Kuzul

According to SNY, the Mets have just hired Paul DePodesta. DePodesta will be the vice president of player development and amateur scouting.

This has been an anticipated move for the Mets over the past few weeks. Like Sandy Alderson and J.P. Ricciardi, Paul DePodesta is a strong believer in sabermetrics. The new Mets front office is now officially one of the best in all of sports.

This move continues to show the New York Mets’ dedication to becoming a winning team again. As of now, I couldn’t be more excited with the way this organization is being run. The Wilpons are continuing to regain Mets fans’ trust.

Sandy Alderson had this to say about the hiring of Paul Depodesta, “Paul has one of the top analytical minds in the game and also has a strong background in more traditional aspects of player development and amateur scouting…He will help establish direction, standards and continuity in all areas of our player development domestically and internationally.  Paul – working together with J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco – also will advise me generally on other matters related to baseball operations.”

Depodesta on getting the opportunity to work with Sandy Alderson again, “I am thrilled to reunite with Sandy during this exciting time for the Mets…I know first-hand the type of vision and leadership he brings to a franchise.  This is a tremendous opportunity to help develop a winning culture for the Mets and our fans.”

The Mets seem to have the right idea of what to do. This is yet another huge move for the team, and Mets fans should be very optimistic for the Mets’ future.

The Mets are now locked and loaded for a great offseason and many great seasons to come. If all continues to go like it has been going, then Mets fans will be happy to call themselves Mets fans.

“In Sandy We Trust.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the recent news about Mets‘ equipment manager, Charlie Samuels, Sandy Alderson is facing his first Mets off-field issue.  Welcome to the New York Mets, Sandy!

As far as the incident goes, Alderson has been handling it extremely well.  He is preventing it from becoming a five-star production and seems to be keeping it under control for now.  Samuels has been busted for betting on Major League Baseball games. 

When Alderson got word of what Samuels had been up to, he suspended him on the spot.  Not bad for the guy’s first problem.  I have a strong feeling that if the Mets’ old front office was still intact, this would have been a much bigger problem. 

The media probably would’ve been all over it.  Even though this situation is still a huge problem for the Mets, and the media is indeed covering it pretty well, I guarantee you that Omar Minaya would have turned this situation into a mess.

Like many Mets fans, I am happy that Omar Minaya is gone, but I do feel that he wasn’t as bad as most fans made him out to be.  He drafted some good talent and signed some big players, but it just didn’t work out in the end.

Although he made good moves, he also made many mistakes.  One of his worst qualities as a general manager was his ability to handle off-field issues.  It seemed that he always lost control of things, and the stories were turned into a media monster. 

Not to mention, he also gave out many bad contracts, but we aren’t here to talk about Omar Minaya.  This a new Mets era, and all eyes are on new general manager Sandy Alderson.

In my opinion, Alderson handled the Samuels problem very well.  He handled it professionally and prevented it from turning into a fiasco.  With that, we all know that this won’t be the last off-field problem Alderson faces. 

Despite his great handling with this situation, the question is if he will be able to put up with situations like this in the future?

The best case scenario is that Alderson cleans up the organization, and no off-field problems rise, but the chances of that happening are very slim. 

I believe that he will be able to put up with most of the off-field situations as well as he did with this one.  Just like any great general manager, he will drop the ball a couple of times, but he should handle the majority of the problems well.

You’d be silly to think that Alderson didn’t know what he was walking into when he signed with the Mets.  He knew that a major cleanup of personnel was in need, and  problems will rise. 

He’s currently working on getting his assistants, and it’s going great so far.  Former Blue Jays general manager JP Ricciardi was added to the Mets front office last week, and now Alderson has his eyes set on Paul DePodesta.

DePodesta is currently working for the San Diego Padres, but that’s not keeping Alderson from pursuing him.  Alderson is trying his best to pry DePodesta away from San Diego, and as of now, it looks like he is doing a good job of it. 

There’s a big three in Miami, but the Mets might have their own big three soon.  The big three won’t consist of superstars on the field but superstars in the front office.  If Sandy Alderson successfully brings Paul DePodesta to Queens, then three of baseball’s greatest minds will be united. 

Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta and JP Ricciardi are all strong believers of sabermatrics.  A system in which stats such as on base percentage and slugging percentage hold more value than traditional statistics like batting average, stolen bases and home runs.

If DePodesta comes to Queens, here’s how the Mets front office will function.  Alderson will make all of the final decisions and share every bit of his baseball knowledge with the organization.  DePodesta is balanced in all aspects of the game.  He’ll bring a great amount of insight on many situations.  Ricciardi will evaluate talent and suggest players for the Mets to draft. 

With these three guys around, the Mets will have one of the best front offices in all of baseball.  Despite the lack of success for DePodesta and Ricciardi as general managers, they will definitely contribute greatly to getting the Mets where they need to be. 

DePodesta and Ricciardi may not be the best fit as a general manager, but they will be superb assistants. 

The offseason is in its early stages, but many things are already happening for Sandy Alderson.  As previously mentioned, getting Paul DePodesta is currently Alderson’s main target.  After DePodesta decides where he wants to be, then Alderson will set his sights on getting a manager for the team. 

Things aren’t going silky smooth for the Mets right now, but Mets fans have been lucky to see how Sandy Alderson handled his first big problem.  This may have been a blessing in disguise. 

Sure you never want to see problems occur within the franchise, especially when the person has been with the organization for a long time, but it was good for Alderson to get an early test.  In my opinion, he passed with flying colors.  As of now, Sandy Alderson is on a mission, and it seems to be going great. 

The New York Mets have a new slogan, and I am totally behind it.  It’s a simple one with a strong message, “In Sandy We Trust.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the recent news that Jose Reyes‘ $11 million option for 2011 has been picked up, many people are talking about Reyes and his future with the Mets.

I for one, believe that the Mets should try to lock up Jose Reyes and make him a Met lifer.  He is a rare talent that Mets fans take for granted.  Reyes is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting players to watch in all of sports. 

He uses his speed to create a nightmare for the opposing team, especially the pitcher.  Earlier this season, Reyes was playing some of the best baseball in his career.  People say that Jose Reyes’ skills are diminishing, but I beg to differ.

When this guy is healthy, he is dynamic.  Reyes is one of the key parts of the Mets’ core, second only to David Wright.  Wright and Reyes are the faces of this franchise, and nobody can ever replace them. 

The arguments against Jose Reyes is that he is too injury prone, lazy, doesn’t play up to his potential, and many more things concerning his mindset.  All of these arguments against Reyes are totally inaccurate. 

Despite Reyes’ first major league season, he has never had major injury problems until the past two seasons.  I wouldn’t even consider last season as a injury riddled season for him.  Reyes played in a total of 133 games this season. 

If you ask me, Reyes wanted to be on the field every single day this season.  He played every game that he possibly could. 

After an ice cold start to his season, Reyes went on to finish the season with a .282 batting average.  When he was at his healthiest point of the season he was on fire.  He brought his average up from the low .200’s to .300 in a matter of weeks.

We were seeing Jose play some of the best baseball of his career.  There is no denying that when Reyes is 100 percent healthy, he is absolutely great.  He is 100 percent healthy a lot more than most Mets fans think.

From 2005 to 2008, Reyes respectively played in 161, 153, 160, and 159 games.  That is an astounding amount of playing time.  For the people who say that Reyes does not want to be on the playing field, just look at the numbers.  The numbers don’t lie. 

In 2009 Reyes only played in 36 games.  This is like saying because an artist has one bad song, he is a bad artist.  One injury riddled season doesn’t make a player prone to injury every season. 

People question Reyes’ desire to be on the field.  In an interview conducted before the 2010 season Reyes said that he likes the fans’ criticism when he’s doing bad, but he can’t stand when fans question his work ethic, and say he doesn’t want to be on the playing field. 

He loves the game of baseball, and will play on the field whenever he can.  In 2009 he even tried to play through the pain,unfortunately making his injury worse.

Reyes had the desire to play the game even though he was injured, which resulted in him getting seriously injured and sidelined for the rest of the season.  Apparently that makes him lazy and not wanting to be on the playing field.

No one has a strong argument against Jose Reyes being a Met lifer.  Other than being a superb ballplayer, he is also a fantastic clubhouse guy.  Some might call him a cheerleader, but I call him a motivator. 

He’s always smiling and encouraging his teammates.  He also has a personalized handshake with each and every player.  He uses those handshakes to congratulate when they do something great.  This guy makes his teammates want to get down and dirty and win.

Simply put, he has an electric personality.  You can’t put a price on Jose Reyes.  He is a key part to this organization and new Mets general manager realizes that.  Alderson made it clear that Jose is a great player and he is open to extending Reyes’ contract. 

As for trading Reyes, Alderson said that that is very unlikely. 

I’m glad that the new Mets general manager sees how lucky he is to work with a player of Reyes’ caliber.  Better yet, Reyes wants to be in New York.  He enjoys the energy of the fans and having the spotlight on him.  He is the perfect fit for this team, and he should be with the New York Mets until he retires. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are reports that the New York Mets have just picked up Jose Reyes‘ $11 million option for 2011.  Sandy Alderson has only been in the Mets office for about a week now, and he’s making great moves already.

This move was a no-brainer.  Reyes makes the Mets go round, and he is arguably one of the most explosive players in the MLB.  He is a crucial part to the Mets organization and everybody is excited to have him return to Queens for another season. 

After this season, Reyes will be a free agent and the Mets should put their best efforts forward to sign him to a long-term deal.  This organization has a totally different feel to it already.  Alderson is having a great offseason so far, but there are many more moves to be made. 

All that can be said is that Alderson has a good idea for this team moving forward.  To get this obstacle out of the way this early is great.  Now the Mets can focus on hiring a manager.  The new era for the Mets is off to a fantastic start. 

Sandy Alderson had this to say about Jose Reyes, “A long term deal is not out of the question.  It is something we can certainly discuss at a future date.”  “Jose Reyes is one of the most dynamic players in the game and there never was any doubt about picking up his option.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When I read that the new Mets assistant general manager would be JP Ricciardi, I was ecstatic.  First off, this duo of Alderson and Ricciardi is so much better than Minaya and Bernazard.  The Mets are showing their fans that they are dedicated to get back to the playoffs and win a World Series title. 

Ricciardi, former general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, also used to work under Sandy Alderson in Oakland. 

Alderson had this to say about the hiring of Ricciardi, “J.P. brings a wealth of knowledge and a breadth of experience to the organization,” said Alderson. “I worked with him for over a decade in Oakland and I know first hand he’s a superb talent evaluator. He’ll be a tremendous resource in a variety of areas.”

Mets fans should be very excited about this move.  This is a serious addition to the Mets revamped front office.  One of the best thing about this whole signing is that Ricciardi turned down a similar offer from the Red Sox.

Whenever people begin choosing the Mets over the Red Sox, then something great is brewing in Queens.  Ricciardi is a huge plus over former assistant general manager, Tony Bernazard.  Ricciardi is an extremely knowledgeable baseball mind and a great talent evaluator. 

The Mets recent drafts haven’t been the  greatest, but I have a feeling that that is about to change.  The Mets now have many excellent talent evaluators, and with a 13th pick in the first round, I think the Mets will get good results in the their 2011 draft. 

Mets fans around the world should see the significance of this signing.  The New York Mets are finally beginning to make the right moves, and the they’re showing their fans that they are serious with this organization.  I never thought I’d say this, but thank you, Wilpons. 

Now the Mets need to find a manager and then put some new talent onto the field.  I have a great feeling about this team.  It seems like a totally new front office.  Mets fans should expect many more great things to come this offseason. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

That’s right, I said it.  Javier Vazquez would be a great fit for the New York Mets.  Last year, Vazquez was less than stellar for the Yankees.  He just couldn’t seem to get it going, but when he finally did, he did it in Citi Field.

During the Subway Series, Vazquez pitched one of the best games of his not-so-good season.  It seemed as if Vazquez benefited from the spacious dimensions of Citi Field.  He was throwing strikes and was keeping the ball in the park. 

With the uncertain status of Johan Santana, the Mets are in need of another starting pitcher.  Vazquez definitely won’t fill Santana’s shoes, but he will be a good piece for the bottom of the starting rotation for the Mets. 

The Mets don’t have a lot of money to spend on the free-agent market, so they most likely aren’t going to get Cliff Lee.  If Vazquez is asking for the right amount of money, then the Mets should definitely make a go for him. 

His game fits well into Citi Field, and he has shown that he can handle the hardest of the New York media.  He has had many fantastic years and there’s no reason to think that he can’t return to form with the Mets. 

The Mets can make this a low-risk/high-reward situation if they pay Vazquez the right money, and give him no more than a two-year deal. 

The worst-case scenario is that Vazquez continues to perform below his abilities and the Mets will have to hold on to him or try and get rid of him.  But, he won’t be owed that much money so it won’t be nearly as bad as the Oliver Perez situation, where he is making $12 million for just sitting around.

The best-case scenario will be that Vazquez returns to his old form, and Citi Field helps him be great.  He won’t get paid a fortune and he has the potential to be great.  I think that if Vazquez and his agent are asking for a reasonable contract, then the Mets should definitely make a run for him. 

I’m always in the mood for a low-risk/high-reward signing.  The Mets and Sandy Alderson should definitely look into this. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Ever since Sandy Alderson has said that he is looking for a fiery manager, Wally Backman’s name has been mentioned everywhere in the Mets world.  Backman, a former player of the Mets, is in the running for the Mets new manager. 

Last year, Backman managed the Mets A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones.  The Cyclones were successful in 2010, and they played Wally Backman baseball.  Wally Backman baseball is pretty much small ball.  Backman utilized speed and bunting in his way of managing the Cyclones.  He also toughened up the players, and they would run through a wall for him.

Seems like Backman should be hired as the Mets manager as soon as possible, right? 

No.

Despite Backman’s success with several minor league teams, he is not the right guy for the Mets open position at manager.  Mets fans love Backman just as much as the Wilpons do. 

I don’t blame them for liking Backman.  He has an impressive resume, and he’s a fiery manager.  However, I think very differently about him. 

He is too fiery.  Yes, a manager can be too fiery.  Backman draws the line between fiery and stupidity.  A couple years ago, he landed the Diamondbacks managerial job.  He was fired before he even boarded the plane to Arizona. 

Backman got caught up with the law and was arrested.  When the D-Backs front office got the news they cut Backman on the spot.  He screwed up his chance to live one of his biggest dreams: to be a major league manager. 

Last year, the Mets gave Wally the manager job with the Cyclones, and here we are now.  The Mets are seriously considering Backman to be their next manager.

He would not be a good fit at all for the Mets.  The last thing the Mets need is a crazy manager.  The Mets have had plenty of off-the-field issues in the past three years.  These off field issues are what made the team the laughing stock of the MLB. 

The team hasn’t been performing well on the field, but they performed even worse off the field.  Incidents such as the Tony Bernazard situation and Francisco Rodriguez’s tussle with his father-in-law are just a few examples of how dysfunctional the Mets have been off the field.

All they need is to have their manager get arrested.  That would push the team and its fans over the edge.  No matter how much upside Wally Backman has, his downside will always outweigh his upside.  The Mets can’t afford to hand the job to him. 

The team has just given their fans renewed hope with the signing of Sandy Alderson, and a new era of Mets baseball has begun.  A new era that is going to make Mets fans proud to be Mets fans.  A new era that is going to make the Mets a model franchise. 

I respect Wally Backman so much for what he did for the Mets when he played with them, but his time with the Mets should be over.  There are plenty of other candidates for the open manager job, and the Mets should recognize that Backman is not their guy. 

I have a great amount of trust in this organization, and I believe they will make the right decision for their new manager.  I am just a fan with the hopes that my favorite team can be great once again, and make all the right moves.  Right now, I’m proud to be a Met fan, and I hope it stays that way for a long time.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Now that the search for their general manager is over, the Mets can now concentrate on getting a manager.  At the moment, they are in the early stages.  Many names are being mentioned, and we all know that only a few will become serious contenders for the job. 

Sandy Alderson said in yesterday’s press conference that he would like a fiery manager.  That gave this whole situation new life.  Now people are saying that Wally Backman has a real shot to get the job because he fits Sandy’s description of a fiery guy.  The truth is that there is not one front-runner for getting the job.  Everybody has an equal chance right now, and interviews are just beginning to take place. 

Here are 11 people who the Mets might be interested in for their new manager. 

Begin Slideshow

To no surprise, Sandy Alderson has officially been named the new general manager for the New York Mets. Throughout the whole search, Alderson seemed to be the front runner for the job. The Mets and Alderson have agreed to a four year deal, with a club option for 2015. 

Alderson is now at the helm of running the team, and Mets fans are very excited to begin this new era. Alderson has loads of baseball knowledge and is a poised man who will do whatever he can to follow and execute his plan.

Alderson has made it clear that he expects the Mets to be contenders as early as this upcoming season. In his interview today, he said that the Mets are in the middle of the pack and they simply should not be. Alderson believes that in New York, each team should be one of the best in their respective leagues. 

Alderson understands that there are high demands in New York. He understands that the fans want a great and exciting team. He seems poised to turn this team around, and he is ready to take on the challenge.

His first big choice will be to sign a manager. As of now, there are many candidates for the Mets’ manager job. Alderson has dismissed the idea that he wants a manager who will reflect him and follow his directions. He made it clear that he believes that a rowdy and fiery manager would be a great fit for the team. It should be interesting to see who ends up getting the job.

Concerning the Mets’ roster, Sandy believes that, if healthy, the 2011 Mets are capable of being serious contenders. If Bay and Beltran had more at bats, the 2010 season could have been a lot different. 

With that said, Alderson is still going to try his hardest in the free agent market. He is looking for more payroll flexibility and he knows as well as you and I that payroll flexibility will be hard to come by, but he is going to try his best. He is going to try to get it as high as possible and I believe that he will be dedicated to doing that.

The Mets’ off season has just begun, but the fans are extremely excited to see it unfold. Alderson is going to make this off season very interesting and Mets fans have a renewed optimism. I’m expecting him to transform this team into an iconic team, and make them successful. 

Alderson wants to make the Mets an iconic franchise and that’s what he should be aiming for. He also cares a lot about us, the fans. He wants the fans to be happy to be Mets fans, and have a great amount of pride for their team. A new era is beginning in New York, and Mets fans are just as excited as Sandy Alderson to see this team be great once again.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After a long process, the Mets have cut their search for a new general manager down to two candidates, neither of which is a surprise to anybody.

Josh Byrnes and Sandy Alderson have been favorites for the job ever since the Mets’ offseason began.  Some people like Byrnes and some people like Alderson, but it all matters on who the Mets like.  This week, the Mets are interviewing Byrnes and Alderson for the second and last time. 

Their decisions will be based on what they hear on these last interviews.  As of now, it’s looking as if Sandy Alderson has the job already, but you never know with the Mets.  Byrnes is an attractive option—he’s young, smart and built up a bunch of young studs in Arizona, but he just couldn’t get the ball rolling.

Although Byrnes couldn’t make the D-Backs perennial winners, I think he could easily make the Mets perennial winners.  After all, the Mets are a lot different than the D-Backs: They are a big-market team and things usually come easier when you’re a big-market team. 

Even though it hasn’t been that way for the Mets in recent years, most people would agree that the Mets should have played better, but they play the games for a reason.  If the Mets surprise everyone and hire Josh Byrnes, I wouldn’t be mad with that decision.

I would prefer Alderson, but if the Mets hire Byrnes then I guess they saw something in him that they didn’t see in Alderson.  Either way, Alderson is still the front runner and I like that.

There are many reasons why most Mets fans would like to see Sandy Alderson at the helm.  One of the main ones is experience.  Alderson has been around the game for a long time, most recently working as the VP of Baseball Operations. 

He is highly regarded among baseball, and is a proven winner.  He built the 1989 World Champion Oakland Athletics, and mentored one of the best general managers in the game, Billy Beane.

Alderson also would bring an idea to the Mets’ organization; recently, it has seemed as if the Mets haven’t had an idea for the future.  Alderson would bring in an idea and do everything in his power to make that idea a reality. 

The owners of the Mets, the Wilpons, are said to have recently been using general managers as their “puppets.”  In other words, the Wilpons were the ones making the decisions, not the general managers.  I don’t think that would be a problem if Alderson got the job.  He is experienced and the Wilpons will trust him and follow his vision.

Josh Towers was the Padres CEO when Alderson was their general manager. 

Towers was quoted in the New York Times regarding Alderson, saying, ”I trusted Sandy Alderson, and in this game, that’s huge…You always knew where you stood with Sandy, [he] was always one of those guys who wasn’t afraid to think outside the box…He was all about making sure you think through everything before making the decision.  Sandy is a smart guy. He’ll have a network of people he’ll bring in who will make that organization better if he gets the job.” 

The Mets’ hunt for a general manager is coming to an exciting end.  Change is the air for the Mets, and all fans are looking forward to who will take the Mets’ general manager job. 

I think the Mets will pick the right guy for the job, regardless of who they pick.  It’s a new era for the Mets and it’s going to start off on the right foot with whoever they hire. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com