Team finances

I'm not really convinced Sizemore is ever going to be close to what he used to be, but I wonder if a contract like that would be enough to sign him anyhow.  You wonder if a team with deep pockets and enough winning to have the luxury to take a chance on Sizemore would give him more than that.

For other OF, I think Crisp will be moved at the deadline this year with a possible extension.  Pence definitely has a few more years of production yet also.  I kind of overlooked him, although you wonder how he'd hit in a pitchers' park like this.  He really dropped off in SF after having big years in the band boxes of Houston and philly.

If the Mets really are willing to open up the purse strings, I love the idea of doing it all in one year, especially if they finish bottom 10 and can keep the 1st rounder (by the second or third guy, you're giving up meaningless draft picks).

So with Santana and Bay's money coming off the books and buyouts for both accounted for in 2013 like Alderson has said, that leaves a lot of purchasing power to go with the young team.  (Mets will be at what, 50-60 mil guaranteed or so?)

So imagine if they went out an signed Choo( 15-17 mil?), Pence (15-17 mil?) and a Josh Johnson/Matt Garza or even better, a Tim Lincicum  assuming he bounces back in 2013 (18-23 mil?).  

With that, the Mets payroll would barely be across the 100-110 million range and I'd say they be a pretty formidible team.

1) Tejada
2) Pence
3) Wright
4) Ike
5) Choo
6/7/8) 3rd OF, Murphy, D'Anauld

SP1)  Garza/Johnson/Lincecum 
SP2)  Matt Harvey
SP3)  Jon Neise
SP4)  Wheeler
SP5)  Gee/Mejia/random Vet

Granted this is a lot of speculation, 2014 is a long way away, but IF they are really ready to open the purse strings and feel this team is finally ready to win again with the young talent they have, 2014 isn't the worst year to do it. 

Thats a lot of free agents coming in and all big salaries. Not Andersons way.

I dont think he will go and get an ace. The Mets ace next year might very well be Harvy. But I see Gee as number 4 next year ande either one of the farm promoted pitchers or a cheap big end starter.

I think Duda will prove enought this year that he can stay as an outfielder.

That leaves Anderson going after Pence/Choo, which are not bad but leaves Tejada as the leadoff hitter. Thats not going to work.

PS I dont see the mets fans having to wait 3 more years I see next year as very competitive. 

Yeah I really think 2014 is the year also.  There's a lot that will come together at once there, and adding the right free agent or two could be huge.  Another pitcher might not even be necessary given what could be here.  The two OFs could seriously be enough to make this a playoff-caliber team.

Me?  I'd go with Ellsbury and Choo.  Lots of speed and defense there, and if Ellsbury is healthy he covers for Duda out there.  Those are two big additions but they'd work perfectly here.  Maybe on top of that you get an experienced middle infielder and a few bullpen guys and suddenly things aren't looking bad at all.
 

They seem to be using SF's method in building around a strong pitching staff.

You add Ellsbury and Choo or Choo and Pence the offensive side of this team would probably be stronger than SF's.

Means that the pitching does not have to be as strong. 

Yeah but the pitching COULD be strong.  Obviously it depends entirely on Wheeler and Harvey, two unproven major leaguers but there's just a whole lot of potential there.  

Lets not forget that Wheller will be here for only half a year.

Right, and that's the huge unproven part.  However lots of rookies have come up and really contributed early.  It's far from a given but there's definitely that possibility given his upside.

I think we have been having such a hard time lately that anything the GM says or any positive ideas from fans are immediately shot down.

The Mets were in the race until near mid season. This has become the norm for the mets over the past number of years. I dont know if we agree that they overperform in the first half then play at their normal level in the second or if we are underperforming in the second half. 

. I dont know if we agree that they overperform in the first half then play at their normal level in the second or if we are underperforming in the second half.-jokati


I think it was both,  In the first half the team had an unsustainable level of 2 out run scoring hits.  Wright was hitting over .350. and both Santana and Dickey were outstanding.   After the AS break Wright came down to earth.  The Mets lost both Gee and Santana and the magical 2 out hitting disappeared.  


I followed this thread and the enthusiam that the Mets will be a contender in 2014.  I as much as anyone would like to believe it, but what struck me as I read  FANG, jokati and thomasam  was that all the additions and lineups and variations are evaluated in a vacumn.  The Phillies may be getting a little older but the Nationals and Braves are built for a long run and all three teams have the ability to reload. 

Thats a old Free agent class nest year!

What I'm more surprised about is no talking about Mike Piazza coming clean about using steroids in his book. And lets not kid ourselves, androstenedione is a steroid.

Rays GM Andrew Friedman, is impressed with the way the Mets are going about their business.
 The New York Post comments:

“The Mets have a tremendous amount of young talent. I think those guys have done a tremendous job of acquiring some high-end young players that they can grow with, and I think that [front office] is extremely good at supplementing around those guys and also having enough good young depth. … The one thing about young players is that they have tremendous upside, but they also have tremendous downside. …. There is far from certainty from these players. For us, it’s our only way of doing business. It’s not a choice. It’s a survival mechanism.”

David Price:

“The Rays were bad for a long time and then were able to capitalize on that and were able to make the right picks and bring the guys up through the system."
“The Rays have such a unique style. When they sat me down the first day I came to spring training, they told me, ‘You are going to do, this, this and this over the next two years and then we’ll see you in the big leagues,’ and that’s what they did. After I came up in 2008 and pitched in the postseason in the bullpen they told me, ‘You are going back to Triple-A next year.’

“That was good because you don’t have that letdown. “They wanted to watch my innings in 2009 and at the time, you don’t appreciate that, you want to be in the big leagues. But now, since my arm is healthy and I feel so good, I do appreciate that. They wanted me to be healthy and to help this team win for a long time. It was a great blueprint.’’

The Mets desperately need to copy and stick to the Rays blueprint of success.

Thats a old Free agent class nest year! -Tartans

Yeah I noticed that too, another reason why the Wilpons couldn't have picked a worst time to anounce they can finally spend some money. 

What I'm more surprised about is no talking about Mike Piazza coming clean about using steroids in his book. And lets not kid ourselves, androstenedione is a steroid. -Tartans

There's an argument there though, I remember when this stuff came out because I used to work out a lot in the late 90's and use creatine from GNC. I used to see this androstendione stuff right next to the creatine, I also talked to several people who tried it.  Not one marketer or person or doctor I heard or talked to was calling it a steroid until around 2001. The only thing known about it was that it "naturally upped the amount of testosterone your own body produces" and that it was not synthetic or anything artificial like that.  

Several players used this stuff and it was completely legal at the time, not one law against it, anyone (including underage teenagers) could buy it at the health store without any kind of prescription or ID check.

Would I consider it a PED nowadays looking back? I definitely wouldn't put it in the same class as taking artificial synthetic testosterone or HGH which are illegal in the US without a prescription and have been banned from professional sports for a long time. 

This is why I would let Piazza slide if all he took was andro. Its not his fault that at the time he was taking it it was over the counter legal in the US and marketed as a supplement and NOT an anabolic steroid.

Well yes, the changes are considered in a vacuum somewhat but as a baseball fan you also know what consitutues a good team.  This team simply wasn't as terrible as it seemed last year.  Sure the first half was full of everything going right, but the second half was full of everything going wrong.

Besides as good as Washington and Atlanta look on paper, things happen that change the course of a franchise.  Look at Boston two years ago.  A bunch of very good young players in Ellsbury, Pedroia, Lester, Buchholz, and Bard with Doubront, Lowrie, Reddick, Anderson and others coming up.  Players like Youkilis, Beltre, Ortiz, Beckett and Papelbon in their prime and a big free agent acquisition in Lackey.

Two years later they're last.

Look at the Rockies.  In 2009 they were the new hot team in the NL, with Tulowitzki, Stewart, Smith, Iannetta, Fowler, Gonzalez, Jimenez, De La Rosa, Hammel, Street...all young and up-and coming.  They locked up Tulo and it looked like they were putting the pieces together to be a playoff-caliber team for years.

Three years later they're last.

This kind of thing happens all the time.  While both Washington and Atlanta have made some great moves and have finished out of the running long enough to stock their systems, it doesn't guarantee anything.

This is part of the reason why I could never rule out a major market team for more than a season or two. 

Here's the thing about andro.  First off I basically completely agree with ATW.  In the 90s I was in the gym all the time also and used a bunch of stuff (including something called "Ripped Fuel" which even we thought was a hilariously-named product).  We also used Xenadrine which later was taken off the shelf.  The thing is, when it's on a shelf somewhere it can't be held against you when you buy it and use it.  That's a whole lot different than classic steroids.

That being said, I think it would've helped Piazza and anyone else using andro to just be up front about it in the 90s more.  There's a strange feeling that they thought it was kind of wrong by not saying anything at the time even if it was completely legal. 

Thats a lot of free agents coming in and all big salaries. Not Andersons way. - Jokati

Alderson had no trouble spending in Oakland.  I truly believe the reason Alderson has not spent in his Mets tenure was that there was no point.  High paid vets with no cheap young talent leads to nothing better than a middle tier club.  Why spend to join the middle tier.  

I feel the long term plan he has followed was

Step 1:  Beef up the young talent (check)
Step 2:  Expel the old burdensome contracts (check)
Step 3:  Spend when there was a core to build around

Plus, as I mentioned about the draft picks.  Isn't it better to spend all in one year than lose your #1 pick over 2 or 3 years in a row?

 Thats a old Free agent class nest year! - Tartans

Yes, on average it is.  But you can cherry pick the younger guys.  It may cost you more as thats who everyone will be bidding on, but lets pretend we're a New York team who can make money by spending money.

Omar was able to open the purse strings to bring in Pedro and Beltran once Wright and Reyes were up and established.  Let Alderson do the same now that we have Ike, Neise, Harvey, Wheeler and D'Anauld (or at least some of them panning out).

 

This is why I would let Piazza slide if all he took was andro. Its not his fault that at the time he was taking it it was over the counter legal in the US and marketed as a supplement and NOT an anabolic steroid.

Then why isn't Mark McGwire being given a pass?

I never really understood what the problem was with McGwire taking andro.  Although along with most people I suspected there was something else going on in addition to it, there was no reason for it to be held against him really.  

The thing is, peppering in some of those older free agents isn't a bad way to get a young team in position to win.  The right veterans become leaders that instill a winning mentality while holding down a position for a couple of years.  So while you wouldn't want to build a team through that group of free agents, you could bolster one that has been built otherwise.