Fixing the Mets - STEP FOUR, Part 4 (2B, 3B, SS, CF, RF)

STEP FOUR, PART 4: 2B, 3B, SS, CF, RF

I want to touch upon these additional positions because there are some minimal improvements made (2B). The rest can and should remain the same.

Luis Castillo had a terrific 2009 season. Coming off an absolutely dismal 2008 (.245, .355 OBP, 46 R, 17 SB), he bounced back nicely (.302, .387 OBP, 77 R, 20 SB). He's not the defensive 2B that he used to be, no denying that, but he had a decent year in the field. His 2009 season was so good, we might actually be able to trade him! And trade him we should. We should trade him to anybody who’ll take him. The problem is the money he’s owed.

In a shocking development, I can't believe MLB Trade Rumors didn't list the 2007 Castillo contract as one of the worst in baseball - 4 years, $24 million for a past-his-prime 2B who has no pop. Again, we're still committed to Luis for $6 million a year over the next 2 seasons. It's going to be tough to sell that to somebody, even with his bounce back 2009.

In a perfect world, The Mets would be able to send Luis away somehow and replace him with Orlando Hudson. He’s a guy I thought we should have approached last off-season, but the Castillo contract stood in the way then. Instead, O-Dogg signed a one-year, $5 million deal with The Dodgers. He got off to a great start, but he slowed in the second half to finish with average numbers (.283, .357 OBP, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 74 R, 8 SB). In fact, L.A. benched him down the stretch after they acquired Met-killer Ronnie Belliard from The Nats. Belliard played so well in 24 games for L.A. (.351, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs), he may end up replacing Hudson there next year.

Stats aside, Hudson is as valuable in the clubhouse as he is on the field. He’s got a terrific work ethic, is a full-fledged Gold Glover, and he’s got a very good head on his shoulders. He’s the kind of guy who could fill the shoes left empty when Jose Valentin and his mustache left the club for greener pastures. Valentin was an obvious mentor to and positive influence upon Jose Reyes. Hudson would be the same, both for Reyes and Murphy.

O-Dogg made no secret about the fact that he wanted to play in New York in 2009. This is why he’ll come to New York in 2010, and because of his below average second half performance, he can probably be had for cheap.

As for CF, 3B, SS and RF, these positions will be filled by Beltran, Wright, Reyes and Francouer, respectively, in 2010 (and beyond).

I’ve already talked about how valuable Belty and Wright are. Jose Reyes, discounting his miserable 2009 campaign, remains one of the best players in baseball. There are lots of people out there - and I am occasionally one of them - who suggest trading Jose. I'm off that bandwagon. He needs to remain in New York and start setting some records for most triples in a season. I'm thinking he'll be able to hit 30 in a healthy season at CitiField!

Seriously, though, Reyes is a guy that any team would kill to have. We need to start appreciating what he brings to the table. His absence in 2009 was a real wake up call to me. It's clear to me that he's a very special player, and I can't wait to have him back at the top of the order.

Jeff Francoeur was a pleasant surprise, and one of the few bright spots of 2009. In 75 games with The Mets this season, Frenchy hit .311 with 10 HRs and 41 RBIs. His defense is above-average, and he's got an absolute cannon for an arm. That, coupled with an attitude that would‘ve fit on the ’86 Mets, and he gets an opportunity to prove that his 2006 and 2007 seasons with Atlanta were not a fluke.

Coming up is STEP FIVE... The 'Pen.

Fixing the Mets - STEP FOUR, PART 3 (C)

STEP FOUR, PART 3: Catcher

Brian Schneider has been a complete disaster as a Met. He wasn't that great defensively and he didn't hit to save his life. He finished 2009 batting .218 (and was actually below .200 for a full month), and he missed lots of time due to injuries in his two years here.

Schneider is just not good enough to be a starter in the Major Leagues, at least not for a contender. He should go be a backup somewhere else. We should never have to see the former Konkrete Kid in a Mets uniform again.

The best option here would've been Victor Martinez, who plays C and 1B, but Boston snatched him up in what was probably the second best move by a contender at the trading deadline (the other was St. Louis getting Matt Holliday), and dashed our chances there. V-Mart finished with very good numbers (.303, 23 HRs, 108 RBIs) splitting time between Cleveland and the Red Sox, who will most certainly sign him to a long-term contract if they haven’t already done so. He would've been a perfect fit for the Mets, both behind the dish and in a platoon with Murph at 1B. So much for that.

In the interest of saving cash, we should go after a catcher who will be okay in a full-on platoon with Omir Santos. This person should also be good enough to be an everyday player if Santos proves to be a "one year wonder." Of the available free agents, Rod Barajas is a guy who piques my interest. He had 429 ABs in 2009 (compared to 170 from Schneider) with Toronto and he is a significant offensive upgrade over Schneider - not a tall task, I know. Barajas had a fine enough season in Toronto (19 HRs, 71 RBIs), albeit with a very low batting average (.226) and OBP (.258).

More than that, Barajas is an above average defensive catcher (so says Baseball Prospectus), and it shows in that Toronto's pitching staff was very good in 2009. The best thing about Barajas is that he won't cost as much as an aging Bengie Molina.

I'm nervous about Molina being a free agent, mainly because Omar seems to be attracted to past-their-prime players (Moises Alou, anyone)? That, coupled with his productive 2007 (.276, 19 HRs, 81 RBIs), 2008 (.292, 16 HRs, 95 RBIs) and 2009 (.265, 20 HRs, 80 RBIs) seasons, and he looks like a typical Minaya signing.

Molina's the worst defensive catcher of the Molina Catching Clan - that's not to say he's a bad backstop, just that he's not in Yadier's league. Plus, he's going to be 36, his best years are behind him and he'll probably want a 2- or 3-year deal.

I'm hoping Omar makes the smart choice and goes with an inexpensive signing like Barajas and avoids a sexier deal in Molina.

An alternative is that Omar would rather spend The Wilpons money elsewhere (i.e. LF or 1B). In this case, Josh Thole might be the answer in a straight platoon with Santos. In 53 ABs this year, he batted .321 (17 hits). That’s a very small sample size (like Murphy's 2008), but the kid looks to be very talented at the plate. If nothing else, he's a glimpse into the future – probably 2011 or 2012.

And just like I said about using caution at 1B because Ike Davis is on the horizon, the same logic should apply with filling the C hole. If Thole is the guy, it'd be smarter for Omar to make a lower-cost 2-year deal for Barajas to platoon with Santos or just be our everyday catcher.

Coming up next is the continuation of STEP FOUR... 2B, 3B, SS, CF, RF.

Fixing the Mets - STEP FOUR, PART 2 (1B)

The free agents at 1B are just plain unappealing. Anybody want to see Adam LaRoche as a Met next year? How about Chad Tracy? Or Nick Johnson? Or Eric Hinske? The only moderately intriguing free agent is Russell Branyan, who was having a good season (.251, 31 HRs, 76 RBIs) before going down with “lower back pain.” Branyan’s 34 years old, though, and coming off a 30+ homer season he'll command a decent contract. I expect him to remain in the AL where he can play 1B and DH.

If Branyan is truly the best free agent option, why not just resign Carlos Delgado for cheap? Branyan's 2009 numbers are on par with Delgado's "bad" 2007 season (.258, 24 HRs, 87 RBIs). I’m not advocating Delgado’s return, for the record. While Delgado was out, David Wright took a clear leadership role on the team. I firmly expect Mr. Wright to be wearing a "C" on his jersey in 2010 and beyond, making him only the 5th man to bear the official moniker in franchise history. (The others were Keith from '87-'89, Gary Carter from '88-'89, Mookie in '89 and John Franco from '01-'04.)

Free agents and Delgado aside, there’s a possibility for us to trade for an elite, slugging 1B. The two in mind are Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez.

There have been rumors that Milwaukee will try to trade Fielder before his walk year in 2011, and he had an MVP-type 2009 (.299, 46 HRs, 141 RBIs). He definitely won't come cheap and The Brewers will be asking for a lot, but if Omar can put a package together, it’s a deal that must be made.

I don’t know much about Fielder’s defense, so I can’t say how he’ll fit in with the new speed/defense plan. Still, it’s impossible to argue against the kind of power he brings to the table. His presence as our clean-up hitter in 2010 would take so much pressure off Wright, and allow him to bat 5th where he’s thrived in the past. Beltran is a much better 3rd hitter, and Crawford would be 2nd behind Reyes.

Adrian Gonzalez is a Gold-Glove 1B with typical power stats (.277, 40 HRs, 99 RBIs). Like Fielder, though, Gonzo will be costly and he's not making a lot of money right now in San Diego. He's like a vacuum at first, and his presence defensively will greatly improve everyone's fielding percentages. His power can't be denied, either, and if he's in a more potent lineup with more guys on base, his RBI total will be much higher, too.

If we can’t get The Prince or Gonzo – and I think it’s realistic to think that we won’t – I think Daniel Murphy should be our starting 1B in 2010. The way Murph handled himself in 2009 is beyond admirable. The kid has thick skin, to say the least. He stuck it out through a very difficult season both for the team and for himself, and he kept his head up the whole time. His performance changed dramatically when he was no longer fumbling around in LF.

Murphy showed lots of promise in the field at 1B. And although he doesn’t put up typical 1B power numbers, neither did John Olerud. Now I’m not saying that Murphy is going to start wearing a helmet in the field and start batting .390, but Olerud proved that there’s more to playing 1B than hitting HRs.

Another note on Murph ties into a "Mets Fact" from my 2009 New York Mets Desk Calendar. The fact was from September 21, and it stated that Ron Hunt holds the record for most hits by a Mets player in his rookie season (145 in 1963). I did a little research, and Hunt had 533 ABs in 1963, posting a .272 AVG and a .334 OBP. In his first full season, Murph had 508 ABs and finished with 135 hits and a .266 AVG. Again, I'm not comparing Murphy to Olerud or to Ron Hunt, just making an observation that he's a very good complementary player.

The final thought on keeping Murph at 1B in 2010 is that it keeps the door wide open for 2011 when Ike Davis is ready for prime time. Early reports on Davis, especially from his play thus far in the AFL (Arizona Fall League) is that he's definitely going to be a Major League 1B in the near future. This is reason enough for Omar to avoid trading for a big time 1B like Fielder or Gonzo, and instead waiting for Davis to blossom into the player we hope he can become.

Coming up is the continuation of STEP FOUR... C.

Fixing the Mets - STEP FOUR, PART 1 (LF)

STEP FOUR: Choose players that best fit that plan.

Despite 2009, we’ve got lots of very good/great players at lots of different positions. Anyone who argues that the Mets need to “break up the core” is out of their mind. We’ve got the best CF in baseball and one of the best 3B and SS. The biggest openings are in LF, 1B and C.

The 2010 free agent class is weak, but it's not without some good names that would be a good fit for the Mets. The keys here should be to find young(er) guys who have been relatively healthy throughout their careers.

Before I start with position players, I want to point out that the most important thing for the 2010 Mets is to address their rotation. They can add big stars in LF, at 1B and behind the dish, but without stronger starting pitching, they’ll continue to flounder.

That being said, let’s proceed with…

LEFT FIELD__________________________________________

Without a doubt, the biggest mistake going into 2009 was thinking that Daniel Murphy would be an everyday LF. Hindsight is always 20/20, but the Murph/LF project is even more ridiculous when you consider that The Mets could've signed either Adam Dunn (.267, 38 HRs, 105 RBIs) or Bobby Abreu (.293, 15 HRs, 103 RBIs) for under $10 million.

Let me say that this is not an indictment of Murph. His 2009 campaign was similar to any normal second-year player, particularly one who’s trying to learn a new position at the Major League level. The issue is that our expectations were too high, thanks to how management shoved Murph down our throats as the second coming of Mickey Mantle. I admit that I, too, bought into the hype. I still believe in Murph as a player, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time in 2009. More on that in a bit.

We can't make the same mistake going into 2010. Angel Pagan, while he was really good (.303, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs and 11 3B), is just NOT good enough to be an everyday LF. The big off-season “sweepstakes” will be centered around two free agent boppers in Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, who are both offensive players with less than average defensive abilities.

Holliday will command an assload of money after having a terrific season (.313, 24 HRs, 109 RBIs), and he will probably get it because his agent is Scott Boras. Bay had a really good year in Boston, with slugger numbers (.267, 36 HRs, 119 RBIs). Since I’ve already talked about the team being built around speed and defense, the Mets should avoid both men.

Instead, I’d make a bid for Carl Crawford from Tampa Bay. He’s got a $10 million option with The Rays, who are looking to dump salary going into 2010. Assuming they don’t pick up the option, the Mets should sign him ASAP. It'll surely cost them $10 million+ a year for a multi-year deal, but Crawford is only 28 and he’s got great career averages – .296, 10 HRs, 70 RBIs, 80+ Rs and 40+ SBs per year.

The only downside with Crawford is his injury history. He's missed quite a bit of time in his young career, playing in 109 games in 2008 and 143 in 2007. He did play in 153 in 2009, which is a good sign. Regardless, and with the thought that Pagan will be a regular fourth outfielder and can fill in every now and again, Crawford fits perfectly into the speed and defense mode the team should be building toward. With him patrolling LF, Beltran in CF and Francoeur in RF, our outfield defense will be stellar.

Outside of Crawford (and the aforementioned Holliday and Bay), there aren’t any other free agents worth mentioning.

There's a shot that Fernando Martinez might be ready by 2010, but frankly, I'm not convinced that he's the savior we all hoped he'd be. I’m glad that they’re not Milledgeing (or Murphying) him on us.

A long shot alternative is Chris Carter, who was acquired from Boston in the Billy Wagner trade. Early reports on him are that he's got lots of pop – he drove in the first run at CitiField during the April exhibition game with a long double. It would've been nice to see him get some playing time with The Mets in September, but The Yankees dashed those chances by making a waiver claim on him, which kept him in Boston for the rest of 2009. It was a shrewd move by Cashman to weaken The Red Sox post-season roster, but it really hurt us. Carter also plays 1B, so he may end up on the 25-man roster as a bench guy. I just can’t see him being the starting LF in 2010.

Coming up next is the continuation of STEP FOUR... 1B.

Fixing the Mets - STEP THREE

STEP THREE: Help Johan out!

Good teams – winning teams – have more than 1 good starter. Unfortunately, by that rationale, the Mets are not a good team right now. Johan Santana is the only good starter we have. As I’ve documented already, Mike Pelfrey took a huge step backwards in 2009, Ollie is what Ollie is, and John Maine really only has one full season under his belt (2007). Add to that the fact that we never really had a fifth starter going into the season (the fact that Livan Hernandez lasted more as long as he did in the rotation is amazing to me), and the end result is the mediocre rotation we had in ’09… filled with lots of spot starts and the occasional gem from one of the best pitchers in the game.


Johan signed a big contract with the Mets, but it was to HELP the team win a championship. It’s time somebody reminded the brass that in order for Johan to help, they need to help him. Like that line in Jerry Maguire… “Help me help you.”

I honestly thought fixing the bullpen would help Johan – after all, it was the ‘pen that cost him 7 more wins in 2008, and probably the Cy Young Award. That proved not to be the case. JJ Putz was a non‐factor due to injury, and K‐Rod turned out to be more human than any of us thought he'd be. (A thought on K‐Rod: The reports had always been that Frankie is a real competitor, and I wonder whether the Mets being out of contention had something to do with his poor performance in the second half? Just look at how dominant he was during the first half, when the Mets were right around 1st or 2nd place. The argument that he didn’t pitch often enough is a fraud, because he had only 3 fewer appearances than he did during his record‐setting 2008 campaign.)

I’ll give some credit where credit is due. The bullpen wasn’t all that bad in 2009, but iIt's time to help Johan out by adding another big name frontline starter to the rotation, and it should be somebody who is as dependable – and dominant – as he is.

Of the free agents, two catch my eye: John Lackey and Rich Harden.

Lackey was the ace in Anaheim for the past 2 years, but has struggled with injuries. In fact, he started 2009 on the DL. That said, though, he's 31 and is a full‐fledged free agent with solid numbers (11‐8, 139 Ks, 3.83 ERA, 176 IP) this year, although not as good as his 2007 numbers (19‐9, 179 Ks, 3.01 ERA, 33 games). The Angels recently acquired our old pal Scott Kazmir, which signifies to me that they don’t expect to resign Lackey. If the Mets were to sign him, he'd be a very solid #2 behind Johan. Also worth noting was his Game 2 performance against the Yanks in the ALCS. He took the loss, but he kept his team in the game and pitched very well despite his defense completely falling apart behind him.

Harden would make another solid #2. Although more injury‐prone than Lackey, he had a pretty good year with The Cubs (9‐9, 171 Ks, 4.09 ERA, 141 IP). Last year, mixed between Oakland and Chicago, he was positively fantastic (10‐2, 181 Ks, 2.07 ERA, 148 IP). The problem with Harden is his injury history, as the most IPs he's had in a season was 189 in 2004. Still, he's only 28 years old and might be an inexpensive signee.


If we bypass the free agents, there’s really only one guy we should be trying to trade for, and he’s a licensed doctor. Arguably the most durable starting pitcher of our generation, Roy Halladay has been a force in the perennially‐difficult AL East. His career numbers don’t lie:

• 2002: 19‐7, 168 Ks, 2.93 ERA, 239.1 IP, 2 CG
• 2003: 22‐7, 204 Ks, 3.25 ERA, 266 IP, 9 CG
• 2006: 16‐5, 132 Ks, 3.19 ERA, 220 IP, 4 CG
• 2007: 16‐7, 139 Ks, 3.71 ERA, 225.1 IP, 7 CG
• 2008: 20‐11, 206 Ks, 2.78 ERA, 246 IP, 9 CG
• 2009: 17‐10, 208 Ks, 2.79 ERA, 239 IP, 9 CG

That’s right. 9 CG in 2009… 7 more than THE ENTIRE METS PITCHING STAFF combined! Doc is a friggin’ machine, and having him as a Met behind (of in front of) Johan would make for the true one‐two punch that we’ve been missing since the 80s (unless you count Al Leiter and Mike Hampton in 2000). It’d also likely be the best 1‐2 punch in baseball, second only perhaps to Lincecum and Cain in San Francisco.

Signing either Lackey or Harden, or trading for Doc, will correctly make Pelfrey #3 and Ollie #4, and leave the #5 spot open for John Maine, Jon Neise, Nelson Figueroa and others.

Recent developments suggest that free agent Jason Marquis wants to pitch in New York (if you don’t believe me, Jeff Francoeur will tell you). Marquis had a really solid year for Colorado (15‐13, 115 Ks, 4.04 ERA, 216 IP), but not a great second half. He’s a middle/back of the rotation guy, despite the fact that he’s been to the playoffs for the past 9 years with different teams. He’s also attractive because he’s an innings‐eater, but he’s going to be asking for a big contract coming off a career year. That, and we can get the same/more IPs by trading for Doc Halladay.

My biggest fear is that they try to trot out the same rotation as they did in 2009, but with a different #5. That’d be the very definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. The 2009 rotation wasn’t good enough. The 2010 rotation must be better. MUCH BETTER.

Coming up next is STEP FOUR: Choose players that best fit that plan.

Fixing the Mets - STEP TWO

STEP TWO: Choose management that best fit that plan

Omar Minaya would be best suited elsewhere in the organization, where he never has to be involved in press conferences. He was a disaster in front of the press all year, with the low‐point being the Adam Rubin incident at the Tony Bernazard press conference. It’s been rumored that the Wilpons would’ve fired Omar had it not been for his contract ($3 million), but nothing’s been said about repurposing him. He should be in a behind-the‐scenes role, because he makes the franchise look dopey every time he opens his mouth. Truth be told, I think Omar has some very good qualities and instincts, and these attributes shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s a good hand, but not as the public face of the team’s management.

There are talks that John Ricco would be promoted to be the new GM. It doesn't even matter at this point. They should just hire an actor to memorize a script, but also has a background at improv so he can handle interviews. I frankly don't care who the "suits" are. I'm more concerned with the on‐field product, as we all should be.

The on‐field product starts with the manager. Is Jerry Manuel a guy that can get the most out of a team that's best trait is pitching and defense? I don't know if he is. If we look at the early part of this past season, coming out of the first spring training that Jerry ran, the Mets were sloppy and lacked fundamentals. The Mets didn't just start to suck after Delgado, Reyes, Putz, Beltran, etc. got hurt. They were mediocre in April and May, at full staff. That's on Jerry. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Not to defend him, though, I can’t understand how a group of PROFESSIONALS can make so many collective blunders.

And with that being said, I’m willing to give Jerry another chance in 2010. I cited the poor start to the season above, but I'd like to see what Jerry can do with a healthy team for a full 162 games. If he fails in 2010, and if the team plays as sloppily as it did in 2009, then Jerry's got to go. He clearly has his priorities for spring training in order – and it’ll be to address what appears to be a lack of concentration by his players both on the bases and in the field. Good luck with that one, Jerry. Frankly, he shouldn’t have to spend his time on something that these guys should’ve learned in Little League!

As an aside, I don't see how these managers and coaches and other executives get multi‐year deals. Starting in 2011, after Omar and Jerry are no longer under contract, the Wilpons should start signing all (non‐player) personnel to one‐year deals. This will allow them to move on without paying money to non‐factor people (like they did with Willie Randolph).

As for the rest of the coaching staff, Razor Shines cannot resume his duties as third base coach. How many Mets were thrown out at home plate this year? Or held up at third when they should've scored? Adios, Razor. Manny Acta is available, and although he'd probably prefer managing, he was our third base coach during the magical 2006 season...

UPDATE 10/18 – In an article for the New York Daily News, everybody’s favorite front office wannabe Adam Rubin writes that Acta “could return” as third‐base coach.

As far as the pitching staff is concerned, and as impressed as I was with what he did in the latter part of the 2008 season, Dan Warthen needs to be replaced. Anybody who watched the last two years would easily agree that Mike Pelfrey regressed in 2009. Warthen was praised for Big Pelf’s renaissance in 2008, and so he should also be blamed for just how horrible the 2009 staff was as a whole. Mets pitchers walked far too many batters this season, second only to The Nats. Even Santana was guilty there, letting up the most walks in any of his seasons in his Hall of Fame career. Bye bye, Danny Boy.

Warthen should be replaced with soon‐to‐be‐free‐agent Dave Duncan of St. Louis, who seems to be able to turn even the most average pitcher into a star. Look what he did with Braden Looper. And with Joel Piñeiro. And with Kyle Loshe. And with Adam Wainright. This is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. And yet it won’t happen, because…

UPDATE, 10/5 – Dan Warthen will stay on as pitching coach in 2010. This just doesn’t make any sense to me. As far as I’m concerned, Jerry was 100% right in July and August, when he kept telling reporters “If we can pitch, we can win.” The problem was that we didn’t pitch very well. Big Pelf walked guys and balked them over, Ollie was Ollie, and as I said before, even Johan was walking guys (the opposing pitcher on 3 different occasions this year).

Perhaps someone can help me understand this one… What has Dan Warthen done to deserve to stick around?

As for other personnel changes, Luis Alicea was fired as first base coach – because he was clearly the problem with 2010. He just didn’t do a good enough job holding everyone’s protective armor and batting gloves when they reached base. (Anybody pick up any sarcasm there?)

Sandy Alomar Sr. will not be the bench coach in 2010, but will remain with the organization in some capacity. I think Sandy will end up in a prominent role in the player development area, and good for him because he’s earned it.

Razor Shines will remain on the staff, but will NOT be the third base coach in 2010. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief. I suspect Razor will take over as bench coach, and I’m actually in favor of that move. Despite his inability to read plays as third base coach, his positive attitude and energy will be put to much better use in the dugout.

The bottom line is that 2010 is a do or die year for the Mets brass. If Omar’s off‐season moves aren’t winners, he’ll be shown the door. Same can be said if Jerry fails to get the team to play like pros. The ice will be thin for both of them, and if 2010 resembles 2009, I suspect both Omar and Jerry will be Willie Randolphed. (I wonder if the Mets will be making a trip to Anaheim in June?)

Coming up next is STEP THREE: Help Johan out!

Fixing the Mets - STEP ONE

STEP ONE: Make a plan for the future and stick with it

2006 featured good pitching, excellent defense, a lot of power, great speed, timely hitting, a clutch bench, etc. Since then, we have been jacks of all trades, masters ofnone. There has been a little bit of each of these attributes, but never at the same timeand never at the right place.

Our pitching betrayed us in the 2006 post‐season (thanks a lot, Steve Trachsel) and thenagain down the stretch in 2007 (kudos Tom Glavine, Aaron Heilman and GuillermoMota). Billy Wagner's injury really shined the light on how shallow our 2008 bullpen was(Luis Ayala was our closer!). In all 3 seasons, our offense was way above average in mostcases, but more often than not, we couldn’t score when we needed to. 2009 wasabysmal, and had as much to do with the injuries as anything else. In the past 3 seasons,we did lots of little things right, but too many other things wrong.

That’s why starting in 2010, the team must define itself as something – Great Pitching and Defense? Contact and Speed? Power? I think the first option is the best bet. TheCitiField Mets should be built around pitching and defense, as their new home dictates.The Mets play 81 games there, and there's no arguing the fact that it's a pitcher's park.The roster should be constructed to take advantage of it.

Finding the right guys is a tall task on any given day, but will be even taller in 2010, when the team’s budget will be slashed. It's going to happen all across baseball, but it'll likelybe even more exaggerated with the Mets, thanks to Bernie Madoff. Someone reallyshould find out if that guy's secretly a Phillies fan. (UPDATE, 10/5 – Per their pressconference today, Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya stated that they would still have thehighest payroll in the NL. Whether that’s true remains to be seen.)

I’ll review who I believe to be the right guys are in another post, but for now, I’ll saythat regardless of the personnel, the most important piece for the future will be toSTICK TO THE PLAN!!

When Omar Minaya joined the Mets in 2005 he said he'd be building a team where pitching and defense were the top priority. Omar has never really made good on thatpromise, outside of 2006. He’s put together teams that have had a little bit ofeverything, and instead of picking one of those attributes and building upon it, Omarhas been all over the place.

If Omar was serious about pitching, how could he have been serious when he gave Ollie 3 years and $36 million?!?!? Other than stepping up in the 2006 post‐season andwinning 15 games in 2007, Ollie’s been a disaster. He will always be a guy with“tremendous upside,” but it’s going to take a Zen master (paging Phil Jackson) to unlockthe key to his potential. Rick Peterson caught lightning in a bottle in 2006/2007, butcouldn’t recapture it and neither could Dan Warthen. (More on Mr. Warthen in a bit.)

And defense? Come on… Moises Alou was our Opening Day LF for two consecutive seasons. A Gold Glover he is not. There are countless other examples, too, but these aretwo glaring ones. Omar’s biggest problem is that he seems to get blinded by the goodthings about players (Ollie’s “stuff,” the fact that Moises could hit the ball in his sleep,Julio Franco’s clutch year in 2006, etc.) and ignores the bad/obvious (Ollie sucks, Moisesis brittle, and Julio is old as dirt).

The henceforth plan is pitching and defense. Period. Omar should write it on an indexcard and carry it with him everywhere he goes. When he answers questions insubsequent press conferences, every answer should either be “Pitching and defense” orsome derivation of the phrase.

Coming up next is STEP TWO: Choose management that best fit that plan.

Fixing the Mets - Introduction

I started writing this little diddy as a way to vent my frustration with our beloved Metropolitans. 2009 has been a difficult season for Mets fans, but what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. Willie Randolph said something to that effect in September 2007 when he was questioned about the team's downward spiral. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that these hardships will make the champagne taste sweeter when we do win. Unfortunately for Willie, he wasn't able to stick around long enough to taste that champagne.

But that's the advantage we have as fans. We can't be fired. Sure we can quit (Jen), but nobody can make us stop following and believing in The New York Mets. And as a result, what started as a few sentences quickly turned into a few paragraphs, which quickly turned into a few pages, dedicated to fixing the Mets!

Contrary to what Jayson Stark would have us believe, the future is not so bleak. Despite the injuries sustained this year, our core is still as solid as any other in baseball – Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Santana and now K‐Rod and Francoeur. Yes we have some holes to fill, but all Mr. Stark proved with his article is that he's a huge Phillies homer. I’m sure he and that traitor Tom McCarthy got a good chuckle out of what he wrote.

But I digress... The point of this "series" is that I believe we can be competitive for the next 2 years and then really make some strides when our minor league prospects are ready for the Bigs.