In a word, no.
Andy Martino of the Daily News wrote that a team source indicated that Willie Harris and Scott Hairston will not be re-signed until much later in the off-season, if they are re-signed at all.
Martino adds that Harris became a clubhouse leader and one of manager Terry Collins’ favorites and that a return is likely.
I read stuff like this and it drives me nuts… As I wrote yesterday, I have no idea where this team is going. It feels like the Mets are adrift at sea and rudderless.
The front office goes out of it’s way to say 2011 and 2012 are not throw-away seasons and yet it feels like full rebuild mode to me. I wish we had some sort of an affirmation of what this team is currently about.
Jose Reyes is officially an ex-Met now – joining Carlos Beltran and K-Rod. Rumors abound that David Wright could be traded this Winter although I’m skeptical that they would move him now rather than wait until next year’s trade deadline. I’m sure the fences at Citi were brought in 25 feet if only to help boost Wright’s value.
Can we just admit that we are in rebuild mode? Is that too difficult to admit? And if we are in rebuild mode, why in the world would we want to bring back Hairston or Harris?
Couldn’t we give those 375 at-bats to a couple of younger players rather than waste them to support another season of poor production from a couple of has-beens that will have no role on this team when we eventually put together a contending team a few years from now? (God willing.)
If we’re going to continue to cut payroll, shed all-star caliber players, and sit on our hands for another fruitless hot stove season, is staying away from these aging bench-jockeys who were washed up before their 30th birthdays, too much to ask?
The most enjoyable part of the 2011 season for me was watching the emergence of players like Dillon Gee, Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada. Let’s have some more of that in 2012 – as long as we’re not planning to build a winner next season anyway.
