Monday, December 14, 2009

How'd All These Eggs Get In This One Basket?

So even if the Mets do wind up with Jason Bay, their off season might already pale in comparison to that of the Red Sox, who just signed John Lackey ... and that of the Mariners and Phillies, who just completed a three team blockbuster where the Phillies get Doc Halladay and the Mariners get Cliff Lee.

But the Mets don't have Jason Bay yet. So ask yourself the following:
  • Even if the Mets get Bay, does it matter? Does the Phillies getting Halladay put the division out of reach anyway? Because you know the Mets would have to do a lot more roster construction than Bay to come within sniffing distance of Philadelphia.
  • If the Mets don't get Bay, how embarrassing would it be to see the Mariners land two top players (assuming it's the M's that get Bay) and the Mets get none?
  • If the Mets don't get Bay, should they just turn tail, call 2010 a wash, and keep the draft picks they would have spent on marginal Type A free agents? (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Bengie ... I don't care if you weren't offered arbitration and wouldn't cost a pick as an astute fan pointed out ... thanks Metsfan23 ... but you're still marginal. And old. Stop staring at me.)
Ask yourself those hard questions ... and try not to spiral into a disastrous funk as you're eating nothing but rocky road ice cream for seven days. I leave you with this:
"You thank the fans by trying to make the team better" -Randy Wolf during today's Brewers news conference
Remember Omar, there's more than one way to do that ... even if it costs you your job. And face it, your job is pretty much out the window anyway.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check if there's any ice cream in the freezer.

11 comments:

Schneck said...

It will be fun to hear the spin control if or when they don't get Bay and are left with all of the scraps. Of course, I hope I don't sound too negative.

tommy_calzone said...

Hey now I know how Pirates fans feel when the season is over before it starts.

It's kinda like a toxic relationship.
At some point you become numb, start to fall out of love with the person (team/ownership) and eventually you don't care if they are sleeping with someone else, your just done.

That'd be me.

At least there's a good football game on.

tommy_calzone said...

By the way:

The Lackey signing & the Beckett extension talks will allow the Red Sox to deal bucholz & other pitching prospects for Gonzalez.

Watch & see how a REAL organization operates.

Joe Cook said...

If the M's get Bay instead of the Mets, that would mean they've landed 3 of the top players to move this offseason. Don't forget Chone Figgins.

And I know that Randy Wolf wasn't implicating the Mets in his comment, but it's almost as much a stinger as Ryan Church's awesome: "I'm here trying to make the playoffs" to Jerry Manuel.

metsfan#23 said...

Sorry to nitpick, but Bengie wasn't offered arb, so he wouldn't cost a pick, and besides their top pick is protected. Anyway, I agree, at this point it might be most prudent just to pack it in early and prepare for next offseason, while hoping the farm produces SOMEONE of value.

Hazeleyes said...

I have followed this team since 1973 when I was a mere slip of a girl. And while I can remember feeling depressed some years, never have I felt this discouraged.

I almost feel like if they sign Bay, he will fall off the dais at the press conference and be sidelined til August.

It's almost expected... disaster at every turn.

Sigh.

Yadier from Queens said...

Olerud chose to leave for Seattle as well. Curious if Metstra will finally pick Philly for the division this year and stop picking from the heart?

MetFanMac said...

Going to MLB.com this morning and seeing all these names involved with all these teams EXCEPT for the Mets was pretty depressing.

Trash Man said...

I suppose I'll try to look at the bright side. They'll be no collapse and no Annual Apology Day this year. If there is an Apology Day, it will probably be moved up to the day before the season starts. Even if they get Bay, it won't matter much because there is so much that was needed and now so little available. The only positive thing that could happen at this point is if the Wilpons sold the team.

The Metmaster said...

I'm older than Hazeleyes but I totally agree. The Mets landscape right now is about as barren as The Sea of Tranquility. Here are some more age-related metaphors. When I was a kid, growing up in Queens in the 50's and 60's, occasionally would appear on our street a battered old truck known universally as "The Junk Man". His counterpart was another old beaten-down vehicle occupied by "The Ragman". These guys would scour neighborhoods of junk. They'd ride down the street banging a bell or frying pan bleating "Any junk?" or "Rags!". You'd stop them, haul out your worthless crap, and they would pay you a few bucks in the hopes that they would shine it up and sell it for a profit. That's what the Wilpons have accomplished as owners of one of the most valuable franchises in baseball. They have made the Mets the Junkmen/Ragmen of baseball. Pathetic bottom feeders begging for scraps. They should replace Mr. Met with an over sized Fred Sanford. Kelvim Escobar?! Let's hear it Omar, nice and loud, "Any junk?", "Rags!"

Unser said...

Guys, guys. We got Chris Coste and Henry Blanco. There's our meal ticket.

I hate to say this, but 2010 was over long before Halladay went to the Phillies and Lackey went to Boston, and regardless of whether we get Bay. This team has far too many holes to plug.

And I would not have included Reyes in a trade for Halladay. We have a long way to go before we can make a "missing piece" move like that.