Change Machine
It's a different kind of October, and if you believe what you read, it's going to be a different kind of Mets team come April.
The hardest team to blow up is the team that's forever in the hunt, forever on the cusp, but that's exactly the kind of team that needs blowing up in the first place.
Now, by "blown up" I don't mean you go and trade the core of the team; Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Johan, Pelf Man, they're part of the solution.
That's 5 guys. What about the other 20? Are they part of the solution too?
I want to think we all agree Luis Castillo, Scott Schowenweis, and Marlon Anderson are not part of the solution. So now we're down to 17 (hey, that's good luck!).
Of those 17, a lot of them have a little of column A, and a little of column B.
Endy Chavez is a tremendous defensive asset, but is he worth carrying on the team when he's basically a non-factor at the plate?
Ramon Castro is an asset as a hitter, but he's broken down two years in a row, is he worth carrying?
Aaron Heilman had a terrible season in 2008, but he was a reliable setup man in 2007 and our 8th inning guy for our dominant 2006 bullpen (7th before Duaner went down), what do you do with him?
What about Ollie, he was the team's third starter this year. There's value in that. But is there value in that at 5 years and $60mm?
Tough questions.
* * * * *
One thing's for certain, what the fan base is thirsting for are gamers. Watching the playoffs, I've been struck by how much Mets fans would love a guy like Kevin Youkilis, or an A.J. Pierzynski, or a Scott Kazm... hello!
It's the same reason that Johan Santana's stock, almost impossible, has risen among Mets fans since word broke out that he was playing on a gimpy knee the last month of the season (speaking of which, in the long run, is it actually a good thing we didn't make the playoffs? What if Johan had blown out his knee that first start in October?). They appreciate his hustle, they appreciate his competitiveness.
As I said in my post on Opening Day this year, fans relate to players with passion because that's what fans know: passion.
Passion is the uniting theme of fandom. Fans follow their teams year after year, day after day, offseason after offseason, off-year after off-year, because the team is part of their lives. Fans, in short, give a shit.
Too often the past couple years, this Mets team has looked like it doesn't give a shit, or at least it's looked joyless or indifferent. Under Willie Randolph, that was definitely the way the team played.
Fortunately, we have a manager now who has found a way to bring the fire out of his players, but what if certain players just don't have it in them?
That's the general manager's job. Omar Minaya, our newly minted long-term GM, has a major task ahead of him this offseason. Does he dare part ways with Carlos Delgado after a 38-home run season? Would he ever trade Fernando Martinez? Can he bear to say goodbye to Pedro?
* * * * *
It's all on Omar this offseason. The plan cannot just be to fix the bullpen. The bullpen is the most glaring issue, yes, but this team needs more than patching up.
It needs an attitude adjustment; the team needs to bring guys in who won't allow themselves to fail.
It needs a roster that's constructed in such a way that Nos. 22 through 25 on the roster aren't guys you'd dread sending up there to pinch hit.
More than anything though, it needs to give fans a reason to believe again. Two massively disappointing finishes in a row, patience is stretched thin.
Omar, it's your move.
- A.F.O.M.G.
The hardest team to blow up is the team that's forever in the hunt, forever on the cusp, but that's exactly the kind of team that needs blowing up in the first place.
Now, by "blown up" I don't mean you go and trade the core of the team; Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Johan, Pelf Man, they're part of the solution.
That's 5 guys. What about the other 20? Are they part of the solution too?
I want to think we all agree Luis Castillo, Scott Schowenweis, and Marlon Anderson are not part of the solution. So now we're down to 17 (hey, that's good luck!).
Of those 17, a lot of them have a little of column A, and a little of column B.
Endy Chavez is a tremendous defensive asset, but is he worth carrying on the team when he's basically a non-factor at the plate?
Ramon Castro is an asset as a hitter, but he's broken down two years in a row, is he worth carrying?
Aaron Heilman had a terrible season in 2008, but he was a reliable setup man in 2007 and our 8th inning guy for our dominant 2006 bullpen (7th before Duaner went down), what do you do with him?
What about Ollie, he was the team's third starter this year. There's value in that. But is there value in that at 5 years and $60mm?
Tough questions.
* * * * *
One thing's for certain, what the fan base is thirsting for are gamers. Watching the playoffs, I've been struck by how much Mets fans would love a guy like Kevin Youkilis, or an A.J. Pierzynski, or a Scott Kazm... hello!
It's the same reason that Johan Santana's stock, almost impossible, has risen among Mets fans since word broke out that he was playing on a gimpy knee the last month of the season (speaking of which, in the long run, is it actually a good thing we didn't make the playoffs? What if Johan had blown out his knee that first start in October?). They appreciate his hustle, they appreciate his competitiveness.
As I said in my post on Opening Day this year, fans relate to players with passion because that's what fans know: passion.
Passion is the uniting theme of fandom. Fans follow their teams year after year, day after day, offseason after offseason, off-year after off-year, because the team is part of their lives. Fans, in short, give a shit.
Too often the past couple years, this Mets team has looked like it doesn't give a shit, or at least it's looked joyless or indifferent. Under Willie Randolph, that was definitely the way the team played.
Fortunately, we have a manager now who has found a way to bring the fire out of his players, but what if certain players just don't have it in them?
That's the general manager's job. Omar Minaya, our newly minted long-term GM, has a major task ahead of him this offseason. Does he dare part ways with Carlos Delgado after a 38-home run season? Would he ever trade Fernando Martinez? Can he bear to say goodbye to Pedro?
* * * * *
It's all on Omar this offseason. The plan cannot just be to fix the bullpen. The bullpen is the most glaring issue, yes, but this team needs more than patching up.
It needs an attitude adjustment; the team needs to bring guys in who won't allow themselves to fail.
It needs a roster that's constructed in such a way that Nos. 22 through 25 on the roster aren't guys you'd dread sending up there to pinch hit.
More than anything though, it needs to give fans a reason to believe again. Two massively disappointing finishes in a row, patience is stretched thin.
Omar, it's your move.
- A.F.O.M.G.
posted by A Friend of Mr. Glass' at 11:29 PM
2 Comments:
You are soooooo right
for here on out I blame Omar for everything negative...
i don't feel bad for castillo or Anderson but I do for Scotty...i still donot know why he has sukked sooo much.... soo often..at least heilman will get things right for a little while at a time....
sheesh
I say let the "other 20" guys battle it out...whomever plays the best gets to play no matter the salary...
Actually, I don't think 'gamers' are always the answer. maybe this team could use some, maybe they already have that, or maybe there are other ways to win. The players are what they are, and I don't subscribe to 'winning' or 'losing' players. _That_ is the job of the manager. Coaching, leadership (whether by him, or by standing aside to let 'veterans' like Wright lead.) Too often Jerry comes off as wanting to be 'general' when it might be more beneficial for Wright to have more command. finding a way to win with the (good) players that are here, not having a strategy to win and hoping to have the right mix. These are all professionals, and it takes the right touch to get them all to the finish line together.
Castillo was decent for us in the end of 2007. He led the team with RISP in the early part of last year, despite playing hurt for most of it. His recovery/rehab could've been handled better by a monkey. (John Maine's situation didn't change, so why could Manuel open his mouth a month early and say he wasn't going to use him? Save him the aggrevation.) I think Castillo could be a solid contributor where we don't need an 'all-star' at every position. I don't think Castillo playing hurt this team at all last year (Whereas Argenis did, way too much.)
I still kind of like Joe Smith, and think he has potential. Endy? I dunno, Endy actually performed pretty well as a stand-in while everyone was hurt. He started horribly and then once he got the regular playing time actually turned it on a bit. But he doesn't suit the way Manuel uses/used the bench, so maybe you do trade him.
I think Church deserves a chance, and I think I like Schneider, and don't see a super option out there anyway, so I wouldn't be against keeping him.
Heilman is a wonder..maybe that injury really did hamper him (should've been shut down in June if that was the case). Feliciano? maybe has a bounce back year..maybe was a flash in the pan.
I think the biggest problem was that the Mets were inconsistent, and they struggled to be consistent with the stuff going on around them. the "fire the manager" questions, the constant travel west, the injuries, platoons are by definition inconsistent. Manuel changed up the lineup the last two days.., he used the bullpen without roles. No consistency, nobody on the field or off knew what was coming next or what to get ready for.
Mets goals in my eyes:
bullpen: At least two strong relievers, and a huge tank of backup plans.
Starters: Need to find a 5th, maybe a 4th starter. Preferably an innings-eater among them. Might have to keep Perez though, even if he is the picture of inconsistent.
Find a place for Daniel Murphy to play, and this might play into having a solid contingency plan for Delgado if/when he's resigned.
More depth in the outfield. I know the depth has failed in the past couple of years, Newhan, Aguila, Ben Johnson, etc, etc, etc...lots of outfield injuries.
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