Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Mets aren't winning it this year... so don't make a trade

OK, I am expecting some hate e mail from this post by Mets fans.

I have my guard up.

Let me get this out of the way… I don’t hate the Mets. I have moved on from 1986 (seeing my team win two World Series helps.)

So save any “You are an angry Red Sox fan jealous because of the Buckner error” responses.

Fine… that’s on the record. Let’s get to the post.

I am going to type a few facts.

It is late June and the Mets are a sub .500 team.
It is late June and the Mets are a third place team.
It is late June and the Mets are riddled with an insane amount of injuries.

Carlos Beltran’s career might be in jeopardy.

Carlos Delgado is still unavailable and nobody knows what he will contribute when he comes back.

The Mets offensive output in the recent subway series was nearly matched by Mariano Rivera.

They have issues up and down their pitching staff.

Their line up resembles a AAA team.

The clubhouse seems as to be as enjoyable and healthy place to be as Eli Roth’s Hostel.

Now players are calling for Omar Minaya to make a deal.

Mets fans are screaming for a change in the line up.

Nothing I just typed can be disputed.

Now for my thoughts.

Omar Minaya can’t be blamed for EVERYTHING that happened this year, but for the third straight season since the Haunting year of 2006, the Mets seem like an undermanned team.

And what trade now can fix the Mets ills?

They need hitting. Who are they going to get?

Yeah the A’s are dangling Matt Holliday out there… but what will the A’s be asking for? I alluded to this in my Lion and Prey post. They want players ready for the Bigs.

If the Mets had anyone who was Major League ready, that player would be currently playing for the Mets! Beane could do better just taking the two draft picks.

They could use a solid pitcher… but anyone dealing a pitcher in this market would demand solid prospects in return.

If the goal of the Mets is to win the World Series, I submit this radical plan:

STAND PAT!

Why? Because this team isn’t a player or two away from being a World Series contender. Can you IMAGINE this team in a best of five playoff series?

How would they do against a Tim Lincecum or a Chad Billingsley or a Chris Carpenter? They made Chien Ming Wang look awesome!

It isn’t happening this year. They don’t have the horses and do a panic move now, they’ll deplete their farm only to be a Division Series and out team AT BEST.

Ah but Sully, what about 2006? The Cardinals stumbled into the playoffs and won it all!

When Jerry Manuel becomes a Hall of Fame manager like LaRussa, I’ll listen. Instead, I’ll call 2006 a fluke.

And yeah, there is 87 games, more than half of the season to go.

But it isn’t THAT early. What part of the first half of the season could make ANY honest Mets fan say “This team can win it all!”

A player that will help turn the season around would cost a Fernando Martinez, a Wilmer Flores or a Bobby Parnell… and even THEN they wouldn’t be better than the Phillies, Dodgers, Cardinals or Brewers.

The Mets aren’t winning the 2009 World Series. You know it. I know it. We all know it. So why sabotage the chances for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons for an ill advised pennant run?

Why revisit Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano?

I say look back to 2006.

No, not Carlos Beltran looking at a called third strike… I’m talking about the 2006 Red Sox!

They were in first place on July 1.

They had a 4 game lead on July 4th.

They were in first place at the trade deadline but experiencing injury after injury. The lead had shrunk to a single game at the trade deadline. The bullpen and the lineup needed reinforcements… and the Red Sox had a TON of minor league talent to deal.

And the team stayed pat. I am convinced that someone in the front office (maybe Theo) thought “this team isn’t winning it… and there’s no way we’re tearing up the farm for an ill advised run at it.”

I screamed bloody murder. “YOU HAVE TO GO FOR IT!” I thought. Who are these young players? Why sabotage the present when you don’t know what those players will even do?

The Yankees tied the Red Sox for the division on August 1. The Red Sox went 23-35 the rest of the way and were completely irrelevant the rest of the season… finishing the season in a distant third place.

And they held on to Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen and Jon Lester and they very next year they all contributed to a World Series title.

Some organizational honesty went a long way. If the 2006 Red Sox made the playoffs, they would have been KILLED in the Division Series the way they were in 2005.

They held pat and won big.

Learn from that, Mets.

You aren’t winning in 2009. Admit that and 2010 might be the year that Fernando Martinez, Bobby Parnell and company give the team a spark of youth.

Remember youth?

Or you can wrecklessly stumble into the second half and set yourself up for another painful September.

It's your call.

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:43 PM

    what can I say?, I AM a Mets fan and I totally agree!. Its just not gonna happen this year. having 7 of your top guys hurt for so long is just too much to get over. And please dont yap to me about "when they come back and contribute we'll be better"..... Come on! So they all will be 100% the moment the step back on the field huh?. Its not happening this year, Omar knows it but its New York so he could never admit it.

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  2. Anonymous3:36 PM

    I'm not sure whats happening now with our starters, but I would still take our rotation over any in the National league. The sox management from the skipper up is by far the best in baseball.

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  3. Anonymous3:45 PM

    One thing you said up top is disputable, and outright wrong... Beltran's career isn't in jeopardy, that's taking things a bit far. The Mets should stand pat, but not for the "reasons" you hail.

    The truth is that yes the Mets will bot be a likely candidate to go far into the playoffs, however with all the injuries they are still in contention to win the NL east. When the team does get healthy I expect that they probably will still contend for the NL east title, but that's about it. The Phillies pitching is awful, and the Braves aren't that good either. The entire division is mediocre at best. The Mets just need to tread water to stay in contention in the east, and if they get healthy enough, could win the east, and be the first to go down to the Dodgers in the playoffs, as much as that hurts to say.

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  4. Anonymous3:46 PM

    Yup I concur. I'm a die hard Mets fan and once Minaya past on adding another bat this winter and passed on Lowe I didn't think he improved the team enough to beat the Phils. Once the injuries hit that just sealed their fate. Even if the Mets somehow win the division or the wildcard this team is not getting passed the first round. Johan is the only playoff caliber starting pitcher the Mets have.

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  5. Anonymous6:52 PM

    Trade Johan before it's too late. Make a deal with the Red Sox for their two young no-hit pitchers and the Yuke. I love Johan, but he's an injury waiting to happen and that's what we're seeing today. Go young and get some grit on this team.

    Wright is very good complimentary player, but no leader. Same as Beltran. If they could get a great deal for Reyes, I'd go that way too.

    Everyone else is up in the air. Dealing from a strength in a year you suck is the smart move. Does anyone really believe the best of Johan is still to come on a .500 (at best) over the next two years? Not me.

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  6. Anonymous11:20 AM

    Trade Johan? Had a few too many July 4th hot dogs and beers? Come on man, get real. To the post, pretty good analysis. We have some very solid prospects at the AA level, but I don't think they're quite as far along as Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buchholz, etc. were in 2006. I think 2011 or 2012 might be the year we see the likes of Brad Holt, Josh Thole, Jenrry Mejia, Ike Davis, etc. No need to trade those guys right now, since we are not 1 player away from a title. We have Delgado (12 mil) and Wagner (13 mil) coming off the books this offseason so we have some money to work this offseason. We need a corner outfielder (Matt Holliday or Bobby Abreu) and number 2 starter (Rich Harden or John Lackey). Stand pat now and make a run in 2010.

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