The New York Mets: Of Pressure And Patience

Written by: Mark Healey on 16th December 2009

John Maine is one of the Mets' major concerns for 2010 | read this item

When the New York Mets dealt away prized prospect Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano on July 30, 2004, it quickly became known as Black Friday to Mets fans. It caused an explosion of anger from a long-suffering Mets fanbase that believed that the fireballing youngster was integral to “The Plan”, the organization’s code word for fixing a broken franchise. The Shea Faithful felt ambushed, lied to, and convinced that the organization was in shambles. They were correct.

This past Monday has had a big effect on the fan base as well, and has been labeled “Black Monday”, because this time, Mets didn’t make any trades. Instead they watched as their main rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, made a blockbuster that allowed them to acquire Roy Halladay. Compounding things was Boston signing free agent starter John Lackey, who many believed was the Mets’ only realistic — and best — solution to fill the vacant No. 2 spot in their starting rotation. This time, the major emotion isn’t rage, it’s apathy.

And that’s bad mojo, folks. For a number of reasons.

Why? Oh, I’ll tell you why. Because this time, Omar Minaya is no longer the flush-with-cash architect of a breakout Broadway show called “The New Mets”. Instead, he’s become the powerless front man for a long-running sitcom that is as empty of quality content as “Veronica’s Closet” ever was. Worse, it may never be canceled.

Let’s be clear; Minaya is a swell guy who is liked by the majority of his contemporaries. Unlike his deposed deputy, Tony Bernazard, who was despised by 99.9% of humanity, many people feel a tremendous amount of sympathy for Minaya’s current situation.

There are still many others calling for his dismissal, as well a cataclysmic rebuilding of the entire organizational structure, including ownership.

Since the Bernie Madoff scandal broke in late 2008, there have been rumors swirling about the Mets’ finances and whether or not the Wilpon family really has the cash to maintain the National League’s highest payroll. In reality, we may never know just how much the Wilpons lost, or profited for that matter, from the now infamous Ponzi scheme.

What we do know is the Mets have failed — so far, anyway — to address any of the club’s major needs it will require to be considered a playoff caliber team. There is no longer a true No. 2 starter on the open market. Many feel the Mets missed an opportunity with Lackey, but let’s remember that Kevin Millwood, in a contract year, was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles – who play in a division with no hope of contending – for 28-year old Chris Ray, who went was 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA in 46 games last season.

While the Mets continue to negotiate – seemingly against themselves – with a 34-year old catcher, all they have to show for their efforts is long reliever Elmer Dessens and backup catcher Henry Blanco. The latter was a player, which according to reports, was courted by none other than Johan Santana. Mets fans must be wondering, “Hey, um, Johan? Could you maybe recruit, you know, like Joe Mauer maybe?”

One thing I will say about Bengie Molina, he is basically the same player he was at 24, when he broke into the majors with the Angels; decent BA, low OBP, not a lot of Ks, lots of DPs, and his 162-game average for his career (thanks to BaseballReference.com) for HRs and RBIs is 18/88. Dazzling? No, but while he may not be the signature off-season acquisition that many Mets fans desire, his presence on the 2010 (and even 2011) roster would likely upgrade the position while the Mets determine if Josh Thole is the long-term answer.

There’s also a chance that the Mets have the wherewithal to sign Jason Bay to a four or five-year contract to play LF. The merits of his inclusion have been debated in many places, as well as his defensive prowess (or lack thereof). Again, he would be an upgrade offensively to the mishmash of fourth outfielders, miscast first baseman-DH types and brittle 40-plus year olds that have manned the position since the end of the 2006 season. In addition to his questionable defense, the presence and potential blockage of young Fernando Martinez is also a factor in the misgivings some Mets fans have about Bay’s joining the club.

Many have cited the need for the Mets to add to their starting rotation, especially the aforementioned No. 2 starter role, a job Mike Pelfrey (10-12, 5.03 ERA), failed to take possession of in a very difficult 2009 campaign. Popular John Maine, who won 15 games (15-10, 3.91 ERA) two season ago, has seemingly fallen apart, both mentally and physically since pitching coach Rick Peterson was fired in June of 2008. His struggles pale in comparison to that of left-hander Oliver Perez, who was signed to a much-criticized three-year, $36 million contract prior to last season. Perez, who also won 15 games in 2007, made just 14 starts last season, compiling an ugly 6.92 ERA. Homegrown southpaw Jon Niese is also a major question mark, as he’s coming off a dramatic hamstring injury suffered in August.

These five players represent the potential starting rotation for 2010, a group that many feel needs to be vastly upgraded if the Mets are going to contend. Jason Marquis would be a good fit, given his durability, New York background and in-place friendship with right-fielder Jeff Francouer, but at what price? Durability and a Gotham connection are absent from the resume of Joel Piniero, as would be his St, Louis pitching guru Dave Duncan, so that’s an even riskier proposition. The trade market could prove to be a possibility with names like the Reds’ Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang being bandied around in trade rumors. However, the Mets’ farm system doesn’t seem to have the depth to supply the type of major league-ready talent that Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty would demand in return.

Stokesbd The bullpen, which has been a comedy of errors since the latter half of the 2006 season, is in even worse shape, and given Minaya’s penchant for stocking his relief corps with scrap heap projects, not very promising for 2010. At The Winter Meetings, Mets manager Jerry Manuel talked about filling the eighth-inning setup role by committee depending on who is “hot”. For a skipper whose management of the Mets’ relief corps has been spotty at best, this doesn’t give Mets fans much solace either.

That’s a heckuva lot of question marks for a team with a $150 million payroll. And we didn’t even get into the probability of healthy and representative seasons by Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Francouer and Daniel Murphy.

Before the 2010 season even begins, the pressure to “contend” is already present in all aspects of the Mets’ public persona. There’s also a growing feeling that Omar Minaya may not be the person to adequately change things around.

***

Is the mess of the 2009 season or the current state of affairs of the Mets all Minaya’s fault? Or is it the meddlesome Wilpon family ownership group (categorized by one former employee as “the well-meaning dopes”). Let’s remember the Wilpon group has played a major role in the management of the club since they bought a 50 percent share in 1987.

To the first question, much like his predecessors, Minaya has been a victim of naiveté Believing that ownership would allow his baseball department to operate in a vacuum is high comedy for those who know better.

But let’s face it; Minaya has also created his own reality.

He hired the inexperienced Tony Bernazard to be his right hand; which blew up in his face. While the volatile ex-union flunkie was officially fired because of several well-publicized profanity-laden outbursts, his work product was among the worst in baseball. Based on his interaction with executives from other teams, overt acts of cronyism in his hiring practices, high visibility in the team’s clubhouse and manager’s office and utter lack of any prior player development experience, many baseball insiders feel he left behind a mess for Minaya.

Minaya disputes this, of course, defending his friend’s oversight of the minor leagues to the last. At the sane time, he publicly doubts that Bernazard had anything to do with the fractured relationships in the clubhouse that cost former manager Willie Randolph his job.

Minaya also hired his old farm director Adam Wogan away from the Expos, and for all intents and purposes, has installed him in the Bernazard role as Czar of the minor leagues. By following the Wilpon mantra of replacing an administrator with his immediate subordinate (and eschewing the addition of a successful person outside the organization, who might have a fresh perspective), Minaya has maintained the status quo of a mediocre – at best – department that is vital to the team’s success.

Did injuries play a role in the disaster of 2009? Absolutely. Is it the reason why the Mets are in the state they are in? Hell, no. Minaya and his staff’s lack of pitching evaluation acumen, stubborn adherence to a system-wide accelerated development program (which Bernazard always took credit for, but was put into place by former Minor League Coordinator Tony “T.J.” Tijerina to identify certain players who could handle the fast track, not en masse) and questionable managing skills of Manuel all played a role.

The Wilpons are hardly blameless either.

Whether the GMs name was Cashen, McIllvaine, Phillips, Duquette or Minaya, CEO Fred and COO Jeff Wilpon have overseen – at different times – ALL aspects of the day-to-day operations of the club.

I have never understood – or believed – the family’s assertion that the baseball department “makes all of the decisions”. But even if these statements are true, ownership has made several far-reaching decisions outside of baseball operations that have repeatedly turned off one of the most loyal fan bases in the country.

From the construction of a ballpark that is aesthetically beautiful, but devoid of the adoration of the team that plays on its field, to the clumsy attempts by miscast “spokespeople” to address the fan base’s dissatisfaction with the ballpark, the Wilpons has failed to motivate many ticket sales this off-season. The perception is that the Mets have decided to ignore their most loyal fans in order to create a sterile, corporate venue – called by this writer “Neutral Field” — that mostly pays homage to an organization that abandoned these parts 50-plus years ago.

So many of these complaints are fixable, and yet there is always a spin cycle in place to deflect criticism, rather than admitting a mistake and fixing it.

Is it so difficult too give the fans blue hats, blue undershirts and blue

Tom Seaver, wearing the real home uniform

socks at home and taking the black drop shadow off just one of the team’s gazillion uniform combinations. No, the Mets had to create a “retro” jersey that is neither “retro” or historically accurate. And with black on it, no less. Sheesh. If they prefer black, they can get an all-black jersey, an all-back hat and even an all-black jacket. Did it ever occur to the Mets that a good portion of their fan base is hardcore, old school METS fans? Good God, how difficult is it to throw them a bone once in awhile?

From published reports, we hear that Oldtimer’s Day is “too much work”, but perhaps if the club’s PR department worked as hard at promoting Oldtimer’s Day (accompanied by a FanFest of some kind), as it did the opening of the Alyssa Milano boutique, maybe they’d have a better turnout.

For a fanbase that is this cranky, couldn’t you work a littler harder on the peripheral things that might win you over some of those folks? It might not translate into immediate ticket sales, but maybe there are millions of fans that listen on the Radio (and probably represent the majority of the folks that call into WFAN and ESPN 1050), watch SNY and and post on Internet message boards and blogs, that play a huge role in the public perception of the team. Maybe putting together a truly representative focus group of these folks could help? Since the Wilpons are always so defensive and get their backs up when people complain, I am shocked that they haven’t put together a Town Meeting At Citi for fans to vent a little bit. You could even sell $2 dollar hot dogs and make some money on the deal.

Then there is, more importantly, the obstructed view controversy, which is astounding in its own right. The “it’s you, not us approach” could not be more ill-advised.

For example, I hired a family-owned contracting company to re-side my house a few years ago. Formerly run by the father, the son was now the point man. My wife – a stickler for detail — noticed that one section of the project looked uneven. Even with my eyesight issues, I could see the obvious. We pointed it out, and spent the next 20 minutes listening to how “that’s the way the house leans”. Thankfully, the father had been visiting his son that particular day, and noticed the animated discussion. Before even asking his question, he yelled at the crew as he ambled over, yelling, “Hey, stunod, that’s all crooked.”

Obvious mistake. Dopey and useless spin. Solution by accountability.

So where does all this leave Minaya and the Mets? Well, let’s see:

- Many question marks on the field
- Doubts about the long-term health of the franchise
- Apathetic fan base with a Bobby Bonilla-sized chip on their shoulders
- Dwindling season ticket sales.
- Lame duck GM and manager
- Instrusive and stubborn ownership
- Media that regularly enjoys the misery of the Mets (and the Wilpons)

It’s not a time for panic, it’s a time for reality and patience and observation. That goes for the Wilpons (we see what happens when they panic), Minaya (still amazed at the attack on Adam Rubin) and the fans (yeah, you guys that keep saying 2010 is over already).

Hey stunods, it’s crooked. Fix it. Don’t talk about it, don’t explain it, just do it. Enough with all the drama.

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Topics: Bernie Madoff, Black Friday, Black Monday, Blockbuster, Code Word, Fan Base, Fanbase, Front Man, John Lackey, Mets Fans, New York Mets, Omar Minaya, Philadelphia Phillies, Quality Content, Roy Halladay, Scott Kazmir, Shambles, Swell Guy, Tony Bernazard, Victor Zambrano

The Coop says:

December 16, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Woo hoo Mark, tell it like it is! Although I do have to say they are really working the whole loyal-fan season-ticket base angle and kissing our butts, but the fact is, many of us would go to games anyway (hence the passion). But I am quite tired to put it mildly of being considered a nuisance instead of someone who helps pay the bills, k-w-i-m? I’m giving them one more year — if 2010 doesn’t start to reflect some philosophical changes, I will publicly call for the Wilpon’s to sell the Mets (and you know me, I will do that).
Brian Joura says:

December 16, 2009 at 7:16 pm

Very nice article.

One thing that I don’t think can be pointed out enough is that the Mets are bidding against themselves for Molina. When Toronto signed John Buck, that closed the only other realistic landing spot.

And Molina stinks. Let’s not kid ourselves. He can hit HR and that’s about it. And the history of 35-year-old catchers is that their power drops off considerably. Look at Terry Steinbach and see what he did at 34 and then 35. Or Elston Howard or Sherm Lollar or Jeff Reed…

And when Molina hits 12 HR next year instead of 20 and he only drives in 55 runs because he’s not hitting cleanup, everyone is going to act all surprised.

I am no Omir Santos fan but the good thing about him is as soon as the Mets finally decide/realize that Josh Thole belongs in the majors, they can cut Santos. If they sign Molina, they have to go door to door begging for someone to take him, much like they are doing with Luis Castillo right now.

Anything more than a one-year deal for Molina is flushing money down the drain. Even a one-year deal is excessive because he will be paid multi-millions to provide just over replacement value.

Signing Molina to a multi-year deal will be what finally pushes me over the edge with Omar Minaya. Currently, I am trying to placate myself with the knowledge that Minaya has been linked to rotten veterans before (remember when Sammy Sosa was going to become a Met?) and it never happened.

I am ambivalent to replacing Minaya right now but if adds Molina to the team then he definitely needs to go.

Forget about adding 3-4 players if Molina is one of the ones you are targeting. Instead pool the money and go after Matt Holliday.
jc says:

December 17, 2009 at 7:05 pm

On of Miniya’s biggest failures is his inability to develop a farm system! Look at the Yankees, Phillies, Twins, Sox, Angels they all have one thing in common…a good farm system. A good farm system feeds trades, saves money on bad FA contracts, creates a winning enviornment, and … the obvious… fuels the team with talent on the cheap. Sorry but Murphy, Evans, F-Mart, Holt, Thole, Majia are marginal major leaguers at best.Hell,some of them are marginal aa players… maybe Ike Davis will be the one.