Spring Training Random Thoughts

[Villain]

Comprehensive Doyers' payroll breakdown.

Gwynn gets $1.15MM to play AAA baseball this year.

[EmpireWF]

FWIW, a quote from Alderson in January...

I’m not happy where we are in preparation for 2013. I can assure you that where we are now is not where we want to be opening spring training. I mean, it’s conceivable we could be in the same position, but it’s not where we want to be.

The only moves since then were to sign old bullpen arms, Shaun Marcum and Marlon Byrd (only Marcum was to a guaranteed MLB deal).

Why he didn't go out and spend some money, even on a 2-3 year deal, for an OF is unknown. They only have two long-term deals on the books next year (Wright, Niese) and any of the young guys trying to earn a spot are not expected to do much damage over a 162 game season.

If it's payroll flexibility for down the road Sandy wanted, he has it. But he's never come out and said those words best I remember.

What's sad is before spring, Sandy essentially joked at how shitty the pieces they have for the OF were....nothing's changed. Hope is someone can establish themself, if not, it's a black hole.

[Goober]

What is the point of the Mets signing Michael bourn though? The Mets will be shit for at least another 3 years, by the time they have a chance at competing again, Bourn will be an old piece of shit.

[Guest]

Again, nowhere in my posts did I advocate "overspending" or adding $70M to the payroll.

The Mets did nothing to add to the current team. Zero. Zilch. Nothing.

If you recall, I was in support of moving Dickey while his value was highest, I had no problem with that move. But you can restock the farm and add pieces to the current team. There were bargains to be had this offseason, Michael Bourn was one example, and he was reportedly waiting for the Mets to shit or get off the pot for a couple of weeks before he moved on and signed with the Indians.

There is no "sound reason" to open up with a $30M payroll on opening day. Especially with two wild cards where just about everybody has hope unless you are truly terrible. My gripe with the Mets isnt that they aren't running with the Yankees & Dodgers payroll wise, or that they've traded veterans, my gripe is they haven't done a thing to improve the current product. I'm not saying they should have signed Josh Hamilton. But at least throw the fans a bone and add some cheap pieces and act like you're trying to compete.

As an Oriole fan, sometimes that is worse. Just throwing that out there, because you are taking money away from using it to develop the farm and spending it on FA who really aren't going to make a damn bit of difference in the long run. I remember one season spending a whole lot on the bullpen and the thought process being that was where improvement needed to happen, and the team still fell flat on their face.

[NAHSTE]

@MLBPipeline
.@Reds assign Billy Hamilton (@b_ham_3) to Minor League camp. Hit .174 (4-for-23) w/ 2 triples, 3-for-3 steals, 2 BB and 9 Ks in 23 ST ABs.

[Villain]

Big Cubans.

[Warner2BruceTD]

What is the point of the Mets signing Michael bourn though? The Mets will be shit for at least another 3 years, by the time they have a chance at competing again, Bourn will be an old piece of shit.

The Cubs are building for the future & adding pieces to the current team, all at the same time.

So are the Indians.

Pretty inexcusable for the Mets to spend $4.75M on new players this offseason.

[NAHSTE]

Pretty inexcusable for the Mets to spend $4.75M on new players this offseason.

Who should they be acquiring with the money they don't have and the tradable assets which they do not own?

Also curious what #splashymoves the Cubs made that I seem to be missing.

[EmpireWF]

The Mets assistant GM, when asked if 2013 is a transitional year (it obviously is), replied:

I think this is – as you said – a transitional year, but if we can get to a point to where we have a better sense as to which of those guys [talking about Murphy, Tejada, Duda, Parnell, Niese, Gee] are pieces for a championship team – and so next year when we have some more flexibility, we can add key pieces that can put us over the top – we can come out of this season knowing where we want to spend that money.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Who should they be acquiring with the money they don't have and the tradable assets which they do not own?

Also curious what #splashymoves the Cubs made that I seem to be missing.

The fact that the Mets are in a position where they are cash strapped is part of my gripe. This is what you are missing. The fact that a bevy of OF's, ranging from superstars to serviceable low cost options were available and changed hands, and the Mets were unable to acquire any of them, is why Mets fans should not be happy. The reasons don't even matter. Broke owners, bad job by the GM, lack of tradeable parts, I don't care why. The point is they couldn't/didn't improve obvious areas of need. "They are going to be bad anyway, so who cares!" doesn't cut it. This isn't the Astors, they aren't terrible.

If i'm a Mets fan, i'm annoyed at that Opening Day lineup.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Again, here is Alderson in January:

I’m not happy where we are in preparation for 2013. I can assure you that where we are now is not where we want to be opening spring training. I mean, it’s conceivable we could be in the same position, but it’s not where we want to be.

So let's stop painting the Mets front office as financial savants who are wisely planing for 2018. He wasn't happy with the team two months ago, and the fact is, for whatever reason, he wasn't able to improve it since.

This is why Mets fans should be unhappy about this year. The GM knew he team had holes, and none of them were filled. And now with Wright & Santana hurt, things look very bleak and a single pitch hasn't even been thrown. Nobody likes being hopeless on Opening Day, except maybe weirdos like gob.

[NAHSTE]

The fact that the Mets are in a position where they are cash strapped is part of my gripe.

Well part of the reason they are is due to previous bad contracts. Given the historically bad free agent pool, I'd say it's probably good they didn't chase bad money with good money this time. They invested in extensions for Niese and Wright, which is a much more sound use of their available funds.

This is what you are missing. The fact that a bevy of OF's, ranging from superstars to serviceable low cost options were available and changed hands, and the Mets were unable to acquire any of them, is why Mets fans should not be happy.

Two "superstar" OFers changed teams this offseason, one as a FA (Josh Hamilton) and one via trade (Justin Upton), and the Mets could come nowhere near to the pricetag on either. I believe they tried to get in on the Justin Upton sweepstakes, FWIW, but weren't willing to include Wheeler or Harvey for obvious reasons. In the case of Hamilton, even if they could have been able to afford it, it would have been the definition of stupidity to do so.

As for the low-cost OF options, they probably couldn't have landed Span or Revere with their paltry system either. Again we are talking about a team with barely any trade chips. I suppose they could trade Ruben Tejada, but that leaves you without a shortstop and you're still only probably netting a 4th OF type.

The reasons don't even matter.

Um, sure they do. If you don't honor the past you will be doomed to repeat it. The reasons matter if for no other reason than to avoid continuing to make those same mistakes with regard to future roster construction. An entire decade of short-sighted decision making has led them to this point, and their only way out is to rebuild from the ground up. They are essentially fucked for 2013, and very little of it is Sandy Alderson's fault.

Every Mets fan I talk to seems pretty content with their offseason given the constraints.

I'm sure Alderson would have liked to improve the club for 2013, of course he is going to say that, but not at the expense of the rebuilding process. I don't see many viable options on the current market that would have achieved objective A. without jeopardizing objective B.

FWIW, Marcum was a shrewd low-risk pick up, as was extending Niese through his age 30 season, and locking up your most popular and talented player for 8 more years isn't exactly doing nothing.

[Warner2BruceTD]

You are really jumping through hoops to defend the putrid OF the Mets will be trotting out on Opening Day.

"Hey, your owners are crooks and are broke and made bad decisions over the years so that's why" would not make me feel any better about that as a fan.

[EmpireWF]

Hey now, there's no evidence they're crooks.




They may have been able to go get Coco Crisp from Oakland, but the only knock I'll have for Alderson this off-season (I'm satisfied with retaining Wright and the Dickey trade) is the whole Bourn issue.

Was it 5 years or the 11th pick they didn't get him? Either way, I find it tough to think that an 11th pick would have been a deal killer to bring in Bourn who's contract is RELATIVELY cheap and by the time it's over, he's only 34.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Again, nowhere in my posts did I advocate "overspending" or adding $70M to the payroll.

The Mets did nothing to add to the current team. Zero. Zilch. Nothing.

If you recall, I was in support of moving Dickey while his value was highest, I had no problem with that move. But you can restock the farm and add pieces to the current team. There were bargains to be had this offseason, Michael Bourn was one example, and he was reportedly waiting for the Mets to shit or get off the pot for a couple of weeks before he moved on and signed with the Indians.

There is no "sound reason" to open up with a $30M payroll on opening day. Especially with two wild cards where just about everybody has hope unless you are truly terrible. My gripe with the Mets isnt that they aren't running with the Yankees & Dodgers payroll wise, or that they've traded veterans, my gripe is they haven't done a thing to improve the current product. I'm not saying they should have signed Josh Hamilton. But at least throw the fans a bone and add some cheap pieces and act like you're trying to compete.

I wouldn't say the Mets did NOTHING...John Buck, Shaun Marcum, Brandon Lyon...and restocked the farm a little bit with Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard.

They are trotting out a really shitty outfield and a roster that is shit, but I do agree, I don't think they did enough in regards to adding some extra pieces...just some veterans on one or two year deals making a pittance to help out (if even to move by the deadline to acquire more pieces), especially in an area like the OF (as you mention).

There are still some free agents out there that could be had for a rental...Jason Barlett, Ryan Theriot, Scotty Po or Grady Sizemore...they probably aren't going to be any better than the likes of Ruben Tejada or Kirk Neiwenhuisisisist, but damn, throw some extra token vet bats or even arms out there that could be given minor league deals. You got two years before you can start counting on the farm guys (and some will be debuting this year (d'Arnaud and Wheeler for example)...throw some veteran bones out there.