Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has a somewhat critical take on the Mets under Sandy Alderson, and yesterday he spoke to a rival NL executive who told him this:
“The big thing for me is it feels like the Mets are stuck in some kind of purgatory,” an official from another NL team said recently, on the condition of anonymity. “They didn’t blow up their club like Houston did, but they also aren’t a serious threat in the NL East behind Washington, Atlanta, and even Philadelphia.”
“Players like Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy have value, but are they going to be part of the next division winner in Queens? Unlikely. They are losing value every day as their salaries increase and years of club control decrease.”
Davidoff adds that the Mets’ first two drafts under Alderson have not received high grades in the industry, nor has the team come up with any under-the-radar finds through waivers or minor league free agency.
They have done better internationally, with 2011 Dominican pitchers Rafael Montero and Luis Mateo climbing the organizational ladder. Their clear need is for position players, as top draft picks Brandon Nimmo (outfielder, 2011) and Gavin Cecchini (shortstop, 2012) have underwhelmed outside observers.
I’m a big fan of Sandy, probably the biggest one on this site. But clearly he’ll need to make some noise in this year’s draft and follow that up with a less rigid approach to how he navigates the off-season next winter.
I doubt he can continue to tell fans that he has the money, is unwilling to spend it, and get away with it.
He’s losing some of his most steadfast supporters lately, and a fifth straight losing season could start tipping the scales the other way. It’s time for him to be bold and start talking more about the present and less about the future which we already know looks bright.
