In a recent report for Newsday, Wallace Matthews says that the Mets should be looking more towards 2011 rather than spending too much during this year’s free agent class.
…i think with each of the names that have been mentioned so far, the Mets aren’t just looking towards improving and contending for 2010…
Matthews says the Mets are “creating the illusion of being competitive without actually being competitive at all” by intending to spend on free agents this winter, and considering this winter’s free agent class is not that strong, the believes the Mets should change their course by “sitting this winter out” and not over-spending on sub-par free agents.
…i agree that they should not over spend on certain players, but that doesn’t they can or should stand pat…
…that said, any move that is made should be made to improve the team for the future, and the same goes for moves the team doesn’t make…i think there are better long-term opportunities on the trade market, but i don’t think acquiring a free agent like Matt Holliday or John Lackey are moves that hijack the organization’s future because they allow them to keep their top prospects in the minors and it helps to reinforce the foundation that they have with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana…these are four of the premier talents in baseball, and they are all on one team and each of them, when healthy, can make an immediate and positive impact, so by adding to that talent base with the key free agents that are available this year will only help this organization to succeed in 2010 and in future years…
…i know the Mets haven’t had a pretty three years, and there are no guarantees for next year but one thing that seems to be forgotten is that the Mets don’t need to make a splash and they don’t just need to spend money to give themselves credibility no matter what year it is, and that is where i agree with Mathews…the Mets are really in a transitional period right now in that they need to move on from certain players while looking to bring in some fresh faces and the goal should not just be to win in 2010 but to build a strong organization that is capable of winning for the next ten years…so, the first thing i think they need to do is ensure their current crop of players is healthy and back in shape, followed by ensuring that every member of the organization has one vision in mind, which is winning at all costs, and then adding players that share the same vision whether they are high priced or not…
For more on this, check out Newsday here.
{ 20 comments }
There is no reason why the Mets shouldn’t be contending in 2010. I think they can make the play-offs. I think the MEts should be competing to get LAckey and Holliday or BAy. This is what I’d do. Sign LAckey. Sign either Holliday or Bay for LF. Sign Molina or Barajas. Trade for Phillips and Arroyo or Harang. Trade CAstillo for bullpen and bench players. Re-sign Cora. Resign Putz or get Biemel. There is no reason why Omar can’t get this as the future Mets. It should happen because it is possible.
Reyes
Phillips
Beltran
Holliday/Bay
Wright
F-Core
Molina/Barajas
Murphy
P
Johan
Lackey
Arroyo/Harang
Pelfrey
Maine/Perez
I agree with what you are saying about going out and making some moves without having to go overboard to be a solid playoff team. There are many ways that the Mets can go and players that they can sign. They keep saying that this is a week free agent class but the last time I checked, there are a lot of upgrades out there that just so happen to fill the holes that the Mets have.
They need an upgrade in LF….Holliday/Bay
They need pitching….Wolf/Pinero/Lackey/Garland
They need an upgrade at 2nd…Hudson/Figgins
They need catching…..Molina/Barajas
As for the pen, there is always help in the free agent class.
There are more out there than just those that I mentioned but its pretty simple. They are all free agents that can fill the Mets holes without having to deal away any prospects. If they want to trade prospects they can get Halliday, Phillips, Arroyo, Harang, A-Gon, etc.
Lets just hope that the Mets don’t plan to sit back and take this winter off. I can understand if the Mets were in the same situation as the Knicks. The Knicks had a lot of Cap problems and couldn’t make any moves that were worth making so they dumped the team to open up a lot of Cap space and will make a big push after this season is over.
With the Mets they not only dumped a lot of salary from last year, they don’t have a Cap in baseball so going out and spending on players(just not overpaying for the wrong ones) is what they should be doing. On top of that the Mets have a really high talent core to the team and the Knicks had nothing. If the Knicks added one or two peices two the team they would still be bad. The Mets on the other hand can add one good pitcher and one big bat to be a playoff team(if they stay healthy).
Last year the Mets were going into the season with a team that S.I. predicted to go to the World Series until all the injuries kicked in. That team was:
Reyes…..SS
Castilo….2nd
Wright…..3rd
Beltran….CF
Delegado…1st
Church….RF
Murphy/Sheff…LF
Schneider….C
Pitcher
Santana
Pelfrey
Maine
Ollie
Livan
K-Rod
Putz
That was the main part of their team and they were looked at as the best in the NL. The Mets already upgraded over Church with Frenchy. Now they need to get themselves a solid everyday slugger for LF. A solid #2 SP to replace Livan in the rotation and move everyone down a notch. And at least pick up a solid right handed bat that can platoon at 1st base with Murphy. I would like to see them build up the pen more but they can get by with what they have if they just add one more left hander to help out Felicano.
As far as catcher, it would be nice to have a Joe Mauer but Santos and Thole are better than what a lot of teams are going with. Santos has a decent bat and is very good behind the plate. Thole in his short time up showed that he can swing the bat and if he continues to develop behind the plate he can be our future back stop.
Now don’t get me wrong with all of this, I want the Mets to go out and out spend the Yankees. Trade for Halliday, sign Lackey, find a way to still trade for A-Gon, get rid of Castillo and sign Hudson/Figgins, sign Holliday/Bay for LF and see if they can sign Wolf and Pinero and trade away Maine, Ollie and Pelfrey. They fact is there is no way they will do all that, they just can’t sit back and wait one more year.
This is NY, they have a new park, the ticket prices are thru the roof and the Mets fans are getting very tired of waiting until next year. We want the Wilpons and Omar to get off their butts and make this team what it should be. Its been way too long since the Mets ran the town and they need to make that happen.
Go get a SP, a big bat and some pen help. Resign Delgado to a 1 year deal and if there are some good moves to improve the bench get them done. That alone will make the Mets much better and trading after the season starts can fill in the final peices.
Very nice post man!
I was watching Mets Hot Stove on Thurs night and they were saying the doubt there will be any Mets fans outside the SNY studio chanting for Pinero like they did for Manny last year. What all the Mets fans should do is stand outside the SNY studio and be as loud as possible about not sitting back this year and making something happen.
OMG. I forgot to watch Mets Hot Stove this week. I never forget to do that. Thx for reminding and now I’ll set my calender.
That was the 2nd week of it, but it both of them were pretty similar. Because both weeks were before the free agents signings started, it was all rumors and Backman talk.
Thx. I am a Met fan who likes to be ontop of everything. Thx a lot!
Halliday, Lackey, Wolf, Pinero
Holliday, Hudson, A-Gon
If the Mets would go out and sign/trade for those guys to go with what they have they would have the best team in a long time if not ever. I know the Mets will never do this but if they did, the money wouldn’t be an issue. They would sell out every single game and make the money they put out back inside of one season(tickets, jerseys, SNY ratings, advertising, etc.) and than pile up the profits after that. They would also be the far and above favorite to win the World Series.
Just think about this:
Reyes
Beltran
A-Gon
Holliday
Wright
Frenchy
Hudson
Santos
Pitcher
Santana
Halliday
Lackey
Wolf
Pinero
Its fun to dream!!!
Reyes/Han Ram
Ichiro
Pujols
Holliday/Crawford
Wright
Beltan
Mauer
Utley
P
Santana
Halladay
CC
Lincecum
Beckett
I can’t see how that team can lose.
LMAO!! Dreaming is fun. I would love any of those teams, but would settle for a playoff team and build from there.
Yeah, it is fun. Do you think my team is good, it is the first comment.
I would replace CC with Greinke(can’t spell). He was flat out dirty this year and in Citi Field against NL lineups with all the best bats on his team he would be even better. Plus CC is a Yankee and I would want them to suffer with there 160 million dollar fat man while the Mets walk all over them
Yeah. Greinke was unstoppable this year.
I hope nobody takes the gimmick that is Wallace Matthews seriously. He’s the worst.
Ya I read the article, he sounds like just some loudmouth “fan” exspressing his frustration… He’s a fool
When I read it I thought that he wasn’t a Mets fan.
Reading some of this just blows ones mind, and I am not talking about reading Wallace Matthews.
Dreaming or not, just insane.
And Matthews, he is a cry baby, someone in the Wilpon family ran over his dog years ago. If the Mets won five world series in a row he would end his post series article each year with, “it is nice the Mets won, but think of all things they did not do right before.”
wallace matthews is a joke. he write an entire article about saving money for the 2011 free agent class, but doesn’t mention a single potential ‘11 free agent. the tone of this article would imply that the mets shouldn’t give up a supplemental draft pick and spend on a guy like, say, bengie molina, but instead wait until 2011 and try to lure joe mauer but matthews never says that. he’s too busy calling the franchise “the most arrogant in new york” and naming reasons why the mets won’t be able to lure the top tier free agents this year. and this article ends up being in typical mets bashing from a hack writer with no point of view and with the tone of a bitter teenager who got broken up with on prom night.
I am telling Fred ran over his dog or Jeff stole his girlfriend in high school, Matthews is NEVER objective, he is only on a negative rant.
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