It’s July 27th 2010 and just a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have imagined I would be writing this. Just a few short weeks ago my beloved New York Metropolitans were just three games out of first place, and were right in the middle of what was supposed to be an exciting second half of the baseball season. However, yet again the Mets have proven to me that they are nothing but a tease when it comes to the pennant race. The Mets have just finished an embarrassing 2-9 west coast trip that has sunk them even deeper in the NL East, and has all but eliminated them from any sort of playoff contention. Just yesterday the Mets brass decided to have a meeting to discuss the “direction” the team should go in. I’ve got a direction for them – wipe the front office clean.
Now, I have always been a supporter of Omar Minaya. He truly changed the franchise when he was hired way back in 2005, and he made the Mets a true playoff contender. Hell, he even built the team that had the Mets within one hit of the World Series in 2006! If the Mets had made it to the Fall Classic that year, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have won it all. But, it is all but clear that the magic he once had has finally sputtered and emptied. After the two embarrassing collapses of 2007 and 2008, and the hellish 2009 season, one would think that a change would occur – I mean how much failure can one team endure?
I have always backed Minaya, throughout the collapses, and even last winter when everyone was screaming for him to get fired. I always pointed out for every failure (Heath Bell) that he had some great trades such as acquiring Roberto Hernandez, John Maine (the 2007 version) Xavier Nady, Paul LoDuca, Carlos Delgado and even Oliver Perez (circa 2006). Minaya always had an eye for raw talent. But, enough is enough. After watching the Mets miss every single potential option open to them to upgrade the team as the non-waiver trade deadline looms, I have to officially declare that Omar Minaya, and the rest of the Mets front office be fired and replaced with new and more progressive baseball minds.
The ineptitude and lack of fundamental and progressive baseball knowledge the Mets organization seems to show has me thinking that me, a devout baseball fanatic and student of the game, could run this team better. The Mets are run like they are a small market team, except they play in the world’s biggest market, and have one of the biggest revenue streams in the league! I can only imagine what Jed Hoyer (Padres GM) or Andrew Friedmen (Rays GM) would be able to produce with the amount of resources the Mets have. But alas, the Mets continue to squander and fumble every potential upgrade the team could have, not to mention desperately need.
Who knew running a team would be this hard?
What finally sent me over the edge into thinking a drastic change was needed was Arizona’s former staff ace, Dan Haren, being dealt to the Los Angeles Angels for a package of prospects that contained no one off of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospect List. All season the Mets, and their fans, have been saying they need another front-of-the-line starter to put at the top of the rotation to compliment Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey. First – much like every other contender – the Mets engaged in talks for Seattle’s former ace Cliff Lee. On the outside, getting Lee was a smart move. Lee is undoubtedly one of the best pitchers in the game, and would have given the Mets the best 1-2 punch in the National League, if not baseball. But, Lee’s contract expires at the end of this season, and he has said on numerous occasions that he intended to test the waters of free agency at year’s end. So in essence, Cliff Lee would be a 2 month rental for the team who acquires him. Eventually, Lee was shipped to the Texas Rangers for a package of impressive prospects, and I was happy the Mets did not send the Mariners what they were asking for.
However, Dan Haren is different. Haren, while having an off year for the lowly Diamondbacks (can I really call them lowly? The Mets just got swept by them…) is a front of the line starter, and has dominated hitters for years in Arizona. Not only is Haren younger than Cliff Lee, he is also under contract through 2012, and has a club option for 2013, giving the team who acquires him assurance that he will be playing for them for a considerable amount of time. Dan Haren must have made TOO much sense for the Mets to acquire him. He was exactly what the team needed, and there was not even so much as a rumor connecting the Mets to the trade talks.
However, the Mets cross-town equivalent was heavily in talks to acquire the ace, and their plan was to have him shore up THE BACK of their rotation. This only epitomizes the Mets ineptitude. The Yankees only kind-of-sort-of needed a starting pitcher and in response they almost acquired two aces. The Mets DESPERATLY needed a front-end starter and were connected to the Ted Lillys and Brett Myers of the world.
Instead, Haren was shipped to the Angels at the last minute headed by a package of Joe Saunders who is currently 6-10 with a 4.62 ERA this season, and two prospects. One prospect, Patrick Corbin, was ranked as the Angels 12th best prospect and projected to be a middle of the rotation starter. The other, Rafael Rodriguez was ranked 22nd in the Angels organization. In contrast – that would be like the Mets sending Hisonori Takahashi, who has a 4.52 ERA, and third basemen Jefry Marte (their 12th best prospect according to BA) and outfielder Sean Ratliff (their 22nd best prospect according to BA). Losing Marte would be a hit, but have you even heard of Sean Ratliff? The pros STRONGLY outweighed the cons of making that deal.
“This guy’s too good, lets get Brett Myers!”
While the comparison is rudimentary at best, the message is still the same. The Mets could have easily beaten out the Angels deal without giving up any of their highly touted prospects. Even if they were to give up someone like Fernando Martinez or Wilmer Flores or Ruben Tejada or Dillon Gee, it’s not sacrificing the Mets “future” (I use that word dubiously, as prospects, especially Mets’ ones, are notorious for being busts) if the future is an established pitcher we have anchoring our rotation for the next three seasons! Omar- just because the Bartolo Colon deal didn’t work out for your Expos, does not mean that every prospect is going to become Grady Siezmore.
This lack of foresight brings me back to my original intentions of this angry diatribe. The Mets need a change, and fast. It’s obvious that the current ensemble of Jerry and Omar is not working with the Mets and a new direction is needed. So, I’m going to play armchair GM. If I were in charge of rebuilding the Mets this is what I would do:
1. Hire Kim Ng as the new General Manager – Boston’s assistant GM Ben Cherington and San Diego’s front office assistant and former Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta were also on my short list for the new Mets GM, but Ng would clearly represent a new clean slate the Mets need. Ng would be the first female GM in any sport, and would be a bold move for the Mets to make. Ng has been an assistant GM for the Yankees and Dodgers, and has been making waves in baseball as a potential future GM. Ng was almost named the Dodgers GM in 2005, and interviewed for Seattle’s opening in 2008 and San Diego’s vacancy in 2009. However, what I think is most impressive on her resume is the fact that she was the American League’s director of waivers and records. Ng’s ability to handle negotiations and contracts could mean an end for the Mets seemingly endless ability to offer gargantuan and overpriced contracts. Ng is supposed to be able to gauge a player’s market value which steers away from the Mets scouting driven front office, and Ng has actually beaten Scott Boras in an arbitration case. Plus, she grew up in New Jersey, which means she would be coming back home to put together a new fresh team. She deserves a chance to manage a roster, and would instantly bring fresh ideas to an otherwise stagnant team.
She’s from NJ, she knows whats up.
2.Hire Wally Backman as the new Manager – This one was tough. It’s a risky move, and potentially could backfire. I had to think long and hard about the idea of the Mets hiring Wally, but in the end, I think it be an excellent choice. It’s another bold move, but I am tired with the Mets going with the safe, yet unspectacular choices for everything. Lets try something new, eh? What stuck out most in my mind is that Wally reminded me of Bobby Valentine. He is a fiery guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, which is the exact opposite of what we have had since Valentine was fired. Art Howe, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel have been calm, mostly mellow, managers who have been “the nice guys.” We’ve seen how far the “nice guys” can take us, and well…it isn’t far. As for Backman and his potential hiring, I think the Mets need a jolt of energy, and I can think of no one who would give them anymore energy. However, the two things that stuck out most in my mind about Wally were: Backman hates losing and Backman knows how to win. It seems at times that the Mets are almost ok with losing a game. For example, the incident after the Mets loss to the Diamondbacks last week when Alex Cora called out his teammates out for being rambunctious after a loss would NEVER happen under Backman. There have been numerous accounts of Backman screaming at his team for underperforming. Can you even imagine Jerry Manuel doing anything but quietly talking to someone about their performance? Another thing that struck me about Backman was the loyalty that his players seem to have when they play for him. “Backman wins everywhere he goes, and his players fight for him,” is what has been said. Backman’s track record is almost flawless, and he is currently leading the Brooklyn Cyclones to an amazing start to the season. If you surrounded Wally with a strong group of coaches (Rudy Jaramillo? Mike Maddux?) you could have something potentially brilliant on your hands. Unless we can get someone extraordinary to manage the Mets, I think it’s clear that Wally is the guy to go with.
He’s crazy…but a good crazy.
3. Trade Carlos Beltran – This would be the start of what should be a simple redesign of the Mets roster. Not an overall, but the core needs to be shaken, and Beltran should be the start of it. Now that Beltran is back from his seemingly never ending injuries, he has some trade value. If teams are interested, I would listen, but would settle for nothing less than major league ready pitching. If we could get someone like Clay Buchholz or someone around those lines, we should jump at the chance. Maybe the Rays might be willing to part with some pieces if we pick up part of his contract? Who knows? What I do know is Beltran has never really been a favorite of Mets’ fans, and he certainly should not come back once his contract expires, so we should trade him while we still have a chance.
While a lot of this might just be me pipe dreaming and pretending like I’m in charge, it all COULD happen. The Mets are ripe for a change in the guard, and should jump at the chance to do so. They are perpetually stuck in a state of settling for second best, which should not be the status quo. They play in a market where spending (wisely) and upgrading the team should not be a hassle like it is now. Mets fans are passionate, they might even be the most passionate fans in the game, and the Mets should start showing them that they mean business. “Meaningful games in September” should not be acceptable anymore. Failures such as Omar and Jerry’s current Mets squad should be fixed, not simply taken note of and continuing onward. Change is good, and no team needs it more than the kings of queens.
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