Mets Must Write Their Own Story

A lot has been written this winter already about the path the Mets will take in rebuilding the roster.  Blog posts have likened the current state of the team to the Boston Red Sox, this time last year.  Others hope to see the Mets go the route of the St. Louis Cardinals.  I've even seen one or two articles talk about the free agent acquisitions made by the Detroit Tigers last winter.  Which will it be?  Which should it be?  In my opinion, none of the above.

I can't count the number of teams who've tried to emulate the New York Yankees' attempts to purchase a championship.  On an annual basis, the Yanks have boasted the highest payroll in the game.  It guarantees nothing...  Other teams have gone that route, to include the Mets, Angels, Dodgers and more.  Spend all you want, but its often the right players, not the "best" ones who bring home the hardware.

There are reasons the Mets can't just follow the paths of the other currently successful teams.  First and foremost, those teams don't play in New York.  Like it or not, there is something to be said about the media grind that goes along with playing in the big city.  Not everyone can handle it... Further more, those teams haven't had to endure the financial burdens the Mets have over recent years.  How that has impacting the decision making during Sandy Alderson's tenure, we may never know.

I want to see the Mets do their own thing, the right way.  You've committed to not over paying.  Okay, I guess.  But you had best find someone to take a chance on.  Give fans a reason to come back to the park.  This fan base doesn't have the patience to sit through an extended wait like the Pittsburgh Pirate's faithful apparently did. This is New York..we need action and we needed it two offseasons ago.

I'm not advocating a spend at all costs idea by any means.  I'm just no longer comfortable with the status quo.  I want to see the Mets finally complete the plans we've been hearing about for years.  Go get the young, under contract studs in exchange for some of the young talent we've stockpiled.  Bring in the aging veterans on decent contract to both support and tutor our youngsters.  Make it happen the way you've been preaching since you arrived.

Many of us bought in three years ago.  We've sat through the slim down.  Now we want the results we've been waiting for.  While I'd sign up for the results of the teams I mentioned above in a heartbeat, I want to see the Mets earn their own stripes.  Big market baseball on a mid-major salary scale.  You told me it could work, now prove it!

Byrd Remains The Word..Even In Pittsburgh

Photo Courtesy Of @Lets86It

I know some people check out at the end of the season if the Mets don't find their way into the playoffs.  On the off chance you're one of those people, you may still recall that the Pittsburgh Pirates haven't sniffed the post season since 1992.  You may also recall that the Mets sent Marlon Byrd to Pittsburgh in late August.  What you may not know is that the Pirates got everything they paid for..and then some.

All Byrd did since his arrival in the Iron City is bat .318 with three home runs and seventeen runs batted in..in just thirty games.  He played a big part in not only the Buccos first season above .500 in twenty-one years, but their first playoff appearance in just as long.

Since arriving to the post season, Byrd has batted just .273 over four games, but he has contributed an additional home run, four runs scored, and another five runs batted in.  In fact, Byrd has directly factored into eight of the Pirates nineteen runs scored since the post season began.  Good for Bryd, who was also nominated for NL Comeback Player of the Year this week.

If you decide to tune in, the Pirates, up two to one in the best of five series, continue their battle against the St. Louis Cardinals today at 3:07 pm.

Do You Root Against The Mets?

It's a simple question. Are you currently rooting against the Mets? From a playoff standpoint, the Mets have been playing meaningless baseball for months. That is unless you consider the impact they're making on the race between Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals meaningful.

The Mets are playing for pride, for the future of Terry Collins and for the most part, the future. It's an epic conflict of interest. Players like Lucas Duda, Dice K, Juan Lagares and so many others are auditioning for roles in the majors. In the process however, they are risking a future portion of the franchise. 

The Mets currently sit in a fourth place tie for the ninth worse record in baseball. I haven't the first clue as to how the tie breakers work when it comes to protected draft picks, but the Mets recent stretch of good play has certainly put theirs in jeopardy. 

I may fall in the minority here, but there is no difference between 70 wins and 75 wins for me. The team will have still finished well out of the playoff picture and made little to no progress towards finding its future identity. The tiny moral victory that would be finishing ahead of the Phillies in the division is just that, nothing more than being able to say my team sucks a little bit less than yours. 

And so with one turn through the rotation to go, I'd actually prefer the Mets tank for a change. Lord knows they've been so proficient at it in the past. Lose now, so the front office has one less excuse at its disposal this winter when the free agent period opens. Lose meaningless games now, so there is even a slightly better chance you can win meaningful games later.