" Hello, yeah, it's been a while.
Not much, how 'bout you?"England Dan & John Ford Coley
Well it has been a while, and with the
Much has been said about the Mets spending habits over the last three years and that this year will be much different because of Johan's and most of Bay's salary coming off the books, and Francisco's too.That will allow the Mets some much needed room for upgrading their most glaring needs: a true SS, possible 2B, possible 1B, and power in the OF.
Let's not kid ourselves, Elvis and the Mets will not break open the bank and sign a big name. They did that. His name is Terry Collins.I still believe the Mets are in financial dire straits, and the owe so much money to SNY and the banks, what makes us think that these huge dollars coming off the books will result in getting Robinson Cano or some other big name star.
Sandy Alderson has never shown he's a big time spender, especially when it comes to contracts longer than 5 years.
Playing GM for the day, I would truly like the Mets to kick the tires on Carlos Gonzales. He might cost a small fortune in prospects and Major League ready players, but where's the harm in inquiring?
The problem the Mets run into is that everyone knows their Minor League pitching is pretty impressive with such prospects as Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, or Jack Leathersich. An awfully high price to pay, especially since Matt Harvey conceivably will not pitch in '14.
The next thing I would look to do is see whom might be interested in Daniel Murphy. Murph is coming off a solid year, but I think the Mets can do better at 2B. Murphy frequently suffers from brain farts; one's that usually affect the outcome of a game. I've seen enough of him, and if his value is high after a solid '13, my logic is sell high.
If the Mets believe Wilmer Flores is for real (I don't, but if they do), he can be switched back to 2B - a position he played at AAA last year. If Flores isn't the answer, I feel more comfortable with EY Jr at 2B than in LF. He is more comfortable at 2B, and his poor judgement of fly balls along with a weak arm doesn't make him a candidate for the outfield.
The SS position is a nightmare. I never like Tejada, and I complained incessantly when Alderson didn't even offer him a contract at the end of the '11 season. Money aside, how much do you think Sandy misses Jose? What will kill Mets fans is when Toronto decides to trade Jose, that he winds up on the other side of the Triborough Bridge wearing pinstripes.
Troy Tulowitzki's name has been bandied about as a possible trade option. TT is real good, but is so frequently injured, I am not looking to pull the trigger on that deal.
Granted, this is more heart than logic, but I would offer Syndergaard in a deal if it would net the Mets Reyes. Jose was born to play for this team, but on the downside, his contract is so heavily back loaded, it makes acquiring him prohibitive, unless Toronto picks up a large chunk. Another question is, would Jose want to return? He was very hurt by the Mets when they didn't even offer him a contract, and treated him like yesterday's trash.
Marlon Byrd says he's interested in returning to the Mets, but I wouldn't be so quick to sign him. He had a solid year, but he will be 37 next year, and I wouldn't want him being my starting RF for 2 or 3 years at that age, especially with den Dekker and Lagares on the horizon.
There is a lot of work to do for the Mets, and we can't expect it to be done this season. I still think Alderson is more of a dumpster diving GM than a shoot for the stars GM. He got lucky with Byrd and failed miserably with Frank Francisco.
I don't expect to see the Mets making any significant signings, unless you consider the re-signing of TC and (possibly) Johan as big signings.
Let's hope the Mets turn up the gas and make this off season a real Hot Stove one.
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