This week we asked the Effing Mets staff whether or not the Mets were correct in their decision not to pursue the top free agents in this years class? Here's what they had to say:
Jason Wilson:
No they are not. Signing top free agents could attract other free agents to want to play with them. For example, if the Mets signed Cano you can't tell me that other players wouldn't want to be in a lineup with him, Wright and that young starting rotation.
Bryan Damis:
Depends on the definition of "top" free agents. In my opinion, Robinson Cano may be the only one that fits this bill. That being said, yes I do believe the Mets front office would be correct in not spending that type of money. There are several holes to fill and they are better filled with whatever mid-tier free agents can be had on the market.
Doug Plourd:
Simple answer? Yes. Why go after second tier players at too much money, when this team will not be ready to contend until 2015. The Harvey surgery has to come into play in ANY decision this off season. We hate to admit it as fans, but 2014 will be another lost year....and that's ok. Let the dead money come off the books, play 75 win ball in 2014, and get ready to gear up for the year we can actually contend.
Craig Petraglia:
This winter, the only top free agent is Robinson Cano. And with that being said, the Mets are smart to not be willing to allocate 300 million dollars on one player. In my opinion, nobody will ever be worth that much money in baseball. It would be wise to follow the Red Sox model, signing several middle tier free agents as well as trading for a bat. I think it would be smart for Sandy to acquire players by the likes of Beltran and Peralta. This front office has got to devise a strategy to spend their payroll in order to become a contender in 2014.
Kieran Flemming:
The front office is not wrong to pursue the top free agents available this winter, but only for one reason: this is not a very strong free agent class. In a year where Shin-Soo Choo stands near the top of the heap, it's not a banner year. With the amount of holes the Mets have to fill, I'd be more comfortable with them bringing in some true, maybe not superstar level talent, to complement some of their younger players.
Robert Patterson:
I'm going to level with you, I don't want the Mets anywhere near Robbie Cano this winter. He's declining and an 8 to 10 year deal for him is payroll suicide. I would like to see the Mets in on Choo if his price doesn't exceed $100M, but that remains to be seen. At some point the Mets will need to gamble on someone. Fishing the bottom of the free agent barrel has gotten the team where it's at now. While I agree with steering clear of massive bloated contracts to a point, the front office has best bring in a difference maker this winter.
So what do you think? We keep hearing the Mets are interested in this player or that player, but does anyone really believe they'll take the plunge? More importantly, should they?
Nobody mentioned Abreu? At 60 million for five years he's a steal!! Proven or
ReplyDeletenot he's better than anybody the mets have at first base!!