I think what the Mets have done the past few years in rebuilding the franchise has been right. I think that the players acquired in trades for the established major league talent we had will come up and be exceptional cornerstones for years to come.
But, watching the Toronto Blue Jays home opener Tuesday night, hearing that famous Star Wars music and, seeing R.A. Dickey take the mound in a new uniform was a little rough. To see Jose Reyes stand at the plate in another new uniform, another year removed from being a Met, was also a little rough.
It’s nights like that one and others the past few years, like seeing Beltran in a Cardinals uniform, excelling, that make the rebuilding process a bit tougher to swallow.
When you consider that for the money a normal and financially sound New York baseball franchise could easily afford, the Mets could have had a lot of talent on the field this year.
It’s a consideration that crossed my mind Tuesday night and made me wonder if the total rebuild we have been under was the right decision.
An infield of Wright, Reyes, Tejada and, Davis with Beltran manning Right Field and R.A. Dickey with Harvey and Niese leading the rotation, you could build worse teams.
Of course they had all those players in the organization in 2011. They had them at different levels of their careers, but they still were all New York Mets.
In 2013, they could have still been Mets and given us hope that making a run at the playoffs was not as farfetched as making a run to the playoffs is with this current team.
But, when you consider the money saved and the young talent acquired by letting Beltran and Dickey go, will it be worth it, in the end?
That of course is the great question when it comes to rebuilding.
It’s a matter of evaluating your situation now versus what the future may hold. Do you keep what you have and build around it or do you make sacrifices in the here and now so you can have sustained success in the near future?
I feel that Zack Wheeler, Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, the players acquired by the Mets in the Beltran and Dickey trades, can help bring us great memories like those two players did.
I feel that the risk-reward for Jose Reyes was not worth a gamble for a cash strapped franchise. Especially considering they are still smarting from the Bay and Santana deals.
When I really take a look at what the Mets have done since Alderson and his band of Assistant GM’s took over, I think they made the smart move for the sustained health of the franchise rather than the immediate short term gratification.
But it is nights like last night, where I see some of the Mets that got away the past few years, and I think to myself, “I really hope the Mets get this right”.
