Kuzul

Mets fans have been running to message boards for the last two weeks to vent their frustration with Mets ownership and the approach the organization has taken in the Jose Reyes “sweepstakes”.

Most fans demand that the organization do whatever it takes to keep Reyes at Citi Field while other fans don’t see Reyes as a part of the future. To those fans, Reyes is a symbol of an era in the team’s history that is infamous for underachieving and monumental collapse. It’s hard to disagree with those fans.

Reyes supporters see him as the premier leadoff hitter in baseball. A player who brings the type of explosiveness and energy to a lineup that simply cannot be replaced. It’s hard to disagree with those fans, too.

The real question Mets fans must ask themselves is: Does re-signing Jose Reyes improve our chances of winning a World Series? I do not believe that it will.

Now before I am attacked by the Reyes supporters, give me a few minutes to explain. My call for Mets ownership to let Reyes go is not without a plan in place. Re-signing Jose Reyes for say, five years $100 million would tie up $20 million a year in a player that has not helped take this team to the next level since he’s been here.

Since Reyes came on the scene in 2003, the Mets have made the playoffs just once. Just one playoff appearance in eight seasons. Reyes is commanding an average salary of $20 million. Albert Pujols will most likely land a contract that pays him between $24-25 million a season. Pujols has played with the Cardinals for 10 years and delivered seven playoff appearances, three trips to the World Series, and two rings. It makes a hell of a lot more sense for the Cardinals to hold on to their premier player then it does for the Mets to hold on to Reyes.

Now you may be saying that it isn’t fair to compare the two. I say that they are most definitely comparable. They are both going to command superstar salaries. Salaries that will effect the teams flexibility to upgrade other areas of the team for years to come. It is up to the Mets to walk away from the negotiation table and move on from Jose.

If Jose had a resume that was even HALF of Pujols’ I would re-think my stance, but it isn’t remotely close. I will never deny that Reyes is a fun player to watch but Mets fans need much more than a dancing bear. Mets fans need a winner and the numbers just don’t support a case for Reyes in that department.

Earlier I said that I would not suggest cutting Reyes loose without a plan. The plan is as such. Letting Reyes walk will net the Mets two solid draft picks. The value of those picks could change with a new CBA agreement but nonetheless the picks will most certainly put the Mets in slot where two serviceable prospects can be obtained.

Go into next season with all intentions of moving David Wright at the deadline. Wright has been a good soldier but his resume is the same as Reyes’. As a Mets fan, you love to hear Wright being quoted that he wants to be part of the solution but the bottom line is that the Mets are in a transitional phase. A transition that will not be complete until Wright is nearing the end of his prime.

With the way that Wright’s contract shakes out, the Mets will probably only be able to grab one decent prospect from a desperate team at the deadline. Similar to what they received for Carlos Beltran from the Giants.

So now you have just received three prospects for two underachieving athletes. Not so bad.

Next up is Johan Santana. If Johan comes back healthy and effective, believe me I understand that this is one giant IF, the Mets need to do whatever it takes to move him for a prospect or two. Yes, they will probably have to eat a large portion of his contract, but as was the case with Beltran the more money you eat the better prospect you will get in return.

Now we are up to four prospects for two underachieving athletes and one that has just had rotten luck since joining the team.

Team those four prospects with Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia, Matt Harvey, Wilmer Flores, Juan Lagares, and Jenrry Mejia. That is one impressive farm system. A farm system that can produce the type of players that will most certainly contend for a World Series in the near future. Plus, add in the draft pick they have this season as well as the one they’ll receive for what is most certain to be a trying 2012 season and the Mets are on their way.

I understand that most fans won’t agree with this approach and that’s fair but stop and ask yourself this question first: Do you honestly believe that holding on to Jose Reyes is the key to winning a championship?

For those of you that say yes, I beg you to try and remember the past eight seasons and come back to me then. For those of you that say no, I thank you for shedding the New York sports fan mentality and getting on board with the road to recovery. It may be a long road, but as Mets fans; do we know any other one?   

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Most non-Mets fans take a look at the Mets starting lineup and aside from Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran you can hear a resounding “Who?”.  I say to those baseball fans: Take a closer look. There is a player in that lineup that can help David Wright resemble the player he once was. He is the reigning NL rookie of the month, Justin Turner. 

Turner has been a spark plug for the Mets offense and has contributed to their recent surge in the National League despite missing two of their biggest bats, David Wright and Ike Davis. The Mets have won 8-of-12 and although players like Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada and Angel Pagan have been terrific, it is Turner that has really stepped up. Turner has driven in 23 runs in just under a month and has helped cushion the loss of Wright and Davis.

Although Turner’s offensive production has been a godsend, his recent success can serve as a wake-up call to Mets third baseman David Wright. In no way am I suggesting that Turner should take Wright’s job once David is healthy. What I am suggesting is that Wright break down Turner’s success and learn from it. Some of you may be thinking: Are you insane? Why should David Wright break down a 26-year-old rookie’s one month of success? I’ll tell you why.

Turner has had 12 hits to left, 12 to center, and 15 to right this season, clearly using all sides of the field to drive in runs. Remind you of anyone? If you guessed pre-pull happy David Wright, then we’re both on the same page. From 2006 through 2009 Wright had 47, 53, 39, and 46 hits to the opposite field. Last season saw that total drop to a career low 26. Mets fans have witnessed Wright go from one of the best two strike hitters who uses the whole field to a dead pull hitter that set a career high for strikeouts last season.

I disagree with Fred Wilpon that David Wright is not a superstar. I do agree that he has not played like one in a very long time. The key to Wright’s return to prominence is not to hit more home runs and conquer the Great Wall of Flushing in right field. His return to success will come when he realizes that he has to go back to being the player who had the makings of a superstar.

The success of a 26-year-old rookie may be just what this franchise needed.

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Although the entire city of New York is focused on the Jets and their quest for the Lombardi trophy, it’s tough to ignore the fact that Spring Training is under a month a way. After all, New York is and always will be a baseball town.

Mets pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie on Feb. 18th after a rather quiet offseason. The Mets front office and coaching staff may look a lot different, but the roster hasn’t changed much.

The biggest change to the Mets roster came in the form of injury. Shocker.  They’ll be without Johan Santana, their best and highest paid starting pitcher, until at least July as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder. Reports came out last week that Santana has been cleared to begin playing catch this month, which puts him right on schedule for a mid-season return to the team.

Sandy Alderson did exactly what he said he was going to do this offseason. He wasn’t going to make a splash by signing a Cliff Lee or a Carl Crawford. That’s how we got into this mess in the first place. He was committed to making improvements to the team while still maintaining long-term payroll flexibility. How does one do that? Well, you use the Rule Five draft as well as the reclamation project approach. You can also call this the “Low Risk, High Reward Approach.”

The 2011 season is going to be about patience. Alderson understands the fans frustration, but he also understands the only way to fix this franchise is to have a plan and to be true to it. He can’t give in to the fans’ frustration and make a move that could possibly set this team back farther just to grab a couple of headlines and sell a few tickets. That is not what Alderson is about.

The Mets will have almost $60 million coming off the books at the end of 2011 heading into a star-studded free-agent class that will include the likes of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. That being said, the Mets slogan for 2011 should be “Hang Tight.”

In terms of position players, the 2011 lineup will be very similar to the one we thought we were going to see in 2010. Carlos Beltran’s offseason knee surgery, Jose Reyes’ thyroid gland and Jason Bay’s post-concussion symptoms kept us from seeing it at full strength. In Alderson’s and new manager Terry Collins’ eyes, if this group is healthy, it is going to score a ton of runs. The major questions for this team are going to come from the mound.

Below is a position-by-position preview as we head into Spring Training. There may not be much turnover from 2010, but there will definitely be some very entertaining competitions and tough decisions for Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson to make as they trim down the roster before opening day.  

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One day, hopefully sooner than later, Mets fans will look at October 4th, 2010 as a great date in Mets history. As of today, it is a very sad date. Many fans have been clamoring for the day when the Wilpons would stand at Citi Field’s podium and announce the firing of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel.

I have to admit I was one of those fans. The key word here is “was”.

As Fred Wilpon stood at that podium, I couldn’t help but think back to September 30^th 2004, when it was all smiles at the old Shea Stadium. The Mets were in a downward spiral as an organization, and Omar Minaya had been hired to right the ship. The positivity in that room was so strong that it jumped out of my television and made me believe again.

As I was remembering that day, I felt a pit in the middle of my stomach while Fred Wilpon announced that Omar Minaya would be relieved of his General Manager duties effective immediately and Jerry Manuel’s option would not be picked up. Don’t get me wrong, Minaya and Manuel deserved to be relieved of their positions, but as a fan, these days bring me down.

October 4^th was a date where the Mets had to stand in front of the New York media and tell their fans that they failed and that it was time to start over. As Mets fans, we have experienced these type of days far too many times. It is difficult to buy into the Mets’ promises when all we have to do is turn the page in the sports section and read about the other team in town’s success. It is on that page that we see everything that we don’t have and it hurts.

Chicago Cubs fans have it rough, not having won a World Series in 102 years, but they don’t have the New York Yankees playing across town.

As hard as it may be, it is time for Mets fans to pick themselves up off the ground and pull themselves together. This off-season is going to be a wild ride, and I’ve broken down how the Mets and their fans should approach it. This must be done in three very large steps. They must forget about the past, create a new identity, and formulate a plan for the future.

When you stop and think about it, this is basic crisis management, but when you have as many questions as the Mets do, it is important that you go back to basics and make sure that this time you get it right.

Forget About the Past

Carlos Beltran staring at Adam Wainwright’s nasty curveball in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS hurt bad, but we need to get over it. Blowing a seven game division lead with 17 games left to play in 2007 hurt even worse, but it’s time to get over it.

Scott Schoeneweis serving up a two run home run to Wes Helms to disgracefully close out Shea Stadium and end our playoff hopes was just as gut wrenching as the aforementioned, but just like those moments, it is time to get over it.

The Mets fans have a habit of hanging their heads when things don’t go their way, and I feel that this attitude has entered its way into the clubhouse. The last two seasons at Citi Field, I have noticed a lifeless attitude amongst the players when the team hits a bump in the road.

Baseball is a 162 game season, longer than any other professional sport, there are going to be plenty of ups and downs. There are going to be injuries as well. Players get hurt; it’s part of the game. Championship teams overcome injuries. The Mets have this woe is me attitude whenever a player gets injured. That attitude needs to be changed.

Does it suck when Jose Reyes is forced to the disabled list? You bet it does, he is a key to the team’s success, but you can’t let that ruin your season. In order for the Mets to have any success moving forward, they need to put together a group of players who can overcome adversity and make it through the rough patches that make up a baseball season. I hope that David Wright and Jose Reyes can answer the call.

Mets fans want to see homegrown players help the team win a championship. They want that feeling that they had in 1986 when Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry helped turn their offseason World Series proclamation into a reality. The fans and the organization want Jose Reyes and David Wright to succeed here. Nobody wants to see both traded and succeed elsewhere.

These two are the key to the Mets forgetting the past. They must be able to forget about the failures of previous seasons and look only at the present. It will be up to the new General Manager to ultimately decide if that is possible.

I feel that Reyes and Wright can move past 2006-2010, but I can’t be totally sure. I would love nothing more than to see them both be vindicated of past team failures and hoist a World Series trophy over their heads as the Mets parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Time will tell whether the Mets feel Reyes and Wright are part of their future or part of their past.

Create a New Identity

First thing’s first, before the Mets and their fans can formulate a plan for the future, they need to hire a General Manager who can evaluate the present and put a plan in place that will have this team competitive in two or three seasons with a new identity.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post put it best when he said that any candidate who “offers plaudits and rosy scenarios should be immediately dismissed”.

I could not agree more with Joel.

The question is, who is the right man for this job? A slew of names have been thrown around following the dismissal of Minaya ranging from ex-Diamondback GM Josh Byrnes all the way down to White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn. Other candidates include former Royals GM and current Red Sox director of scouting Allard Baird, acting GM John Ricco, and Sandy Alderson, who is currently working for the MLB in the Dominican Republic. Long shot candidates include names such as the Dodgers Logan White, ex-Rangers and Indians GM John Hart, Tampa Bay executive Gerry Hunsicker, Twins executive Terry Ryan, and current Rangers GM Jon Daniels.

The New York Times is reporting that the Mets have received permission to interview Hahn and Baird next week. They are also scheduled to interview Byrnes some time next week. It is tough to pick a front-runner with so many candidates being mentioned, but I think Hahn could land the job. The White Sox have managed to keep Hahn the last two seasons, but he appears ready to make the jump from a promising executive to a General Manager with a vaunting task ahead of him.

There’s no telling who the Mets will hire until a round of interviews have been completed, but his first task is to hire a manager that will change the culture of the clubhouse. He must hire a manager that will implement an identity for how the Mets play the game.

Right now, people in baseball view the Mets as a runaway train. It will be up to the new GM to hire a manager that can put the brakes on and establish a new standard for Mets baseball. Fans are screaming for Bobby Valentine because he reminds them of when times were good. He reminds them of clutch Mike Piazza home runs and gritty starts by Al Leiter, but don’t forget that he lost control of his clubhouse to the point that fans were calling for his head.

Another popular candidate amongst the fans is Single A Manager Wally Backman. It wasn’t too long ago that Backman was introduced as Arizona Diamondbacks manager only to be fired days later due to some unflattering personal issues surfacing. He hasn’t managed a day in the big leagues, but Backman has a swagger that the Mets most desperately need. Think New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. I don’t like to compare football to baseball, but Ryan changed the culture of a franchise in turmoil in one season.

Am I saying that Backman can do that for the Mets? I think he can.

If you listen to him speak about the game, you can sense his passion and no nonsense demeanor. Wally ball is not about hanging your head when things start to go south. It is about playing the game with intensity, and most of all, it’s about playing the game the right way.

If you don’t? Well, Backman has no problem riding you on the bench. The Mets went from Art Howe to Willy Randolph to Jerry Manuel. All were good baseball men, but all three lacked the intensity that it takes to be a manager of a team that’s lost its confidence.

Will a colorful manager save the Mets? I can’t be sure, but I sure as hell know that a colorful manager would certainly help improve morale amongst the fans and players. 

Formulate a Plan for the Future

The Mets have seen a 17 percent decline in attendance since $900 million dollar Citi Field’s inaugural season. This type of drop off may tempt the Mets to throw money at a big-ticket free agent like Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee. This type of temptation must be avoided like the plague.

It is finally time for the Mets to not give in to the pressures of New York City and sell a youth movement to their fans. Will they probably have to trim ticket prices? Yes they will, but it’s a small price to pay.

2011 will most likely be a year of the Mets waiting for contracts to expire and taking a long look at the young inexpensive players they have in their organization. Will they be able to trade Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, and Carlos Beltran? Not without paying a hefty percentage of the money owed to them.

Should the Mets do that? It depends how you look at it. Some might say that the Mets should just give it one more shot in 2011 before a full-fledged makeover of the team in 2012. With a core of David Wright, Jose Reyes, a healthy Jason Bay, and Carlos Beltran playing in his walk year, they may be able to fight for a Wild Card berth.

Others will say that the Mets should do whatever they have to do to move Castillo, Perez, and Beltran so that this can allow playing time for the younger players and give them a season without pressure to develop. I’m on the fence.

A part of me feels they should give it one more shot in 2011 because of the large amount of money set to come off the books after the season. Castillo, Perez, Beltran, and Francisco Rodriguez (assuming the Mets lose their battle to void his contract this off-season) will help the Mets shed roughly 44.4 million dollars in salary for the big free agent class of 2012.

They’ll have to re-sign Jose Reyes but they will have plenty of money to throw at free agents such as Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, Jose Bautista, Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, etc.  

It’ll be tough to be competitive with staff ace Johan Santana sidelined for an undetermined amount of time, but they may be able to make one more run at a playoff berth in 2011, and if they fail, there will still be a light at the end of the tunnel due to the payroll flexibility they’ll have in the off-season.

The other part of me would like to see them move Castillo, Perez, Beltran, and serviceable players such as Pedro Feliciano for low level minor leaguers that will give the organization some depth while letting some young players develop with the big league club playing without pressure. I’d be intrigued at the prospect of Carlos Beltran gone and Angel Pagan full time in center field while Lucas Duda, Nick Evans, Fernando Martinez, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis battle to lock down the right field job in spring training.

I’d also be really excited to see Luis Castillo elsewhere while Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada, and former first round pick Reese Havens (assuming he makes a full time switch from shortstop to second) battle it out for the job at second base. What Mets fan wouldn’t love to see Oliver Perez off the team so that youngsters Jenrry Mejia, Dillon Gee, and Mark Cohoon can take those innings and establish a connection with catcher of the future Josh Thole?

The decisions that the Mets new architect faces will shape this organization for the next five to 10 years. The key to making the right decisions relies on the identity that he and Mets ownership want for this franchise and how far they’ll go to establish it.

The fans just want October baseball at Citi Field and a team they can look back on and brag about. Next season will mark the quarter century mark since the last Mets World Series. The fans are restless, and rightfully so. It is up to this franchise to take us from bereaving to believing again. 

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