The Mets are heading for an iceberg of 1912 proportions

[Twentytwofifty]

Mets headed for disaster
Posted by Nick Kapur on Tuesday August 11th 2009, 8:43 am, filed in Diamond cuts


The Mets are heading for an iceberg of 1912 proportions.

For years, GM Omar Minaya has charged after glitzy, high-profile free agents while ignoring just about everything else that makes a team good.

This season’s injury woes have shown that while the Mets were loaded with big-name stars, their minor league system is not loaded with much of anything.

Stocking the minor leagues is not just about hot young prospects (which, by the way, the Mets are low on too), but is also about signing all those has-been and never-were fringe major leaguers to minor league free agent deals, just in case you need a replacement-level stiff to fill in with some reliable mediocrity for a few weeks when a star goes down.

Omar largely seems to have ignored this part of his job, which is why when someone gets injured he consistently finds in a situation akin to a gunslinger in a duel who fires off the six bullets in his first gun, then pulls out his other six-shooter only to realize he forgot to load it with anything.

Nobody can blame Omar for the ridiculous rash of injuries the team has sufferered this year, which is certainly out of the ordinary. But at the same time, there are always going to be at least a few injuries every year.

Before the season who exactly did Omar think was going to be the backup option if some of these guys went down? Have we ever seen a team’s starting lineup go so quickly from playoff contender to worst in the majors? The utter lack of depth in the upper level of the Mets system can only be laid at Omar’s door.

But worst of all is what this all means for next year and beyond. Because the Mets were clearly in “win-now” mode this year, and have been for years, with the attendant ill-effects on the future.

Next year the Mets are going to have gaping holes at left field, first base, catcher, and at least two starting pitchers, and even that is only if you assume that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran will both come back fully healthy (questionable), and if you consider Jeff Francoeur to be “not a hole” in right field (extremely questionable).

Sure, it is true that the Mets are going to be clearing off about $30 million from their books via departing free agents, so they could go after some free agents. But they also have about $10 million in raises coming, and next year’s free agent class is expected to be the thinnest in years, which will drive up prices on the few mediocre players actually available. Plus it is questionable how much of that left-over $20 million the Wilpons will allow to be spent, given all the collateral damage they’ve taken between the financial crisis and the Madoff scandal. And in the end there is still the basic fact that the Mets have at least 5 major holes to fill.

Meanwhile the Phillies have only gotten stronger, with Happ and Lee pitching in for a full season, and the Marlins are still young-ish with a stacked rotation, and the Braves are always lurking and never mail it in, while the Mets have a farm system which, if not “barren,” can at best be described as “very thin.”

My suggestion *would* be to blow this whole team up and rebuild, if not for the fact that almost all of the Mets’ tradeable commodities, up to and including David Wright, are incredibly devalued at present due to injury or suckage.  At this point the Mets are just going to have to resign themselves to slogging through another mediocre campaign next summer, and hope they can build some of these guys back up in value and flip them at the deadline.

That is, unless they really want to consider flipping Johan Santana or K-Rod at this point, but that certainly seems to be an unthinkable scenario, as the Mets have gotten so used to thinking of themselves as perennial contenders, and the injuries this year are such an obvious and convenient excuse for their struggles to be blamed on, rather than facing up to the fact that the ship is leaking, the iceberg is lurking, the helmsman is incompetent, and it just might be time to at least try to change course, even if it might be too late, instead of just continuing on full steam ahead.

[Chamillitary Click]

i don't want to speak on it, i just get yelled at for being a moron Yankee fan.

[JD Bastin]

mets stink

[herpes]

i don't want to speak on it, i just get yelled at for being a moron Yankee fan.

No just a moron, this article basically reiterates what I have been saying for a while.  But your response is I just say it so I can act surprised if the Mets win it all.

[OG Hack Wilson]

The New York Mess

[herpes]

The article is off about a few things though.  The Mets have 42 million coming off the books and 10 million in raises due so its 30 million to play around with.  But they won't b/c rumor in NY is the Madoff scam hurt the Mets worse than they are letting known.  And they may be forced to sell a percentage of the team.  I wish it was all the entire team because the root of the Mets problems stem from the Wilpons.  Since money won't be spent on the field once again it's time to blow up the front office, happens about every 5 season.  Omar is a horrible GM one of the worst in baseball.  But he is a excellent scout.  I would reassign him to head of scouting latin america.  I would fire Jerry Manual and bring back Bobby V to be manager.  I would promote John Ricco to GM and bring in Gerry Hunsicker to be vice GM ala the Yankees in the mid 90's with Gene Michael and Brian Cashman.  I would also replace the entire medical staff.  The Mets farm isn't as bad as people make it out to be.  The problem is they have a lot of talent in the lower levels but you really won't start hearing about them until the reach AA.  Except Wilmer Flores, he is 17 and played in the future games.  This kid is the real deal.  1st Basemen Ike Davis is beasting in AA right and would be considered a top 50 prospect if not for his horrible 2008 season.  Jenry Megia is a top 50 prospect in baseball and is moving up quick on many scouts charts.  And Brad Holt and Josh Thole are highly touted.  And Fernando Martinez is still a highly touted prospect if he can ever stay on the field.  Though besides that the farm is atrocious.  It's not completely barren but it's close lol.  Trading Reyes, Wright, and Santana would be a huge mistake.  But as much as I like him the Mets should explore moving Carlos Beltran.  It's a big contract and he isn't getting any younger.  I think the right deal could come along where the Mets were able to fetch two everyday ball players and prospect for him.

[herpes]

The New York Mess

Steinbrenner cum still dripping off your chin buddy.

[Chamillitary Click]

The New York Mess

Steinbrenner cum still dripping off your chin buddy.

guy can't be a fan?

[herpes]

The New York Mess

Steinbrenner cum still dripping off your chin buddy.

guy can't be a fan?

So sucking off another man makes him a fan 

Hey Cham, how come with this article you don't reply back.... oooo he's just saying this bc hes a met fan and he can act surprised next season.  But when I've been saying the same thing for a minute now I am just saying it to act surprised when the Mets win lol.

[Chamillitary Click]

Next year the Mets are going to have gaping holes at left field, first base, catcher, and at least two starting pitchers, and even that is only if you assume that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran will both come back fully healthy (questionable), and if you consider Jeff Francoeur to be “not a hole” in right field (extremely questionable).

that's the only section i'm reading.

meanwhile most of this article talks about how Omar didn't find back up players in the most unfortunate event that starters went down.

but it says nowhere that coming into the season, with a full team, they weren't running favorites in the NL; meanwhile you signed them off in pre-season.

face it, you were embaressed about what's gone down in Septemeber the last two years & gave your usual depressed schpeel about being a Mets fan & wrote them off; knowing going into the off season, then signing the one thing that held you back last year, the bullpen (K-Rod & Putz) is what was suppose to lock up the NL East.

in the case they fell apart (which they did) you had the "i told you so" in your pocket.

the fact that last year it was your bullpen & you had the same team with the addition of arguably the best closer in Baseball, but somehow that wasn't going to change anything; like you KNEW everybody in your starting lineup & Putz was going to get injured is BEYOND impressive.

come on, i fed right into your usual hand; tell me off...again.

[herpes]

Next year the Mets are going to have gaping holes at left field, first base, catcher, and at least two starting pitchers, and even that is only if you assume that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran will both come back fully healthy (questionable), and if you consider Jeff Francoeur to be “not a hole” in right field (extremely questionable).

that's the only section i'm reading.

meanwhile most of this article talks about how Omar didn't find back up players in the most unfortunate event that starters went down.

but it says nowhere that coming into the season, with a full team, they weren't running favorites in the NL; meanwhile you signed them off in pre-season.

face it, you were embaressed about what's gone down in Septemeber the last two years & gave your usual depressed schpeel about being a Mets fan & wrote them off; knowing going into the off season, then signing the one thing that held you back last year, the bullpen (K-Rod & Putz) is what was suppose to lock up the NL East.

in the case they fell apart (which they did) you had the "i told you so" in your pocket.

the fact that last year it was your bullpen & you had the same team with the addition of arguably the best closer in Baseball, but somehow that wasn't going to change anything; like you KNEW everybody in your starting lineup & Putz was going to get injured is BEYOND impressive.

come on, i fed right into your usual hand; tell me off...again.

Why don't you believe me ?  And how come you continue to repeat what ESPN talking points say when no respected sports fan watches ESPN unless it's for an actual game ?  You want to know how I knew the Mets weren't a good team.  Going back to June of 2007 something happened to the team where the started to play with no fire whatsoever.  And small ball and fundamentals went out the window.  From an outsider such as yourself or a talking point on a major network it wasn't noticeable.  A fan that watches the Mets day in and day out it was a huge change and something was drastically wrong.  From that point on the Mets played like a .500 team.  Since June 1st of 2007 to June 1st of 2009 the Mets played two months where they played great ball.  That was July and August of 2008.  If you subtract those two months from June of 07 to June of 09 the Mets record was 134-131 I believe.  I did the numbers at work and it was 2 or 3 games above .500.  I won't hold the injuries against them either so thats why I haven't included the past couple of months.  But with a healthy team outside of a 2 month stretch over a two year period the Mets were a .500 team.  Thats how I knew the Mets weren't nearly as good as advertised.  Now if you want to get down to the players and free agent moves I will do that now.

I'll start with the bullpen.  I said before the season the Mets were one JJ Putz injury away from having essentially the same bullpen as last season.  You can bring up Krod and how good he is.  The thing is, the Mets had Billy Wagner until mid August of last season, he even made the all star team.  It wasn't as if he missed the entire season.  So they bring in Krod, who by the way is a very good closer but vastly overrated.  Krod = Wags so there isn't much of change there.  Putz went down with an injury like I said he would.  Outside of Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell, and Brian Stokes who they never use, the pen has been trash.  Now lets get on with the lineup, the past two Septembers the line up folded under pressure.  That has nothing to do with the bullpen.  The bottom half of the lineup was as weak as a mid 80's middle infielder.  And the Mets had no bench to speak of any injuries were to occur.  I didn't have to predict specific injuries but all I had to do was say if a couple of guys get injured the line up is in deep trouble.  I also said the Mets had no clear cut leader and the closest thing the Mets had to a leader was Carlos Delgado who proved to be the ultimate I'm just hear to collect to a paycheck player. Which because of his standing rubbed off on the rest of the team.  When he went on the DL you saw the Mets play with a grit they haven't played with since 2006.

I said the Mets problems run much deeper than the pen.  On the real Cham how come you take the word over some guy at ESPN who probably watches 30 seconds of a Met game compared to someone that watches most games.  And I'm not the only Met fan that has been saying this.  A lot of Met fan knew this team wasn't as good as advertised going into the season.  It has nothing to do with so we can feel surprised if the Mets do win.  Thats why I call you a fucking moron, because as someone that loves the game of Baseball and loves the intricacies of the game and studies the game.  I find it HIGHLY insulting that someone would come and say I am only saying this so I can act surprised.



 

[herpes]

BTW if Putz didn't go down, him and Krod only make up two guys in a bullpen.  You can't troop them out there day in and day out.  And what about the 6th and 7th innings if the starters can't go that deep.  And if you look back the Starting rotation was something I TRIED to be optimistic about.  I thought the rotation had the potential to be good.  But outside of Santana it also had the potential to be just as bad as it could be good.  And that is what happened.  A bullpen is only as good as it's starting rotation if the rotation sucks and the same guys have to come in relief day in and day out.  They will eventually get burned out.

[Chamillitary Click]

^fair enough.

i still would like to say the statistics were 90% of people agreed that the Mets were favorites.

i believed they were a good team apart from their pen, but apparently their is more to it that i don't know.

good points, i stand corrected...again.

[herpes]

^fair enough.

i still would like to say the statistics were 90% of people agreed that the Mets were favorites.

i believed they were a good team apart from their pen, but apparently their is more to it that i don't know.

good points, i stand corrected...again.

You need to read the coliseum at SOHH.com.  The sports boards is one of the best on the entire net.  Especially the baseball heads.  It worth checking out.

[Chamillitary Click]

^fair enough.

i still would like to say the statistics were 90% of people agreed that the Mets were favorites.

i believed they were a good team apart from their pen, but apparently their is more to it that i don't know.

good points, i stand corrected...again.

You need to read the coliseum at SOHH.com.  The sports boards is one of the best on the entire net.  Especially the baseball heads.  It worth checking out.

i'll take a look into it, sounds good for a news feed.