Mets failing at winning now
Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:37 PM
Here’s the problem with the Mets: they were built to win now and they haven’t.
There was no future when ownership gave the keys to Omar Minaya, who became general manager in late 2004. After Minaya took charge the payroll was raised, prospects were traded and everything was mortgaged to regain respectability (achieved in 2005) and contend for a championship (the Mets fell one win short of the World Series in 2006 and then collapsed down the stretch in 2007, missing the playoffs in agonizing fashion.
Manager Willie Randolph, a key to the 2005 turnaround of the mindset of a locker room mired in losing, has been on the block since last September’s collapse. Now, Minaya is taking shots.
Nothing with what’s going on with the Mets, Randolph and Minaya is totally fair but race and other talking points aside, it is all rooted in winning. This team was supposed to play in a World Series. They have spent freely, saying no only to Barry Zito (the best move of the Minaya era) but have yet to bring the World Series back to Shea Stadium.
And that’s the key to understanding all that happens in Flushing. Fred Wilpon has owned this team for nearly three decades and has seen two World Series. For the many dollars he has spent, including buying out longtime partner Nelson Doubleday in 2002, the return has been poor.
And Wilpon is a decent man who truly loves the game. His devotion to charitable causes and community interests will be his legacy to the New York National League Baseball Club. But Wilpon also wants to win. And he has spent 12 years watching the Yankees take back New York by owning October. Only thrice in those 12 years have the Mets participated in the playoffs.
The last part of the equation is Wilpon’s son Jeff, who was eliminated from Shea Stadium by Doubleday’s firm no-family policy. The day the papers were signed to buy out Doubleday, Jeff Wilpon was back in the mix with the Mets. And his influence has been firm both in baseball and image matters.
So the Mets stand today with a growing image as massive underachievers. And that must gall the Wilpons, who spend well and care about the Mets’ place in the New York professional sports landscape.
The Mets have spent nearly $140 million this year -- a payroll exceeded only by the Yankees and Tigers. Criticism is flowing over the age of the team (legitimate), the over reliance on aging fragile players (legitimate) and the lack of athleticism in a time when that quality is precious (a knock that is at least a bit unfair given the presence of Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran). The lack of a productive farm system is a questionable criticism as it must be pointed out that prospects were used by Minaya to trade for Carlos Delgado, Paul Lo Duca, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, Luis Castillo and most notably, Johan Santana.
And that brings us back to the beginning and how the Mets are supposed to win now. There are a few foundation pieces in place for their move to a new ballpark next season (including the aforementioned trio of Reyes, Wright and Beltran) but last season’s collapse has heightened the urgency to win this year.
This week could have offered relief as the Mets host struggling Arizona and Texas. But the Mets blew a 5-1 lead last night and lost 9-5 to Arizona and they face Brandon Webb and Dan Haren to finish out the series. Until there’s consistent winning, there is no solid future for anyone. And if someone falls around the Mets, realize it’s about today’s standings and nothing more.
FIVE MORE SWINGS:
1. When did the NL Central become the league’s best division? It includes the league’s best team (Cubs), the biggest surprise (St. Louis) and the rebounding Pirates and Reds. The NL West has been so weak that the Giants, with little offense, are in third place. Besides the Cubs, the Phillies, Angels and White Sox have established themselves as leaders of their divisions. And just how surprising are the White Sox given the talent in Detroit and Cleveland?
2. And with the Tigers the Dontrelle Willis saga is sad. I watched the clips of his outing Monday night and didn’t see a pitch over 87 mph. What happened to the 92-93 mph fastball out of the funky delivery that made Willis so dominating in the NL? This is a spirited young man whose personality and vibrancy are welcome, not to mention the importance of his success as a means of promoting baseball to African-American youth. I only hope his humbling trip to Single-A ball in attempt to get his pitching straightened out is short and productive.
3. I wrote about Seattle a few weeks ago and upon my return from covering the French Open, I see where Richie Sexson (.213 BA, 9 HR and 23 RBI) and Adrian Beltre (.226 BA, 13 HR and 28 RBI) have merely pedestrian numbers. This franchise spent so wildly to bring Sexson home and he has resembled a latter-day Dave Kingman. While Beltre is looking more like one of the most intriguing and puzzling one-year wonders (check his career and explain how 2004 -- his walk year -- so outpaces any other).
4. I’ve been reading about the upcoming summit on maple bats. I was in San Francisco when Barry Bonds introduced something that seemed so logical – bats made from sturdier wood, which had increased longevity and delivered better results. But it’s good to see baseball address safety. And remember the death of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh -- a freak accident but a tragic one no less – initiated this issue being raised. Anything that jeopardizes the health of people on the field or the stands must take priority over the “comfort” of a player.
5. Huge injury last night to Albert Pujols, whose strained calf forced him to be carried off the field. I speak from experience -- the sight of Pujols unable to put weight on the injured leg was a sign of an injury that could take significant time (more than a week) to heal.
