Is There A Plan ? (Doesn’t Look Like One, So…Here’s One)

scribed by NewYorkMetsdiehardfan

Does it feel like the Mets don’t have a 2008 plan, much less 2009 or 2010 ? Look at the trend in MLB. Teams are getting younger, signing young players long-term, through their arbitration-eligible, and a few free-agent years, at a reduced cost, with the players agreeing so that they have financial stability, and a long-term guaranteed contract. Omar has done this with Reyes & Wright. A problem is that too many of the Mets are too old to even be offered this option. John Maine is a player the Mets will want on their team for the long haul, but, it is not wise to sign pitching to a long-term deal. They rolled the dice with Santana, and hopefully, he stays healthy throughout his contract. Church is on the DL, and hopefully his health is not a long-term problem. Otherwise, the other players are not young prospects who can have arbitration & free agent years bought out, by signing long-term.

The Mets just drafted 20 starters, 6 relievers, 4 catchers, 5 first basemen, 3 second basemen, a shortstop, a third baseman and 12 outfielders. They signed 2 pitchers today, Collin McHugh and Erik Turgeon. It’s a nice start. They need to sign as many of their draft picks as soon as possible. It’s good publicity (which they could use right now), and it starts to add new blood to their minor league A ball teams (St. Lucie, Savannah, Brooklyn & Kingsport). It also creates opportunities for some of their current A ball players to be promoted to their upper level A team (St. Lucie) as well as some St. Lucie players promoted to AA (Binghamton) and AA players to AAA (New Orleans). The Mets AAA team currently is older cast-offs from other teams. Injecting some life into that team will be giving some of the AA players a promotion, and an opportunity to prove themselves at a higher level of the minors without being rushed to the majors, only to show that they are overmatched and not ready (such as Mike Pelfrey and Nick Evans). Fernando Martinez is currently injured, and there are no young prospects that are major league ready. Step one is to sign their recent draft picks, and promote some A ball players to AA, as well as some AA players to AAA. It doesn’t solve problems immediately in the majors, but, it’s part of the long-term plan.