in the game stands on its own, but from my standpoint, it was important that we find somebody who was personally committed to the job and enthusiastic about it, and secondly, somebody that I felt that we could all work with — not because all of his thoughts and vision is perfectly consistent with ours, but because I think he would drive the organization to a higher level.”
Alderson added, “Jared has, in my mind, a vision very close to mine and to that of Steve Cohen, in a variety of different ways.”
There were many more comments made by both men on Monday, but the one that struck me from Porter was a phrase I’ve used since the Cohen take-over and the very topic of this essay:
“What we’ve talked about the most is just a cultural shift, for one, adding good people to the organization, adding depth to the roster. Having a setup where it’s really hard for teams to prepare against you because you have a good layer of players coming behind them is critical.”
Cultural shift. In this case referring more to a strong, well-prepared team that opponents respect. But it is all the same. It boils down to the Mets being a well-oiled, well-balanced and well-prepared team from the ground up. Adding depth and good people to the organization will only come with a cultural shift in all meanings of the phrase, and from everyone associated with the New York Mets.
I believe Jared Porter steadfastly believes the Mets need to change for the better. The man knows his baseball and is certainly cognizant of the goings-on with all major league teams. He is a man who at times is expressionless and at times, quite serious. But his tone and his content are where Porter’s strength lies and he gave the media a lot of substance. Quite different from his predecessor who always had a one-liner and a sales pitch to bring to the occasion.
There’s no sales pitch here, no fancy speeches in fancy suits. The Mets have a front office with a serious desire to win and to improve. Porter is used to winning as he has won four championships in his 17 years as a front office executive. He finds himself “completely aligned” with Alderson’s and Cohen’s vision for the club. The cultural change has started.
Finally, Alderson said of Porter:
“His vision is perfectly consistent with ours. I think he would drive the organization to a higher level and bring new ideas, as well as a compatibility. … I’m very confident that he has the potential to lead this organization over a period of years.”
So am I.
