Wilpon’s “Snakebitten” Mets

As the trade deadline approaches, the New York Mets have a decision to make.  Currently sitting 4^th in the NL East with a record of 22-24, the team will have to choose between buying, selling or standing pat.

Now I’m not an owner or GM, but I would think a team would want to keep their options open.  One of those options would be to try to sell anything of value and start the rebuilding process.

If this is the selection they go with, the Mets do have several veterans who could be of interest to other clubs.  Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran would be at the top of that list.

Again, not a baseball exec speaking, but I would venture to say that teams would hope to promote their products to others.  While the numbers of Reyes and Beltran are speaking for themselves at the moment, I would at least think the team would want to avoid any talk demeaning their commodities.

Apparently Mets owner Fred Wilpon would disagree.

In an interview with Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker, Wilpon shared his true feelings about several of his players.

On Jose Reyes:

“He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money ($142 million over 7 years).  He’s had everything wrong with him,” Wilpon said.  “He won’t get it.”

On Carlos Beltran:

“We had some schmuck (himself) in New York who paid ($119 million over 7 years) him based on that one series.  He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was.”

The series Wilpon’s referring to is Beltran’s monster 2004 postseason.  In two series, 12 games, Beltran hit 8 homeruns and knocked in 14 RBIs.

However refreshing it might be to hear what an owner really thinks, I don’t know if this is the angle the Mets want to take.

I do know that general manager Sandy Alderson can’t love the comments.  If the Mets do become sellers, Alderson will be judged on what he is able to get for Beltran and/or Reyes.  He will now have the task of selling other teams on 65-70% of a player and another who has had “everything wrong with him”.

You can say Wilpon is perhaps posturing with Reyes, trying to negotiate in the media.  But after the Madoff fiasco, people are questioning how much the previously deep pocketed Mets really can afford to spend.  Regardless of his intent, this is a belief Wilpon should have kept to himself until after the deadline.

During the discussion, Wilpon also acknowledged David Wright and Ike Davis.  He told Toobin how Wright is pressing at the plate, leading to his current line of .226/.337/.404.  All right, that’s fair.  He went on to describe Wright as, “a really good kid.  A very good player.  Not a superstar.”

While Wilpon did admit that Ike Davis is a good hitter, he couldn’t do so without taking another swipe at the team under his ownership.  He is quoted as referring to Davis as a, “good hitter, sh—y team – good hitter.”

Wilpon also called the club snakebitten.

Well Fred, as much truth as you may be sharing, this is your snakebitten, sh—y team/investment.  Good luck.