In a report for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark talks with Mets GM Omar Minaya, who says he must be very creative and very open-minded about how he puts his team together for next season.
Stark talked with an NL scout, an AL and NL executive, and other experts, about how to rebuild the Mets.
In short, the group of experts seem to believe a) the Mets should ‘bite the bullet and rebuild,’ because they are not a free agent or two away from winning; b) if they do not restaff in the front office, they should certainly find a new pitching coach; and, lastly, c) they should trade one or two of their big-name players, either Carlos Beltran or Jose Reyes, and build a team of ‘grinders,’ not stars.
In the end, Stark sums up Minaya’s difficult off season as:
“The guys they could trade, they can’t bring themselves to trade. The guys they’d be happy to trade are guys nobody wants. And there aren’t nearly enough dollars in the old Wilpon checking account to solve this conundrum with money alone.”
…the Mets need a three-year, re-building plan… the thing is, though i believe Mets fans are willing to see them through it, assuming the team is clear about what they’re doing, i don’t think ownership is willing because of SNY and Citi Field…
…the good news, though, is they have enough core talent, like David Wright, reyes, beltran, Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, etc., that by making subtle moves, changes, all under an over-arching philosophy, i believe they’ll be able to rebuild and compete at the same time…
…forgive me if you’ve heard me say this before, but, before that happens, they need a plan, they need an idea of what type of team they want to be, what is this organization, they need to know what they want to be, what they’re about, and from that brand, from that idea, all future decisions are made…
For more, check out Ted Berg’s recent column for SNY.TV, where he says the Mets should stop trading young players in droves before they reach maturity.
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sign holliday and sign lackey, yes it is that simple since our competition will not be the red sox (probably resigning bay) or yankees (doubt they will dish out another massive contract this year). the money from wagner delgado schneider and redding should cover that. try to rebuild the bench and get some relievers on the cheap and you are set. I agree we need a new pitching coach warthen is a joke Id love Dave Duncan since he probably could make Pelfrey into a 2-3 and possibly get something out of Perez, but I doubt we get him.
I agree it is that simple…..BUT if the Wilpons only have $15M to spend this off-season, then it no longer is that simple.
I don’t even know how they should attack the off-seaso with only $15M.
Should they try for Harden and Derosa, or should they blow all on Holiday? How about $13M for Lackey?
Tough choices. Crawford would be nice, but why not wait until the next off-season where he will be a free agent. I really think the Mets should avoid trading anyone. Keeping all of their players will go a long way in giving the system some depth.
I actually think this season has shown us a few pretty good things. For example, we have a pretty strong bench next year…
Pagan is a great 4th OF
Cora is a pretty good back up middle infielder
Sullivan may be a good 5th OF until Fmart shows he is really healthy and ready.
It also showed some warts….We have no power at 1b or LF, and we have lots of questionable starting pitching.
Holliday is an excellent answer at Lf for power and RH hitter. Acquiring him is the key to the offseason
I suggest we live with Murphy at 1b as Ike Davis is coming and coming hard perhaps as early as 2011 full time. And I think this Carpenter kid who is all bat with power but no glove can be a good person to share 1b with Murphy if he disappears
As to Catcher…another major weakness going forward…I can live with Santos and Thole next year on the cheap.
But we need 2 starters next year.
Santana is the 1
Lackey 2??
Maine/Perez – 3
Pelfrey – 4
Niese/Figueroa – 5
I suggest a package trade for a better starter. Include 2 of the Maine/Pelfrey/Perez group to get one legit #3
Lets get at it.
They need a good plan and it will not come from the current cast of characters. And, they need to avoid the temptation to sign players until after the new management team is in place. Jeffy needs to find a new hobby and if Omar and Jerry are still around at the winter meetings, or they make a big FA signing, 2010 will be lost and maybe 2011. They cannot continue down this road. They need to fundamentally change from the top
The injuries caused the bulk of the losses; but they did expose the lack of competance in management and the lack of a farm system. So they can be viewed as a gift. I for one will give them my absolute support if they do what is needed. I will wait for a reconstructured team to develop.
The plan starts with two words: TRADE REYES!
clearly you are a Philthies fan. Go back to Beerleauger; you are fooling no one.
stark is a philly guy…when he bashes the mets i tend not to care…and as numerous people have said….lets just say thole can play good enough D to be at least a platoon option with santos, or in a perfect world thole could become the everyday backstop….if that happens…they just need to sign a big bat like Holliday….is that team really not at least offensively good enough to make the postseason…it def is, then u fix the pitching….webb, harden, lackey, all will be FAs…..
Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Holliday
Beltran
Francoeur
Murphy
Thole
You could also swap murphy/thole into the 2 hole and castillo 8….if that is the lineup next season and they upgrade there pitching…barring any randomness again, thats playoff caliber NEXT season…not 3 seasons from now
i agree, though Id swap wright and beltran but regardless that offense is good enough to compete no question. The idea that the mets need to start over is ridiculous. They ARE a free agent or 2 away. Those free agents are matt holliday and a front end ie (#2) starting pitcher. They will have a good draft pick as well, however not sure if we will get anything for delgado bc if we dont offer him arbitration someone will just wait until after Dec 2nd to sign him and we get nothing.
Stark’s columns have become so Philly biased the last year it’s not even funny. People talk about Gammons Red Sox bias or Buster Olney’s Yankee bias, it’s not even a contest any more with Stark.
He’s become a joke.
I’m far from an expert
but I believe with
A) a legit #2 starter
B) a corner outfielder with some power
C) a catcher with some experience to complement Santos
D) another left handed relief pitcher
we are in the mix.
The #2 will cost ya; either talent or $$$.
If you are changing the core; we’ll need some extra time.
Frankly the 2006 season left me eager for some winning.
As a Jets fan I know who this “rebuilding” thing can go!
Steadyeddie, youre on the money.
I would just add power hitting 1B to the list and leave Fmart in LF to “grow” as a player. Initial warts and all.
Crazy. Our core is Beltran, best CF in baseball, Wright, top 10 3rd baseman in baseball, Reyes, top 5 SS in baseball, Santana, top 5 starter in baseball, Krod, top 3 closer in baseball. etc etc
That is not a team that is ready to rebuild. you can argue that Beltran will decline next year and Reyes will be hurt etd but that is all opinions that dont matter.
this team is needs a top pitcher and a top OF. If we land that, the other parts can be patch work via lower cost FAs. Will we win the world series? you never know…look at the Cardinals. Fact is if we get those 2 pieces, we have a good chance.
Under-rating Wright…. I’d like someone to name me 3 3rd basemen better then him. A-rod, Longoria, and who?
You are right. I just didnt have time to research other 3rd basemans. I was going to put top 5 if not 3 but thought it would be easier to just say top 10.
The Cardinals always have winning seasons. In the past 30 years their longest stretch under .500 was two years. The last time they had 3 losing seasons in a row was back in the mid-fifties, then 1918-1920 before that. And they missed a winning record in the third season by 2 and 4 games. And that covers the past 90 years. The last time they truely stunk was when Babe Ruth was 2nd in the AL in Wins.
They run a good ship. They win. They always win, but everyone is surprised. Well they shouldn’t be suprised. Nobody out here is ever suprised when they win. If they are close they go out and get the missing pieces to get to the playoffs. If they think they can will it all they go out and get the missing pieces. This year is one of them. They always have a good farm system and they always draft mid-pack or lower. They never get the top picks.
It is rare when they go after big FAs. And when they do it is a resigning situation (McGwire and probably Holliday). It is after they have had the opportunity to observe how that type of investment fits into the overall game plan and how they react to St Louis.
Ture they are small market but they have a massive fan base and massive merch sales and were owned by Busch Beer.
Whatever it is they do here works and works well.
doesnt hurt that they have the best pitching coach in baseball and one of if not the best strategic manager in the game. I wish Larussa/Duncan were running our ship you would see a big change and maybe the roster would have to change but if it was a move those two signed off on Id go with it bc they know a heck of alot more about winning than any of us and than our entire front office and coaching staff.
The odd thing about Duncan is that he only handles the major league pitching. His methods are not employed in the minors.
It is largely a team approach from top to bottom. There are absolutely no egos. Even Puljos refuese to be called El Hombre out of respect to Musial. McGwire was the same. They are like the Borg in their collectiveness. The sum is always better than the pieces.
No we should not trade Jose Reyes.
No we should not trade Jose Reyes.
No we should not trade Jose Reyes.
No we should not trade Jose Reyes.
No we should not trade Jose Reyes.
Coming from ESPN’s Phillies beat reporter I take this article with a grain of salt. However, the Mets do have a tough task ahead for 2010. Just getting a healthy Reyes, Beltran, Santana and Perez will make the Mets competitive again. But the goal is to be better than just competitive.
I think it’s going to take creativity on the part of Omar (or whomever is in charge) to get the Mets to be a contender in 2010. The Mets have a lot of holes and not a lot of flexibility unless they want to deplete their farm system.
And speaking of that I do think the continued bashing of the Met farm system has become a joke by people who don’t bother to follow it. I do think there is potential for the Mets to have 3-4 call-ups sometime next year that could have an impact on the big club.
I don’t see this as a 6 year type rebuilding being needed. With the right moves the Mets could contend in 2010 but more realisticly especially if they are looking to lower payroll, 2011 seems more realistic to contend again.
I can’t seem to follow the progression this season that has shown the Mets to have gone from being the darlings of the baseball media to a team that “needs to rebuild” in order to be able to compete for years to come. I have heard of statistical analysis stating the healthy Mets of this year would be but a .500 team. I have heard that the Mets need to sign a slew of power hitters and top of the league pitchers. This all sounds outlandish considering this year our biggest concern coming into the season was the inconsistency of Oliver Perez.
Granted, Ollie has been all that we fraught over and Big Pelf is showing to be a no. 3 guy for the time being. That being said, I see no reason why signing one decent no. 2 pitcher and some semblance of an offensive piece (to compensate for the loss of Delgado) would not correct this year (assuming general health instead of the freak nature of the Mets this year).
Call me crazy, but I think everyone has rebuild-itis on the brain. We’ve seen the media go nuts with “breaking up the core”.
I truly believe this is nothing more than the general impatience (and completely unwarranted self of entitlement) that many tri-state area sports fans seem to have these days: If we don’t win everything within a 2-3 year period, then throw it all away and start over again.
Health aside (because that is it’s own animal), the team has a lot of pieces that many rival GMs would kill for. A stud closer, a franchise face (Wright) that not only has gold gloves, but hits, walks and steals bases as well. They have one of the best pitchers in all of baseball (Santana), and serious offensive and defensive talent in positions where offense is usually hard to come by (Reyes and Beltran).
There are a number of guys who don’t seem to be panning out just now (Pelfrey, Maine, Murphy) but none of these guys are breaking the bank either.
Most of the real problem contracts as I see them are going away this year (Delgado, Schneider, etc.) with the exception of Ollie Perez. Perez is a problem, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he can bounce back somewhat next year.
You have some prospects on the way that look like they may be able to help soon, two of which got injured this year: Fernando Martinez and Niese. In all honesty, Thole might be close and Ike Davis may not be as far away as you think.
I think the Mets really can continue to tweak and improve what they have. Think of all the cotnracts coming off the books. Wagner, Delgado, Putz, Franceour (potentially) and for the most part the remaining contracts are reasonable and for players you would like to retain anyway.
I’m one of those people who feel if the injury bug hadn’t crushed us this year, we’d be fighting for the division right now and we would have been buyers at the deadline – perhaps we would have added Cliff Lee instead of Philly, etc.
Crazy. Crazy. Anyone who thinks a team with some of the best talent in all of baseball needs to rebuild.
The people who write and think this stuff, are they just looking at wins and losses????
Yeah people are just flat out crazy. Yes the Mets had a terrible season, marred by injuries, and just flat out unlucky.
The Cross-Town Rival yankees had the same thing last year. Yes they finished with 89 wins, but had a 200 million dollar payroll littered with dead weight contracts coming off the books. Had a few key people go down with injuries. People were talking about how old the team was and how they needed to take a new approach.
What did they do? Went out and spent 75% of the money coming off the books, infused an already talented team with new talent, and off they went.
That’s all the mets need to do. Let Delgado, schneider, redding, reed, livan, etc, etc, etc go. Make your 2 big off-season acquisitions that all the fans want. And off you go the Difference is the Mets #1 pick can possibly be protected so they can also draft a top talent also to keep the Minor league system on the climb.
We all know the AAA and AA teams records were bad, but records don’t mean anything in the Minors. In AAA F-Mart and Neise were dominating, now Evans is for the month of August. In AA this year you had Ike Davis Dominate and Holt and Mejia just got a taste. You also had Newinheius dominate A+ ball and make it up to AA and he’s off to a hot start there. There is talent there. It’s just not at the upper levels so people who don’t know what they are talking about, think they stink.
I have not patience for yet another unfocused “rebuild” even with the Wilpons sole ownership only being six seasons at this point. Enough is enough, is this is a “rebuild” it needs to be done under a different GM with an entirely different staff. Not the same cast of characters.
“the Mets need a three-year, re-building plan… the thing is, though i believe Mets fans are willing to see them through it, assuming the team is clear about what they’re doing, i don’t think ownership is willing because of SNY and Citi Field… ”
Waiting 3 years to rebuild…which Met fans are you talking about Matt???? why dont you talk to the season ticket holders.. you know the guys that pay the players salaries and ask them that question. that is complete BS!
Yeah Lorenzo. not to mention our team is currently littered with some of the best players in baseball. Why the hell do I want to rebuild? retool? yes…rebuild? come on…
“…the good news, though, is they have enough core talent, like David Wright, reyes, beltran, Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, etc., that by making subtle moves, changes, all under an over-arching philosophy, i believe they’ll be able to rebuild and compete at the same time…”
Fool’s gold Cerrone. That’s EXACTLY the attitude that will prevent us from ever having a long-term organization-wide plan/system. “oh we’re going to be able to compete now, so lets not worry so much about the future”. Garbage.
Re-build now. Gut this team, trade reyes for top prospects, start fresh.
I agree 100%. Whatever they are doing flat out doesn’t work. And they need to start from the top.
you guys are nuts. Our team has 5 of the best baseball players in baseball. what they need to do is add 2 maybe 3 players to make a difference.
this whole minor league thing is nuts. they have great young players coming up in A and AA ball, some who will see the major league next year.
Its not like these guys are old!!
These are the questions I have.
1) Santana – surgery on his pitching elbow
2) Reyes – potential leg surgery
3) Beltran – potential radical knee surgery
4) Ollie – knee surgery
5) Maine – shoulder
6) Niese – surgery
7) FMart – surgery
8) Francouer – thumb injury
9) Nieve – surgery
Probability of all being healthy in 2010 < 100%
10) Murphy – has not had a month with an OPS over .750 this year.
11) KRod – turning into Mitch Williams
12) Wright – unexplained power outage
13) no setup man
14) Parnell enigma
15) Omar
16) Jerry and the coaching staff
17) Jeffy
18) Money concerns.
19) training / medical staff
20) Castillo is, well, Castillo
21) really, other than Thole and Davis who tore up AA or AAA this year? FMart seemed overmatched at the ML level.
that is basically a question about every starter with the possible exception of RF, 4 of the 5 starting pitchers, and the two key bullpen positions.
Of your 5 of the best players in baseball – how many teams would trade 2008 value for them within the next 6 months?
your plan is to trade a 26 year old who has been on the dl all year for top prospects?
that is the start of you big blow it up and rebuild.
Newsflash, you get nothing for Jose Reyes this off season.
I like Omar Minaya, but lets face the facts.
For the past five (?) years, the Mets have had a GM with the biggest payroll in the National League and their current situation is as follows:
1. The team that has failed to make the post-season three years straight.
2. The team has one of the weaker farm teams in all of baseball
3. The team has exactly one reliable starting pitcher
4. The team’s payroll is more likely to shrink than expand over the next several years.
Why would ANYBODY think the Mets are going to turn things around with the current General Manager. It is time to fire Minaya and hire someone with a proven track record for building winning teams (like the Phillies did with Pat Gillick.)
You might have a point which I wont debate. With that said, lets talk about things that COULD happen. Minaya is not going anywhere. So lets hope he gets the 2 players we need. Regardless what you say, we were 1 swing away from the world series in 2006. So unless he isnt allowed the go ahead to spend the money or these players just dont want to sign here, I dont think even the 26th worst GM in baseball could mess up what needs to happen – holliday and lackey.
First, there are a ton of money related rumors. Generally when there are that many there is some basis in reality.
Second, they are not going to sign Holliday, or Bay for that matter. They will say they do not want to block FMart. Plus they like Francouer. Both are cheap. Plus Pagan has filled in somewhat well so they will not spend on a LF. Furhter, it is likely that Holliday resigns with the Cardinals. He is from Oklahoma, which is old school Cardinals territory. Pls Bay is mid-30s.
Third, they will not sign Lackey for largely the same reasons.
Fourth, they will not sign a 1B becasue of Davis.
I forgot, they have Crawford (not the good one) now. Look for him to be their 1B next year.
I love these “Mets are dead” tower screamers, yet just this season some predicted a World Series out of the team.
Two things are needed:
Lackey – the legit #2 to Johan
Crawford – a playmaker made for CitiField. i understand the craving for Holliday, but that’s not playing to the ballpark you have.
Crawford
Castillo
Reyes
Wright
Beltran
Franceour
Murphy/ (Davis midseason????)
Thole/Santos
With Pagan, Sullivan, Cora, and the Red Sox dude on the bench with F-Mart honing skills in AAA.
That’s a damn good team. Speed and defense. Built for Citi.
Thole has played exactly 1 game and people are already penciling him into next year’s roster? Let’s not forget that Murphy looked great when he came up last year. Let’s give Thole this Sept. and next spring training before we anoint him the starting catcher against right handers.
You pencil in Thole because they also have Omir Santos to fall back on and getting a backup catcher is pretty easy these days. So if they needed someone mid-season to backup Santos in case Thole fails, they can probably find someone easy.
IMO, catching is not a priority., A power bat and relief pitching are, followed by maybe a starter, though i think they will have enough viable rotation candidates next year as it is (Niese, Nieve, even Misch and Figueroa).
maybe a starter, though i think they will have enough viable rotation candidates next year as it is (Niese, Nieve, even Misch and Figueroa).
Maybe a starter????? VCARVER do you even watch Met games??? We have one pitcher that we could guarantee will be good next season, our ace. Other than that.. Maine is never healthy, Perez is aweful, Parnell has two pitches and is getting lit up, Pelfrey looks like a number 4 starter everyday… How many games have Niese pitched in that we could automatically give him a spot in the rotation? We dont need another starter??? Are you drunk!!!!!
We need a starter as much as we need a big bat.
Perez was hampered by a bad knee. Pelfrey by the Verducci effect. Niese and Nieve had their seasons cut short by injuries. And all were hurt by having a poor pitching coach. All of these issues won’t exist next year or are easily fixable, so yes, I don’t think the rotation is as big an issue as the pen is.
So I would prioritize the needs as:
1) power bat
2) relief pitching
3) starter
We need all three or we have no shot at the division. Be realistic and stop fantasizing.
And stop making excuses for our rotation. We cant go into next season with a million question marks. Verducci effect give me a break. Your either good, bad or average. Wake up.. I respectfully disagree with everything you say…Its ok not everyone has to agree with you.
Stop speaking as if you know everything. It’s clear you don’t. It’s clear you make up about half of what you say. I disagree with everything you say. So why don’t you just stop commenting on my comments which you always do?
Ignore me in the future. Because if you’re going to put BS under my comments, of course, I’m going to correct your fiction and reply back.
hahaha
No seriously Lorenzo. You’re the one who first replies to my comments. If you know we’re going to disagree why bother?
Spare everyone and ignore me in the future. Because if I see your fantasy & fiction under one of my comments, I’m going to correct you.
i reply to your comments just like everyone else does because you say the most ridiculous things like we dont need a starting pitcher. Which games have you been watching?
Are those who say that we should trade Reyes the same people who said that the Mets should definitely sign Zito? I don’t know where you’re living, but you obviously know nothing about baseball. You do know that Jose Reyes led the National League in Hits last year, right? Oh yeah, and he’s also led the league in steals and triples three times each and is always top 5 in runs. Please.
About 95% of Stark’s article is pure BS. This is the same team that was in first place this year before Beltran went on the DL and AFTER they were already missing Delgado. And most of that team is coming back. So Stark’s article makes little sense.
About the only thing I agree with in that article is the need to fire Warthen and put back a real pitching coach in there. If Peterson is still being paid for next year, bring him back.
Otherwise, just a bunch of propaganda malarkey from Stark who we all know is a Philies fan. It’s piling on time and everybody wants to take their shots these days, even if they have to make things up like Avredlund did.
Dude we were in first place for like a week… stop saying that…And it was in April big deal
Sometimes I wonder if you are even a Mets fan or if you just like to come here and complain. Because you know so little about the Mets.
1) it was not for just a week. For most of the first half, the Mets were either in first place or just a few games out always neck in neck with the division leaders if not leading themselves. That is a FACT.
2) it was not just in April. It was as late as May 29th when they were in first place., You have no clue.
BIG DEAL!!! And I guarantee I know more baseball than you do but I’m not going to argue with that because it is pathetic….
We were in first the last two seasons for most of the year and how did we do???? Who cares what our record is in April and May!
And I’m a die hard season ticket holder that is pissed off cause like many fans I feel betrayed by ownership and Omar for not being upfront about anything and steering this team down the drain!
It certainly is a big deal. It’s proof that this team is highly competitive when healthy and Stark is a bunch of BS and the SI editors were correct when they predicted a WS appearance for the Mets this year.
You don’t blow up a team that is this competitive.
You may know a lot about baseball but you obviously know little about the Mets. You just demonstrated that in your comment.
And, oh yeah, shame on Omar and the Wilpons for whacking Beltran in the knee and giving him that bone bruise, and tripping up Reyes causing him to have a bad leg, and giving Johan and Putz all those bone chips, Do you think they can learn to handle the merchandise with more care?
Being highly competitive the first half of the season and than collapsing in the second half like the last TWO SEASONS in a row… Is a big deal…
And Its shame on Omar and the Wilpons for allowing Beltran to play injured and making his knee worse…the way upper management handles injuries and how they are reported to the fan base to sell tickets is inexcuseable and you cant argue for them… Its obvious that there is a problem in that department.
What is a big deal is that the Mets were competitive when healthy. That’s the bottom line that Stark ignores because then he would have nothing to write about.
The Mets collapsed in 2008 because of their bullpen and they fixed that over the winter.
As for Omar and the Wilpons, do you really believe they made Beltran’s knee worse? You must believe in space invaders too.
i believe they could have put him on the DL earlier so he didnt make it worse…yes
But the fact is he wanted to play, and made the decision to play himself. He also said he was the one who asked for the cortisone shot. He also said he doesn’t blame anyone else for the course of his injury. So what he says doesn’t mesh with what you are saying.
Ok thats why he said he was mad at the Mets…whatever you say ..Again I disagree with you.. yo udont have to try and answer every comment I make,.. the last guy to do that was B*ck fan and he is no longer on this site… you need to relax buddy
Tsk-tsk Lorenzo. There you go again making things up about the Mets. That’s why I don’t think you are really a Mets fan!
Beltran never said he was mad at the Mets. Stop lying.
And you know, you don’t need to answer everything I say.
It was reported that he was unhappy how the Mets handled his injury.
And he came out and directly disputed that report. But of course, since you really don’t follow the Mets closely, you wouldn’t know. Or maybe you just like to ignore things that don’t fit your agenda.
Nah I just ignore whast you right and I write the truth…you get all your information on this website you should try going to games and reading other sources it woudl help
“Being highly competitive the first half of the season and than collapsing in the second half like the last TWO SEASONS in a row…”
You do realize that the Mets were below .500 into June and 7 games out in 2008? In fact they were 3 games out with 50 games to go when Wagner went down in 2008. For all intent and purposes, the season should’ve been over then since the Mets were left with no closer and with a bullpen you could have no confidence.
Yes I am aware of that…Vcarver said we were in first place during the first half i was arguing that it doesnt matter how a team plays in April and May its how they finish off the season.
So basically, Stark the Phillies fan is saying the Mets should break up a team that was in first place or neck in neck for the division lead for most of the time before Beltran went on the DL. LOL, what a foolish thought.
I’m sure nothing more would please him so his Phillies would have one less team to worry about in their division.
Remember, this team that Stark is saying should be busted up also beat his Phillies in 2008 head to head in the season series.
I agree with your point that we arent as far out of it as Stark makes it seem. However, big changes must be made this offseason for me to believe it that we could be winners. The Mets have a lot of work to do which includes fixing most of the rotation, bringing in two bats, the bullpen…etc.
No, they do not need big changes. They need 1 or 2 major changes and a lot of little changes in other places.
They also need to make changes with their coaching staff (Shines, Warthen) … but other than that, this team is not that far away.
You dont consider – replacing some of the coaching staff, the GM (what you want, right?), signing two BIG free agents, and making a lot of minor moves ARENT considered big changes? Your nuts bro..seriously.
And I guess SI is right about everything like in 2008 when they said the Tigers would win the World Series… haha
I know you like to talk fantasy but lets talk real here. Omar isn’t going anywhere for now. Fred Wilpon made that clear. Changing the pitching coach and reassigning Shines (to maybe first base) aren’t major moves for an organization that always tinkers with it’s coaching staff practically every year.
Similarly, acquiring at least one big free agent or player is par for the course for these Mets. They do it almost every winter. And that’s probably what they’ll do this year. Because there simply aren’t a lot of major free agents on the market this year.
So, no, I don’t see big changes on this club. And when we say “big changes” aren’t we talking about it in the way Stark is using the term?
You act like we arent losing any players to free agency… Your few moves arent going to get it done when we lose our set up guy, 38 home run first baseman, left field question mark, entire rotation except Johan question mark, – That isnt fantasy that is reality… but if you want to live in a fantasy world and think that only 1 free agent signing and a few minor queaks will fix the team than you are in for a surprise…
Your talking about Omar not coming back next year is pure fantasy when it’s already been made clear he’s staying for now. Let’s stick to real things.
Fact is, there are not a lot of major free agents available on the market now. Holliday is the only one I can think of. And they could offer him fort knox and he may still want to stay in St. Louis. So the likelihood is that they will only make one major move as there aren’t a lot of big players to be had.
Second, we are only losing one major player to free agency. Delgado. His production could be made up with a new power bat for LF.
Third, the entire rotation isn’t a question mark. It’s mostly an injury thing with Johan and Ollie. And Pelfrey will do better after this “Verducci effect” year and if they get a new pitching coach.
Fourth, I am not advocating just a few moves. You are not reading my comments correctly (as usual).
I disagree with everything you say …can we leave it at that??? you dont stop… omg ur annoying
Lorenzo, I disagree with everything you say. I think you are highly irritating.
We’ll agree to disagree. But then, stop replying to my comments. OK? You are the one replying to MY comments first. I didn’t.
Are you a little slow???
I’m going to bed … u are very entertaining.
Lorenzo, you ARE slow. Now go to bed and maybe you’ll have a clearer mind in the morning (though I know your problems are deeper than that).
Enough said my point is proven.
if this team spends $30-$40M this offseason, it can field a competitive team
if it doesn’t, it won’t
there is not much to argue about really, it is quite simple
You are exactly right.. I think this offseason they need to spend more money than ever to save 2010… If they don’t than we should look forward to 2011. It is all in ownerships hands now.. no one elses.
i disagree. i think that while 2010 can be band-aided and possibly salvaged, the long term future is considerably less bright.
The more I think about it, the more that I believe the Mets if they want to contend quickly need to trade either Beltran or Reyes. I think it should be Reyes. He is a catalyst when going right and very good defensively. But when he isn’t going right the Mets struggle. Not that we can just throw anyone at SS, but he will get a lot back. He is young and has a very attractive contract. How about using him to get pitching.
With the huge CF, we would be hard pressed to find a CF that can cover as much ground as well as put up the offense that Beltran can. Wright has had a strange season but I believe will recover next season.
If we can look to get more top notch starting pitching by trading Reyes, that will allow the Mets to focus on 1B and LF for power. I would rather take a little hit offensively at SS to gain pitching and power at multiple positions.
i can’t even begin to understand how anybody let alone a mets fan would consider trading reyes, i don’t care about the stupid reasons people give – we didn’t win with this core, we choked, and we can get prospects back – big freakin’ deal first of all – Reyes and Wright and Beltran (the so-called core if you will) was on the team in 2006, NL east winners, NLDS winners, NLCS players so we didn’t make it to the world series, it looks a whole lot better then where we are sitting now
second – the “choking” i will admit that 2007 was a collapse, but 2008 was just being over-matched by a team with a better bullpen and we finished three games behind the phillies i believe – THREE that is nothing, maybe we should have been able to beat Florida that day but when you are without a closer and Luis Ayala is coming in to close out games you are in trouble, i sometimes wonder how we managed to win so many games with that bullpen
third – i can’t see how anybody that wants to trade reyes wants to compete now, especially those that want to trade him for “propects” prospects may pan out they may not but you don’t know what you are getting and it is ridiculous to send away a talented SS who can run and steal bases to get back some unproven prospects especially with Beltran, Wright, Santana, and Krod on the team, why waste those years by creating a big hole both offensively and defensively? I will never understand it
also this team can be compeitive and i think the wilpons will spend the money they need too they can’t like the direction the team is heading and i believe they have it in their power to shell over the dollars and get us back in it
The plan for 2010 should be simple in theory, and whether it is executable is another story, and whether it can be executed by Minaya I have my doubts.
If Carlos Beltran comes back and can play I say trade him. Trade him to the likes of th Angels where he can play corner and DH and would ultimately be a good fit for that team. Get a couple of prospects back for cash relief.
Attempt to get Carl Crawford from the Rays, perhaps in a three way trade with Angels. Then sign Holliday an admittedly risky move as the Mets do not then have a pure centerfielder in Crawford, but I’d roll that die.
I’d try to move Castillo off a good seaseon eating about half his contract should make that reasonable then go after Orlando Hudson.
I’d explore what Milwaukees plans are and if Prince Fielder can be had, if he can, I might scrap the idea of Holliday and move towards a pure cf if I can grab Fielder.
Crawford
Hudson
Reyes
Holliday/Fielder
Wright
Francouer
Murphy/?
Santos/Thole/?
That lineup can do some damage at Citi
Then focus on a real number 2.
Finally, as much as I like Jerry Manuel, the Mets team and locker room needs a whole new look and approach. The right guy is sitting directly under their nose having played under some of the best managers the game has known, Ken Oberkfell.
Give Obie his long deserved shot, he will play the game the way most fans want to see it done. The only plausible hold over from the coaching staff would be Howard Johnson, as he has worked on Obie’s staffs in the minors.
I’d prefer a clean break from HoJo too, but choice should be Obies.
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