So here we are, into December. New York sports is horrendous save for the Islanders. The Red Sox signed everybody, the Yankees countered with a trade and a signing. Apparently Chase Headley is worth 16 million a year.
What are the Mets doing? Cuddyer is signed, I like it but it isn't the impact move we need on its own. One of the long spoken about shortstop targets is now filling Jeter's shoes in the Bronx, Seattle apparently may hold onto their shortstop glut and all that Mets pitching isn't really selling all that well.
As impatient Mets fans we sit here and contemplate another off-season without making the big splash. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to see the Mets spend for spending's sake. The payroll does not need to be in the Dodgers stratosphere to be competitive. Go ask Kansas City how they did on a relatively modest payroll.
What I worry about is the seeming complacency the Mets have shown, while internally I do think they are making a concerted effort to improve the team in any and every way possible, the outward appearance seems a bit too relaxed.
I cannot stand hearing all of these projections, whether it be PECOTA, ZiPS or Steamer, that tell us how Wilmer Flores will compare favorably to the likes of Alexei Ramirez or Starlin Castro. I'm not a crazy stats guy so I can't begin to tell you how accurate these projections are but hearing that Flores will have similar if not better numbers than other players doesn't hold much water since I get the feeling that these computer systems do not pass the smell test.
Any guy can have a breakout year or have a down year and we have been witness to both with this team. I take no solace in hearing that some random, single guy, working from his mom's basement "knows" that this guy is going to have a statistically superior year so why trade for some other guy who has tangibly superior results historically.
We need something, and something big at that. Sandy and Co. have been extremely deft at playing their cards close to the vest and not tipping their hand too soon. While that can be frustrating I believe it has served the team well over the last few years in being able to do deals and make moves without the overbearing scrutiny of the NY media breathing down their necks.
With that said, however, this off-season needs to be different. Michael Cuddyer is a good guy, a good baseball player. He is not the signing any of us were hoping for. We need more additions like this to make this team move forward. It has to be different, it's time to double down and make an aggressive play rather that waiting for the sure thing that will most likely not pan out.
The winter meetings start on Monday, time to turn up the heat Sandy.
