Who Do You Believe: Jeff Wilpon Or Sandy Alderson
On September 18, 2018, Jeff Wilpon said the New York Mets not pursuing the top (and most expensive free agents was “a total recommendation” of Sandy Alderson and his regime.
Jeff Wilpon says not spending on top free agents was "a total recommendation" of the previous front-office regime. But he will not commit to shopping at the top of the market — the Manny Machados of the world — this year. He says it depends on the next GM's views.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 30, 2018
Today, on November 10, 2020, when Alderson reintroduced himself to the media as a member of the Mets front office, he said, “We now emphasize the acquisition, rather than the cost.”
Obviously, these two quotes and positions are at loggerheads with one another.
Wilpon wants you to believe Alderson was the reason for the Mets not pursuing top free agents, and by extension, the payroll. On the other hand, Alderson is now saying the Mets focus is now focused upon the best player than budget.
This begs the question as to who you should believe. Given the incredulousness Wilpon’s original statements evoked, it seems clear no one will believe him over Alderson.
That’s good because no one should ever allow Jeff Wilpon to have any credibility at all. That goes double when compared to a person the stature of Alderson.
No reason not to believe Jeff Wilpon.
Sandy Alderson’s history is full of self quotes in which he asserts reluctance to spend big and sign players long term. He had the philosophy before he ever was hired by the Mets in the fall of 2010, and mostly stuck with that in his first Mets tenure, and reiterated that philosophy many times. If I had time to waste, I could pull up those quotes pre-Mets and during.
Even yesterday he basically said in talking about Degrom and whether Mets should be built to win with Degrom still in his prime, Alderson pivoted to Conforto and then generalized to other players that there’s limited time until the team no longer has control of them. If he’s still making those kind of baseball decisions, expect him to force a bunch of homegrowns out, as he did Daniel Murphy, Jose Reyes, and even Trevor Hoffman in San Diego.
You can’t possibly be serious.
Sandy isn’t the same guy he was in Oakland when he built that team that won his only championship 31 years ago. He eventually sold off that team because he had to, he left Oakland with a losing team, and has since adopted a rather conservative philosophy of limiting long term deals. I read a ton about him after he was hired by the Mets in 2010, I read interviews in which he spoke of his views on free agents. He doesn’t like long term deals especially for players who are going to spend much of it playing in their 30’s. He prefers 1 and 2 year deals to preserve roster and budget flexibility.
Every now and again, he’ll sign someone longer and more expensive than his comfort zone, but he has an established comfort zone. He gave mixed signals yesterday. He implied, he’ll let some homegrowns in the current core go, while also suggesting he may have picked up the one year 10 mil cost on Brad Hand if he could have even though he also views 10 mil as overpay. He said he feels he can overpay because of Cohen resources.
It may not matter all that much if Sandy allows his yet to be hired President of Baseball OPS, and his choice of GM to make the baseball decisions. If Sandy doesn’t allow his front office to spend or offer a long term deal beyond a certain point, there will be free agent fights we will lose. If Sandy has changed in the past two years as he has in other ways such as admitting he did poor job on defensive development, and is also now more flexible in other ways, we’ll see Sandy allow things, and do things that were once outside his comfort zone.
I believe he’ll allows his front office to sign Conforto to extension.
I think the first test will be on George Springer who’s already in his 30’s. If it requires 4 years or more, and no-trade clause, will Alderson put the brakes on that?
If he does that deal, Nimmo’s unlikely to get extension. You’d think Sandy would want to retain his very first, first round pick who’s full of energy and very high OBP.
He could pass on Springer and get the technology that helps improve Nimmo’s defensive acumen. That then leaves left field open for a number of players currently on roster.
Mets will have to make space for CJ Amstrong and Issiah Greene, let’s say by 2024. There are other good outfield prospect in the lower minors as well. Signing Springer for more than 3 years and with full no trade, creates problem for current player extensions especially if Conforto signs long term which appears to be real possibility, with perhaps Mets captainhood in his future. He really stepped up in leadership this season.
Stroman returns, great news!
As for the comment you hope to hear from him and Cohen about what’s changed from 2020 sitting out, and 2021, we’ll get that answer. It may not be on your timetable, but Stroman will be asked.
The Mets on the other hand have less to answer. They took gamble on Stroman by offering QO knowing he either accepts it or not. Mets win either way. Either they get draft pick or they have one year commitment to Stroman. If he doesn’t pitch, Mets will surely not invite him back and Stroman will have very hard time on the open market getting long term deal or anything close to QO money after two seasons sitting out. I just don’t see him sitting out two consecutive seasons.
The answer is simple. At the time Stroman opted out, the Mets were traveling to Miami at a time COVID19 numbers were exploding there.
With time elapsing and a vaccine possibly on the way, it will be safer to play in 2021 than it was in 2020.