I called Joe D. shortly after I heard the news that Sandy Alderson told the Mets’ season ticket holders that he wasn’t against giving Stephen Drew a contract with a third year. There is no secret about it, I am for the Mets going after Drew.
Joe, on the other hand, wants to give Ruben Tejada one more chance. The conversation was passionate, and I wish I could have transcribed it because I’m sure it would have made for a good read. I keep telling Joe we should do a podcast, so maybe after that conversation he will finally give in. 🙂
But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. In my conversation with Joe, I went on about a 45 second tirade that sounded a little like this:
The Mets can’t be done (spending). I really think they are going to grab a couple more free agents this winter. They can’t be done. They are a couple of players away from being legit contenders, so why stop now? Why half-ass it? Why would they spend on Curtis Granderson and Bartolo Colon if they weren’t going to compete this year? They can’t stop now and use Matt Harvey‘s injury as an excuse. The payroll is under $90 million and that’s disgraceful for a New York team. Are you telling me that a New York team can’t afford a $110 million payroll? If they add two more players, that’s what the payroll would be…and they would be legit contenders. That doesn’t even seem logical. Why go half way? At this point, go for it. If they stop now, they have wasted another year of David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Granderson and Colon. They can’t just go half way and stop! It makes no sense.
What do you guys think? Am I wrong for thinking this way? I mean, are they trying to win a championship or saving their money for a rainy day? I’m not for frivolous spending, but I am starting to see an opening…a light at the end of the tunnel. Wouldn’t now be the time to punch the gas and go for it? Why go half way? It just doesn’t make sense. I would think the added revenue from putting a winning team on the field would offset some of that extra payroll (not that a $110 million payroll for a New York team is high!).
The draft pick compensation for some of the players with qualifying offers is not that big of a deal. The Mets have one of the higher rated farm systems in baseball. One season of sacrificing a second, third and even fourth round pick isn’t going to change that. And even if it did, it’s a sacrifice you make for being a contender again.
I wrote a piece the other day predicting the Mets would win 80-plus games. I stand by that, but admit that it would take the Mets being very lucky and having no injuries and every player on the field play the best baseball they ever played. For the Mets to rely on luck and everything coming together doesn’t make sense if they have the means to add a couple of more pieces. They need to add a couple of more pieces if they really want to make a push in the division.
The next week is going to get interesting as there are still a bunch of free agents still available that can help teams win, and spring training is right around the corner.
