Good day my fine Mets fans, and welcome back! I hope everybody had a memorable and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday, but now that the celebration has ended, let us get back to the important task at hand. That task, is the New York Metropolitans. With the MLB Winter Meetings right around the corner, you know our brass should be ready and willing to do whatever is necessary to improve our team and make it more competitive and bearable than its 2009 predecessor. Notice I used the words "should be", rather than the words "will be." Why did I write this? Well…from what I’ve read from various outlets, journalists seem to get the notion that the Mets will play out this offseason the way they played it out last year, and wait for the market to come to them. Time out, hold up! I don’t think that strategy is advisable. This offseason is not the same as last offseason. Using the same gameplan is not going to work. Allow me to elaborate.
Last year, the Mets only signed one free agent that was considered a headlining player. That man was Francisco Rodriguez, an all-world closer. If you recall last offseason’s market for closers, then you’ll recall that the market’s size was not very large. The majority of Major League Baseball’s big market teams already had their closer locked up and ready to roll in 2009. The Yankees had Rivera, the Red Sox had Papelbon, the Dodgers had Broxton, the Phillies had Lidge, and so on and so forth. Other than the Mets, who else needed a closer last winter? Two teams come to my memory. One is the Brewers, who could not afford K-Rod and wound up settling for more economical Trevor Hoffman, and the other being K-Rod’s former team, the LA Angels. The Angels payroll – and therefore their bankbook – is a good 8 figures lower than the Mets’. As a result, this made the Mets the wealthiest team in baseball that needed a closer. The top closer on the market had no choice but to go to the Mets, and since K-Rod wanted his payday, he had no choice but to accept the Mets 3 year 37 million dollar offer. No other closer-hungry team had the revenue to top the Mets, and therefore, last year’s offseason was an ideal situation in which the Mets had the luxury to hold out, wait, and let the market come to them.
This winter, the Mets have different needs. The most blatant are the need for a power hitting outfielder, and the need for a front of the rotation starting pitcher. In my opinion, I believe the Mets can financially outmuscle any team in MLB, with the exception of two. Those two teams are the Boston Red Sox, and the World Champion New York Yankees. If these 3 teams were involved in a bidding war, I believe the Mets wouldn’t be able prevail. And as it just so happens, the Mets needs this offseason are the same as the two teams I’ve just mentioned. The Yankees have a leftfield vacancy with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui coming off the books, and although they’ve said they’re not going to pursuit another long term contract after last winter’s World Championship-winning spending spree, they always have the option. With Jason Bay hitting the free agent market, the Red Sox are craving a power hitting leftfielder this winter. And really, who couldn’t use a top of the rotation pitcher like Lackey these days? With teams that have similar to higher payroll than the Mets shopping around for the same product, there is a fair chance that the Mets could get shut out this offseason and not adequately fill their needs due to high payroll winners outmuscling them on the market. If the Yankees or Red Sox offer Holliday, Bay or Lackey a plump and lengthy contract, do you expect their agent to hit up the Mets? Maybe as a courtesy he should, but…
I don’t think he will, and I wouldn’t blame him. The Yankees and Red Sox surely can outbid the Mets any day if they wanted to. In addition to money, why would an agent convince his client to join a 92 loss team? It was different last year; despite two straight collapses the Mets were at least respectable and competitive. The market understandably shouldn’t want to come to the Mets. If I were a free agent, I’d garner whatever offers I could, and then wait out for the Red Sox and Yankees, two teams with fat payrolls, recent winning histories, and a necessity for me. Not for the Mets, who despite their yearn for me, cannot offer me the high amount of money, nor the guarantee of playing meaningful and winning baseball in the autumn like the Sox or the Yanks could. If the Mets stand any chance of landing one of these prized free agents, they have to initiate contact and proposal with them, not the other way around. To sum it up, if the Mets don’t want to sit on the sidelines and be spectators in the fall, they absolutely cannot sit on the sidelines and be spectators in the winter. Be aggressive front office and do what you must. The market is not going to view the New York Mets as a hot spot for their treasured free agents. And after the monstrosity of a season the Mets showcased in 2009, the market’s view of Flushing is justifiable.
And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s tip our hat and be thankful that the Mets for once designed a cool looking uniform. Though it isn’t drastically different from the previous pinstriped jersey, I like it. The classic Mets blue pinstripes will always have a special liking in my heart. If you don’t care for the new digs that’s cool too, but you’ve got to admit it’s better than this, and this, and ESPECIALLY this! You’ve just got to laugh out loud for the last one.
What do you guys think? Do you think it’s wise if the Mets sit back and wait for the market to look to them, or is aggression the way to go? What’s your take on the Mets new uni’s? Comment below please! Happy Thanksgiving everyone, thank you for stopping by!
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