Tiffany asks…
It’s almost the end of November and the Mets offseason is two months old with two months to go. I thought this was going to be the offseason when the team would be able to add better players to the team. I’m so frustrated. What have we waited three years for?
Joe D. replies…
I feel your frustration. Our expectations were that this offseason was going to be the one that would allow Sandy to put the Mets back on the map, followed by the first of many winning seasons beginning in 2014. So far, it doesn’t feel that way. I believe we all expected to see a greater sense of urgency in attacking this offseason and addressing the team’s needs.
According to most reports, Sandy has about $23 million left to spend in his budget after signing free-agent Chris Young to a one-year deal. But there’s still a lot of work to be done and I’m not sure that we have enough resources to fix it all in one offseason.
A team source said that the Mets are not done shopping and are still targeting a power bat for the outfield. I would love to see them add a Curtis Granderson or Nelson Cruz who are both still available.
Sandy needs to get past his sticker shock and realize that the most talented players are going to be costly in any free agent market. I wish he had held off on Young until he addressed the cleanup hitter need first. That should have been the top priority.
Before this Hot Stove season heated up, Sandy answered “absolutely” when asked if he was finally going to upgrade his underwhelming lineup for 2014 and give the fans a team to be proud of.
“I gotta watch those games, too, you know,” he quipped with a laugh.
Last night, the Mets had a conference call which I unfortunately missed, but I was covered by our “infamous” Ed Marcus.
Newly hired Chief Revenue Officer Lou DePaoli, discussed his plans for marketing the Mets. He said there are currently 5 million Met fans in our area and described some cool new strategies to get those fans watching, listening, and going to the ballpark again.
But I think the best way to boost fan interest and energize an apathetic fan base lies more in Sandy Alderson’s hands.
Sandy needs to get this team winning again. Winning is historically the best marketing strategy – with a proven 100% success rate in Flushing.
Sandy needs to construct a winner and if he builds it they will come. All five million of us.
