I’m so fed up with this lingering R.A. Dickey situation. Make a decision one way or the other and move on already.
Sandy Alderson says a lot of things, most of which end up ringing hollow or untrue. You just never know what to believe with him, and he never answers any questions directly. He speaks with an eloquent vagueness that is mesmerizing to the masses.
That said, I sincerely hope he was dead serious about resolving this Dickey situation in the next few days. I hope that this was one of the very rare occasions where Sandy was being forthright and honest with us.
The entire organization has been in paralysis mode and has been held hostage by the decision to drag out this Dickey conundrum for the last 2 1/2 months. It’s brought all other aspects of the Mets off-season to a screeching halt and at a virtual standstill.
Despite glaring needs up and down the roster, the Mets have yet to make one single offer to any free agent. Their offseason strategy has been dysfunctional, disjointed and obviously unproductive.
There was never any sense of urgency in addressing the team’s needs this off-season. None. Instead we are witnessing a lackadaisical approach based on an unorthodox strategy of waiting for things to happen rather than making things happen. It’s a fundamentally flawed process that is propelled by being reactive rather than proactive.
There is also a severe lack of accountability with this front office. This is why there is no urgency to improve anything. There are no consequences for failure.
After two off-seasons with no financial wherewithal, Sandy Alderson finally has the money to spend (about $25 million), and yet he is reluctant to do so. Why? He doesn’t understand the market he has to navigate in. He doesn’t have a firm grasp of how to value assets like other front offices can. It puts the team at a distinct competitive disadvantage.
Any negotiations the Mets have had with other teams, including several during the Winter Meetings, all came to an abrupt end mostly because the other teams were confronted with unrealistic demands. This further adds to the current climate of complacency and an overall lack of a cohesive strategy. Teams are finding this front office difficult to deal with because there is a huge gap between how the Mets value things as compared to the other 29 MLB teams.
Some of you can tell yourselves that this is all part of the plan, or that there’s plenty of time left. However the reality of the situation is not quite as simplistic as that.
Most teams in our own division are in the process of wrapping up their off-seasons. They all went into their off-seasons with a predetermined strategy and team-specific goals. By and large they all executed those plans expeditiously and expediently. On the flip-side, the Mets have yet to make one significant improvement, or one significant addition, or one significant upgrade.
After four straight losing seasons, there seems to be no urgency or desire in turning things around. In fact, based on comments made by Sandy Alderson at the Holiday Party, there will be no improvement in 2013. Things will remain exactly as they were at the end of the 2012 season – give or take a few minor tweaks.
If that doesn’t bother you, then you deserve this front office and the lack of leadership that goes with it.
If, however, you do have a problem with this atmosphere of complacency and mediocrity, then it may be time to start demanding more measurable results from this front office or demanding some new leadership altogether.
The time for action and results is now at hand.
You might enjoy this little exchange I just had with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It certainly conveys the way things really are…
