The Wright Stuff…Or Is It?

Photo courtesy of Michael Baron, MetsBlog

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this man.  I am a strong David Wright supporter, so if you’re a D-Dub hater, you should probably not read any further.  No, this is not going to turn into a gushing post about how awesome he is, but you cannot argue that he HAS been great so far this season.  However, after the dog-and-pony-show circus that was Jose Reyes last year, with his “will he or won’t he” remain a Met, one can’t help but be skeptical and more than a bit nervous that we could be in for Round 2 this year with Wright.  Also, one has to wonder if his performance is legit or is “contract year syndrome”?

Before you jump all over me, I believe David is truly talented, and has pretty much had to deal with every bit of bad luck under the sun since 2006.  He has a bit more protection in the lineup this year and admittedly he WAS playing with a broken back last season and got clocked in the head in seasons past, so it couldn’t really have gotten much worse.  The reason I bring up the contract year thing, is because of Jose.  I too loved Jose while he was here but I have to be honest and say I lost a bit of respect for him with the way he departed New York.  Yes, the Wilpons are just as much (if not more) to blame, but the whole bunt-to-protect-the-batting-title thing while people paid money to see him for the last time was a snub to the fans…at least in my opinion.  He topped it off by whining like a jilted girlfriend for weeks afterwards.

The other reason I am a little wary is the way Jose performed last season.  He was the NL batting champ and played as well as I’ve ever seen him play, which leads me to believe he was playing for a contract.  Again, I realize he was hurt in the past few years and he is an exciting player to watch, but it was too little too late for me.  He FINALLY shines again, and promptly walks out the door.

Now, David has said many times that he wants to remain in New York and finish his career with the Mets.  I really, really want to believe him, and I do think he is an honest and loyal person, but I also know he desperately wants to win.  Do I think he’d leave the Mets for a chance to win a World Series with another team?  I want to say that he wouldn’t leave New York, but who wouldn’t want a chance at a ring?

The Wilpons would be absolute fools (even more than they are now) to let David go.  The fact that they haven’t even started contract negotiations with him makes me a tad concerned but Sandy Alderson himself did say “I can’t imagine David playing anywhere else”, so that’s something to keep a little faith in.  If indeed that’s the case, it’s all up to David as to whether or not he really wants to stay in New York.  Let’s hope he says YES, and let’s hope that the Wilpons are listening.