Where Did It All Go Wrong for the New York Mets?
The New York Mets have once again cemented themselves as a laughable club with another losing season in 2019. What went wrong from the start?
2019 in Flushing, NY – Tickets are being bought at an irregular rate, vastly recognizable players have been acquired, New York Mets fans are excited. Meaningful additions to a 2018 team that fell short were the rallying cry of the offseason, leading most of the fanbase to believe that this quizzical franchise was headed in the proper direction.
Such ideas turned out to have been rife with folly and ultimately quixotic, as the iron wills of Fred and Jeff Wilpon outweighed reality and forged a path for their team in a direction that not many could define. They chose an agent to run their team, who made sweet-sounding promises that were impossible to keep.
Their fatal flaw is their stubbornness in refusing to look the truth in the face, rather opting for fanciful plans that will ensure money more so than success.
However, for the Wilpons success may be measured in money, it is all a business after all. You can determine if the sale of false hope is unethical, I cannot even determine if they genuinely are befuddled or simply do not care what the perception is.
The facts are what is of import and those facts indicate that instead of selling his clients to the New York Mets – his former job- he sold himself to them.
The Hiring
Brodie Van Wagenen is a quite eloquent guy and has become rather wealthy by convincing owners to buy what he is selling. He is bright and will get an opportunity to succeed in the role, yet it is clear to many that the transition from one side of the aisle to the other has been anything except for smooth.
If he truly wanted to succeed at his job- and he seems to genuinely want to- he would have been better served to gain experience below someone with a tad more experience in baseball operations. The Wilpons heard what they wanted and hastily gave him what he desired, without rigorously considering the implications.
Chaim Bloom- VP of Baseball Ops for the Tampa Bay Rays- was the runner-up, however, he told the Mets the hard truth of the situation. He explained that in order to get this roster to a higher level of competition they first had to sit back and foster some of the youth.
Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Amed Rosario could grow in the majors. At the same time Anthony Kay, Jared Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Andres Gimenez, and Ronny Mauricio would grow in the minors.
Due to their impatience, the New York Mets, in turn, hired the GM that told them he could win now and later- a folly of massive proportions. Now Kelenic and Dunn sit atop the Mariners prospect lists- the Mets still have a solid farm system- and the average age of the roster has been boosted massively.
The Offseason
Jeurys Familia was signed before any other options, despite there being choices that anyone would rather have. Zach Britton was indeed more expensive, however, he could serve as a closer and nullify the need for an Edwin Diaz trade and Adam Ottavino was clearly better and cheaper. It might be easy to say now- given Familia’s 7.81 ERA- however, it was also apparent at the time.
Taking on 5 years of Robinson Cano was always going to be a gamble, due to his advanced age and PED past. This was the cost to acquire a stellar closer in Edwin Diaz, although this would be unnecessary if the correct free agent relievers were signed in the first place. Diaz’s rough year is not as troubling as it seems, he will be fine in the long run.
The bigger trouble here is that Van Wagenen saw Cano as an asset, enough so to deal two top prospects away in Kelenic and Dunn. The return was clearly too steep and inexperience may have had something to do with it, considering the restricted funds of the New York Mets.
Mets fans are not dumb, they all had quibbles with different elements of the offseason. They simply chose to put their trust in this team, which looked as though they made an effort to improve. They are always looking for an excuse to get excited with this team because it is nearly an addiction.
A fan becomes hooked upon the taste of success, however, more often than not he or she comes to the realization that those thoughts in the back of my head that had me wary at the start of the year were absolutely justified. It leaves fans wondering why these doubts never crossed the mind of the individuals paid to do so.
Conclusion
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The fatal misreading of the New York Mets roster, by the people in control, has been nothing but obvious this season. The team has a legendary bullpen- of course in their ability and consistency in blowing any lead. It also possesses a fantastically inept defense, managing to play the first baseman in LF, an LF in CF, the second baseman in RF, and a DH at third base. Mind you none of these players are particularly equipt to play those positions.
Even further Wilson Ramos can barely play catcher- forcing the pitcher into a difficult situation whenever he catches them. The startling lack of range that Amed Rosario consistently displays also provides some concerns about his future at the position. He, however, cannot take over second base soon, as Robinson Cano- who Keith Hernandez recently described as something in the area of “rickety”- is set to man that spot for the next four seasons. His inability to hit only makes this worse, as he has also displaced Jeff McNeil to the outfield.
In essence, the Mets have plenty of talent both on the team and on the way. Despite some glaring issues, bullpen and defense, they can make something out of their current situation. Yet, they must address the actual issues, a Justin Wilson or Jed Lowrie contract- equating to the duping of chum off of a fishing boat- will not do the deed. Major change must come down and besides Jacob deGrom, Michael Conforto, Alonso, and McNeil no player can have a guaranteed role.
Next. A look at the GM's of the NL West. dark
A two-year band-aid contract to a veteran reliever will not change the New York Mets fate. They must choose to win now and commit the sizeable chunk of salary to it- considering the Yoenis Cespedes insurance money- or rebuild and trade the likes of Noah Syndergaard and others to recoup the prospects needed to build around their current core. A rebuild need not take years upon years if done properly, and with the Wilpons it so rarely is.