If you follow me on Twitter (@ttlsportsblog), you will notice that I am very passionate about the New York Mets. Almost everyday I engage in some kind of Twitter chatter that revolves around the upcoming season. With pitchers and catchers reporting in a few days, it’s time to deploy Operation: Everybody Cool Out.
Before last week, all anyone wanted to do was cry about how the Mets are going bankrupt and have no money to spend on players. While I completely agree that money is a problem, and probably will be for the short-term, maybe it’s not a bad thing? Fiscal responsibility is a HUGE part or running a professional franchise that many fans don’t seem to understand, or want to understand. The only way to sustain a successful business is to make money. Plain and simple: If you spend more than you are making, your business fails. With hundreds of millions of dollars in loans due soon, coupled with dropping attendance and a bloated payroll, this business model just can’t work.
Sandy Alderson was brought into this organization to clean up someone else’s mess. Yes, he was a major part of the “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics, but as he said on WFAN today, he’s not here to run the team like that. There have been many articles written in the past few weeks about how the Mets have trimmed $52 million off last year’s payroll. But what people are failing to understand is that the $52 million has come in the form of Ollie Perez, Louis Castillo, Frankie Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. Ollie Perez and Louis Castillo played exactly zero games for the Mets last year. That’s $18 million right there. Frankie Rodriguez, who no one wanted around either, was another $12 million. Carlos Beltran was $20 million, who Alderson spun into Zach Wheeler when he robbed the San Francisco Giants with a ski mask and a gun. And finally, there’s Jose Reyes. In the final year of his contract, he was making $11 million. This one has come under much scrutiny. But the more and more I think about it, 6 years and $100 million + for a guy who’s legs are a constant problem, just isn’t the right business move.
The Mets lopped off $61 million from the 2011 payroll with those moves. Now if you think about it, the Castillo and Perez contracts never even saw a single game. $140 million -$16 million = $124 million of actual players who were playing, on the payroll . Then when Frankie was shown the door, $124 million – $12 million = $112 million. Carlos Beltran was dealt at the trading deadline. $112 million – $20 million = $92 million. So before the 2012 offseason even started, the Mets had trimmed basically $50 million off the payroll with guys that were either unproductive, useless, or not in future plans due to a multitude of reasons. So if you want to kill Alderson for not retaining Reyes, fine. That’s your own opinion. But to say he’s just cutting payroll for the sake of cutting payroll is just absurd.
@MetsGM is quite possibly the best addition to Twitter so far in 2012. There was a huge uproar from Mets fans and Mets haters last week when Alderson popped up on twitter. Is that really Alderson? Has the Mets Twitter account been hacked? Is Alderson trying to get fired?
Here are my two favorite Alderson Tweets:
Getting ready for Spring Training-Driving to FL but haven’t left yet. Big fundraiser tonight for gas money. Also exploring PAC contribution.
— Sandy Alderson (@MetsGM) February 9, 2012
Prepping for trip. Bought 4 like-new tires at chop shop across from Citi. He threw in free wiper fluid. Better than the Wheeler deal!
— Sandy Alderson (@MetsGM) February 10, 2012
Now, if you take these seriously you have a serious problem of your own. Is he giving the Wilpons a backhand slap with these comments? Maybe. Are those his intentions? Probably not. When are sportswriters and fans going to take a deep breath and look at what he’s doing. What’s the #1 thing being said about the Mets this off-season? Madoff. Plain and simple. So what’s wrong with Sandy mocking all of these writers/Mets haters, and having a little fun with it? Nothing. The guy probably eats, sleeps and drinks baseball every hour of the day. What’s wrong with a little comedy to lighten up the mood?
We all know that the playoffs are pretty unrealistic this season or even next year. So lets all just sit back and let General Sandy deploy Operation: Everybody Cool Out. Seriously. Cool out and look at the big picture. Does a $200 million payroll guarantee anything? Nope. Let’s let the Madoff crap work itself out and root for the young guys like Ike (Who is going to the All-Star Game this season), Murphy, Tejada and Duda. Let’s see what we’ve really got on our hands. There will be a time in the near future when we will go out and make a big free agent splash. The only way to win in sports these days are with young players who out perform their first big money contract, and one or two big-ticket guys. The Mets seem to have some of the young guys coming up through the system, and the money will come back soon.
Sit back…relax…and COOL OUT!!!
