At least that’s what I have been told. And hopefully someone told that to the Wilpons. To fix the mess on the field, the Mets are going to have to spend money.
Some might say the Mets are fine. They will have their players back healthy next year. Is that going to make Mets fans feel confident? Are Mets fans going to be satisfied through the winter knowing that what Mets management is counting on is a clean bill of health? If so, we are all in trouble. If that’s the plan, the Mets are not doing their due diligence to protect from what happened this season. Not making moves and giving the fans some hope, Citi Field could be the emptiest new stadium in Major League Baseball.
And that is precisely why the Mets will have to spend money over the winter. The Wilpons must sell tickets. They cannot afford to have an empty ballpark. If the Mets do not add the necessary players to correct this team, revenue will dry up faster than a Johan Santana fastball. The Wilpons must start repaying the debt on the bonds they borrowed to build Citi Field. They want to make a profit. How will that happen if they don’t invest in the team?
The fan base is more disgruntled and angrier than ever. Mets fans don’t trust the Wilpons and have been critical of everything they have done, even the construction of Citi Field. The fact that the fans perceived Citi Field to be so barren in terms of Mets history has led many to believe there is a disconnect between the fans and the Mets ownership. The perception is that Fred Wilpon cares more about his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers from his childhood than he does the Mets. Honestly, I cannot know if that is true but often the perception is the reality, at least in the minds of the fans.
Fans rushed to buy season ticket plans last season assuming the Mets would contend for a championship. They will think twice this winter. All one has to do is to look on Stubhub.com to see Mets tickets being dumped at ridiculously low prices. Tickets to the Mets-Nats game this weekend are as low as three bucks. These are tickets that normally sell in the 20 to 30 dollar range. In other words, fans are taking a bath on tickets they purchased last winter. They are cutting their losses not paying transportation fees, parking, and on concessions. A friend of mine has already told me he will not renew his season tickets next year unless significant enhancements are made to the roster. Is he alone? I doubt it.
What of the concessions? Blue Smoke, Shake Shack, El Verano Taqueria, Catch of the Day, as well as others all expect huge Mets crowds to move their tasty treats. How long will they stay if the Mets cannot draw?
No one is saying the Mets must trade Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, or David Wright. But they need to go out and spend the money to get a left fielder with power and a productive first baseman. They need a catcher to platoon with Josh Thole or Omir Santos. Most importantly they need another starting pitcher, perhaps two. These upgrades are what are needed to protect the core. Pitchers capable of pitching 200 innings are needed to protect Johan Santana.
If the Mets want to compete next year, free agency is the only way to do it. They could trade prospects but the farm system is thin as it is. And trading a Beltran or Reyes is out of the question because their injuries have reduced their value. And how would the Mets replace these players' production provided they are healthy? Trading David Wright is simply out of the question. He is the face of the franchise and is just entering his prime. Hopefully next season, he finds his power. But that’s another story.
Another point needs to be made. Are the Mets willing to give up the city to the Yankees again? When will the Mets understand that they must run their business closer to the Yankee model? In the past I have defended the Mets because they do have the largest salary next to the Yankees. But maybe that’s not enough. Perhaps the Mets have to increase their payroll in order to right the ship. At one point back in the 70s, George Steinbrenner took a huge risk and invested unheard of dollars in his players. It paid off, the Yankees have won six World Series since 1977 and have been in the playoffs countless times. By contrast over the same period, the Mets in their conservative ways have produced one World Champion 23 years ago with only five playoff appearances. That is appaling when you compare to other big market teams.
Of course this is all easy to say when it’s not my money. And if the Wilpons have been less than honest on how bad they were hurt by Bernie Madoff, then there might not be much they can do. But they keep insisting publicly they are solvent and their baseball operations have not been affected. The office of MLB has backed that up. If that’s true, then this is not the time to cut payroll as some in the media have reported.
All I know is 2009 has been the most disappointing season in a very long time. It’s perhaps as disappointing as 2001, the year after the Mets won the National League Pennant then lost the World Series to the Yankees. After 2000, the Mets chickened out in negotiating with Alex Rodriguez. Say what you want about the off field shenanigans of A-Rod, his bat with Mike Piazza would have made the Mets a formidable force in ’01. Instead the Mets struggled all season barely finishing above the .500 mark.
Because of the injuries this season and farmhands not ready for the Majors, the fastest way to fix the problem is threw free agency. If Omar Minaya is to remain the GM, this is something he can do. Omar has done a very good job of picking good players from the free agent market in the past. If the Wilpons capitulate, he will get another chance.
Mets fans will be watching very closely this off season. The money in their pockets is not likely to be handed over very easily when it comes time to renew those season ticket plans. And that will surely get the Wilpons attention.
