Musings
I’m not sure where the axiom ever arose, but somewhere, sometime people made the decision teams could not possibly rebuild in New York. I always found this statement odd because on the one hand, New York fans are credited as smart a fanbase as there is in sports, but by the same token, many believe we are too ignorant to accept a team rebuilding.
This notion has created MANY mistakes by our professional teams. Rather than admit defeat, we have seen the Mets constantly try to hold on tightly as their short lived runs slip away. With respect to the Mets, we have seen it time and again – Eddie Murray, Roberto Alomar, Jason Bay, etc. Bad contracts and trades resulting in even more disappointing seasons. Worse yet, it was all part of a mismanagement of assets which delayed rebuilds and made the cupboards even barer when the time came to finally strip it all down.
As bad as the Mets history is, the Knicks history is worse – so much worse. Just a series of Eddie Currys and Antoio McDyesses and Stephen Marburys. It’s ridiculous, and it’s why after Ewing left, this organization has been a mess.
However, when it comes to postseason droughts and an outright refusal to rebuild, I think back to the Rangers. In the pre-salary cap NHL, the Rangers just outright refused to commit to a rebuild. What ensued was trades for big names and getting the top free agent available – LaFontaine, Lindros, Fleury, Dunham, Holik, Jagr, Kovalev, and the return of Messier.
It makes you question, what if a New York team actually acknowledged they hit the end of the line with their roster, and they were going to make the hard choice and rebuild. Well, with the New York Rangers, we are about to find out:
If you are a Rangers fan, you knew the team didn’t have it this season. However, as an organization, you could talk yourself into this being just about the injuries with Kreider and Shattenkirk going down. Maybe it’s true, and maybe it isn’t.
It doesn’t matter because the overriding point is the Rangers knew they weren’t going to sniff the Cup this year, so why continue down this road? The team smartly accepted the end of this run, and presumably, they look at the trade deadline as an opportunity to jump start their rebuild. With any luck, you can get the assets to make this a retooling. Largely, that will depend on which assets the Rangers opt to trade.
Overall, as a fan, I’d rather my organization be as up front with me as the Rangers just were. This is a unique step for a New York organization, and it is one that should be lauded. Hopefully, this will prove to be a positive step forward for an organization which looks to win its first Cup since 1994.
I know it is something I wish the Mets were more honest about in years past and with this roster. Last year, hard choices were eschewed, and instead of cleaning house, the Mets got a collection of right-handed relievers, none of which are supposed make the Opening Day roster, and continued to play the likes of Jose Reyes over younger kids who could’ve used the development time.
Maybe after seeing how the Rangers chose to conduct their business, other New York sports teams will follow. Maybe then people will say New York is the best place to rebuild.
Like many a Mets fan, I was saddened to read Bob Klapisch’s New York Post article about how Buddy Harrelson, the first ever player inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame, and the only person on the field for both World Series titles, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
For me, it was not just a heart breaking story because of the difficult road that lies ahead of both him and his family, but also because of my own personal experiences with it.
In my life, I have lost two people near and dear to me. With my grandfather dying when I was just five, and with my other grandfather having been dead long before I was born, there were two men who stepped up and became a grandfather of sorts to my brother and I.
The first was our neighbor, Al. Al was about as eccentric and joyful a person you would ever meet. A lover of music, he would play the organ all hours of the night. As a way to sneak ice cream past his disapproving wife, he would keep a carton of ice cream in the freezer that was just for my brother and I. He just so happened to make a cone for himself.
He was a larger than life individual who spun tale after tale regaling all of the neighborhood kids. If you were truly lucky, he would make you a rickety old box scooter.
That was until the eccentric man became the absent minded man. The thing that always stuck with me was how he’d drive his car to the grocery store, leave the car running, and he’d walk home. He did this on numerous occasions.
Finally, push came to shove one day when I was playing with my friends in the street. In a blind rage, he came out calling me by his eldest son’s name. He grabbed me by the arm, and tried to drag me back into the house to punish me. Not too long thereafter, Al got the nursing care he needed before eventually being moved a home. When I learned of his death as an adult, I was devastated.
I was also devastated when my Uncle Pat was diagnosed not too long thereafter.
Having the experiences with Al, I know I purposefully disregarded the signs – the inability to pronounce certain words, the lack of memory, but mostly just that look when you know they were lost. It was haunting.
The larger than life man we all knew, loved, feared, and respected was troubled. Instead of him chiding my mom about not letting me play football, as was his dream for me, he would tell old stories. He would retell the same stories about all the famous people he worked with during his life. His favorite stories were always the Frankie Valli ones. As time wore on, he even told those stories with less and less vigor.
Eventually, he was diagnosed, and he didn’t last long after his diagnosis. In the succeeding years, I always question whether that was a good or bad thing. Like with Al, I wanted the opportunity to have one last real conversation. Really, I wanted a chance to say goodbye to someone who knew I was saying goodbye.
Alzheimer’s is a soul crushing disease, not just for the patient, but for everyone who loves and holds that person dear. My sincerest sympathies go out to Buddy and his family. At this point, all I can offer them is empty platitudes, so I offer them in the hopes it helps.
With his football career over, and with him still being a young man, Tim Tebow shocked everyone when he decided he wanted to become a professional baseball player. To a certain degree, you could say Tebow’s first season as a professional was a disaster. In 126 games played, he would hit .226/.309/.347 with 24 doubles, two triples, eight homers, and 52 RBI. Now, you can argue there were glimpses like his hitting .260/.370/.390 in June, but most would likely dismiss that as one hot streak.
Despite Tebow’s struggles, his being a Mets minor leaguer last year should be seen as a success. First and foremost, everywhere he went set attendance records. As noted by ESPN, even before he played one game, his jersey sales were through the roof. Say what you will, but this is a business, and if any team ever needed the money, it was the Mets.
But more than that, Tebow was there to leave an impression on the young Mets prospects. That’s clearly a benefit as this is a person who has been able to conduct himself as a professional, has no off the field issues, and is someone willing to serve as a mentor to younger players. This has value in the minors when you are teammates with players not too far removed from high school or college.
Fireflies teammate Bradon Brosher said of Tebow, “He does everything the right way. He’s definitely one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. And I really respect what he’s doing.” (New York Daily News).
Another teammate, Michael Paez said, “He’s the first one to pick us up and let us know we have so much to look forward to in the game and even in life. He’s a great influence to have in there.”
Whether a direct result of Tebow or not, Paez certainly took off last season earning an All Star nod in the South Atlantic League. At the time he was promoted to St. Lucie, Paez was the league leader in doubles.
In sum, we see the positives of Tebow at play, and yet, when the Mets do something like invite Tebow to Spring Training, the Mets are routinely mocked.
You know who doesn’t get mocked for stuff like this? The Yankees, and they’re really much worse than the Mets when it comes to this stuff.
Years ago, they let a 60 year old Billy Crystal play in a Spring Training game, and now they have traded for Rangers “second base prospect” and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. For his part, Brian Cashman justified the PR by basically saying the team looks forward to picking the brain of a Super Bowl champion. (ESPN).
Fact is, Cashman is as right about the decision as the Mets were about Tebow. Sure, both faced their fair share of jokes over it, but with the Mets being the Mets, and Tebow being Tebow, the jokes directed towards them will last longer than what we’ll see with Wilson and the Yankees.
But you know what? There’s more virtue with Tebow and the Mets. Tebow’s there for the grind, the hard part, and not just for a fantasy camp experience. The Mets have brought in more than a yearly scheduled motivational speaker; they have a mentor.
We can all mock Tebow and the Mets all we want, but fact is, this is proving to be a mutually beneficial relationship, and it will prove to be better than any other publicity stunt any other organization can concoct.
With many of the upper echelon free agents yet to sign, we have seen a war of words begin to emerge with players and agents on one side and owners on the other.
Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA notes MLB owners behavior has “changed dramatically,” and their behavior “appears coordinated.
Joshua Kusnick, a self-proclaimed boutique agent, asserted it feels “an external force has held things up.” After summing is his opinion, he invoked the legal doctrine of res ipsa loquitor, which in the given context, can be inferred to mean if it looks like collusion, it’s collusion.
MLBPA President Tony Clarkissued a statement, which in part, said, “This year a significant number of teams are involved in a race to the bottom. This conduct is a fundamental breach of the trust between a team and its fans and threatens the very integrity of our game.”
At this point, MLB was compelled to respond, and unsurprisingly, they put the blame on the players. In fact, they noted players have “substantial offers” that reach nine figures. To that end, MLB blames agents for failing to properly advise their clients as to what their real value is.
Right on cue, Scott Boras chimed in noting teams sharing information on offers given to free agents is a violation of the CBA. As is typical with Boras, he dropped a bombshell:
boras continued: "I an also curious how a public statement communicated to all teams about offers on the table and players demanding too much money from a central league office … is any different from the infamous "information bank" in the 1980s."
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2018
Certainly, this has been an offseason unlike any we’ve seen in 30 years, and as a result the question of what exactly is happening needs to be investigated.
Specifically, Mets signing Todd Frazier merits consideration.
In his final arbitration year, Frazier made $12 million. After a season where he posted a 3.4 WAR, the 31 year old took a pay cut signing a two year $17 million ($8.5 million AAV) deal.
Now, arbitration and free agency are completely different animals. The real question is whether Frazier received his true fair market value on the free agent market. One way to do that is to gauge the other multi-year deals given to the top free agent third baseman available on the market:
2017
| Justin Turner | Luis Valbuena | |||
| Age | 32 | Age | 31 | |
| 2016 WAR | 5.0 | 2016 WAR | 2.6 | |
| Years | 4 | Years | 2 | |
| Contract | $64M | Contract | $15M | |
| Cost/WAR (AAV) | $3.2M | Cost/WAR (AAV) | $2.8M |
2016
None
2015
| Pablo Sandoval | Chase Headley | |||
| Age | 28 | Age | 31 | |
| 2014 WAR | 3.4 | 2014 WAR | 3.5 | |
| Years | 5 | Years | 4 | |
| Contract | $95M | Contract | $52M | |
| Cost/WAR (AAV) | $5.6M | Cost/WAR (AAV) | $4.1M |
What is interesting to see here is the annual cost paid per WAR on a multi-year deal has decreased on a continual basis. Sandoval, who was fresh off another great World Series performance, received $5.6 million per WAR on his five year contract. Fast-forward a few years, and Turner, who was coming off a terrific postseason run himself only received $3.2 million per WAR on his multi-year deal.
Yes, there were some mitigating factors to consider. By and large, the Sandoval and Headley contracts have been deemed to have been terrible deals, and as a result, we have seen both players wind back up with the teams they made their Major League debuts.
Some will also point out how Turner wanted to stay home with the Dodgers. Naturally, limiting his market also would serve to limit the amount of money he could make on the free agent market. However, it is still a stark drop from $5.6 million per WAR to $3.2 million. That goes double when you consider Turner was coming off the much better season.
If you want to note Sandoval, despite his “bad body” was younger, then look at Headley, who was the same age as Turner when he entered the free agent market. Headley’s $4.1 million per WAR was a better deal than Turner’s even if Turner did receive $12 million more in his deal.
Looking at Frazier, he is being paid just $2.5 million per his 2017 WAR. That’s less than half of what Sandoval was paid in 2015, which is interesting considering both players amassed a 3.4 WAR in their free agency walk year.
Depending on your point of view, you could twist these numbers to prove either collusion or a correction in the market.
Personally, I find it a struggle to believe this is every team ultimately becoming smarter. A productive player like Frazier took a pay cut and received a deal less valuable than the ones signed just three years ago. This happened despite MLB revenues continuing to increase and the owners receiving a $50 million payout for the sale of BAMTech.
It may not be collusion, but something strange is certainly happening in baseball right now.
Heading into the 1999 season, the Mets desperately needed another infielder. After debating names like B.J. Surhoff, the Mets went with 30 year old Robin Ventura, who was arguably coming off his worst season at the plate since his first full season in the majors.
While Ventura’s bat may have been a bit of a question mark, his glove wasn’t. At the time he was signed, Ventura was widely regarded as one of the best defensive third baseman in the game – if not THE best. With him alongside Rey Ordonez, the Mets knew from a defensive perspective they were going to have the best left side of the infield in all of baseball.
As it turns out, it was much more than that. With John Olerud and Edgardo Alfonzo, the Mets assembled what many regard as the best defensive infield. Both Ventura and Ordonez would win Gold Gloves giving that infield the metal it needed to prove the point.
More than that, Ventura was rejuvenated as a Met. In 1999, he had his best every year hitting an astounding .301/.379/.529 with 32 homers and 120 RBI. He would amass the third most WAR among NL position players, and he would finish sixth in the MVP voting. As we know, he still had some magic left, as with this help of Todd Pratt, he would launch the Grand Slam Single in Game 5 of the NLCS.
After his Mets career, Ventura would eventually find himself as a manger of the Chicago White Sox, and he would manage Todd Frazier, the player who is now looking to pick up his mantle from the 1999 season.
Frazier has built himself a reputation as a good defensive third baseman. In 2017, among players with over a thousand innings at third base, he had the third highest DRS trailing just Nolan Arenado and Evan Longoria. With Frazier now joining Amed Rosario on the left side of the infield, the Mets promise to have the best defensive left side of the infield they have had in decades. Along with the San Francisco Giants, they are on the short list of teams that can argue they have the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball.
At the plate, Frazier is a good hitter. Over the past four seasons, he’s averaged a .243/.322/.464 batting line with 33 homers and 86 RBI. That equates to a 113 OPS+ and wRC+. Many will knock him for his declining batting average, but it should be noted last year, he had a career best .344 OBP and 14.4% walk rate. In sum, his batting average is going down, but he’s getting on base more frequently.
Like Ventura, there’s optimism for a much improved season at the plate. We have already seen him become a more patient hitter at the plate. We have also seen him post an absurdly low .236 and .226 BABIP in succeeding years. Part of that is Ventura is a dead pull hitter making it easier to shift against him. Seeing how low those marks are and how hard he hits the ball, there’s some bad luck involved.
All of this makes him a prime candidate for a turnaround similar to what we saw with Jay Bruce last year. The Mets will give him the information and will have him work with Pat Roessler. This should allow Frazier to have a much improved year at the plate.
If that is the case, Frazier is going to have a great year with the Mets. And while he’s admittedly not as good a player as Ventura was, he can have a similar impact. Frazier can be the guy in the clubhouse blasting “Mo Jo Rising,” helps create a great left side infield defense, and deepen the Mets lineup.
And if all that happens, this could be a postseason team, which should give us excitement over what heroics we are about to see next.
Each and every offseason, I have seen the Mets part with players who are easy to root for. In my life, I have seen the Mets part ways with Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Daniel Murphy, and many more. Having seen my some of my all-time favorite players depart has never made it easy to see the team depart with some of the players I have come to respect and root for during their time in a Mets uniform – no matter how long it lasted.
Recently, the Mets parted with two relievers, each of whom played less than two full seasons in a Mets uniform. Presumably, the moves were necessary as the Mets needed to make room on the 40 man roster for the newly re-signed Jay Bruce and Jose Reyes. Still, seeing those two relievers, you question if the Mets made the right decision.
The first reliever the Mets designated for assignment was Chasen Bradford.
In retrospect, it is interesting the Mets were even in a position to DFA Bradford. For a number of years, he had been Rule 5 eligible with the rest of MLB not giving him much of a look. The Mets didnt’ either, and if not for the series of injuries that beset the Mets this past season, it’s possible Bradford would have departed the team as a minor league free agent without getting so much as a chance.
Well, Bradford got his chance, and he proved he’s a MLB caliber pitcher. In 28 appearances, he was 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP. After a somewhat tough July, he went on a 12 appearance stretch where he allowed just one run in 16.2 innings.
In fact, from August until the end of the season, he had a 2.93 ERA in 27.2 innings over 23 appearances. During that stretch, he had amassed 20 scoreless appearances, and he had nine appearances over an inning in length. In sum, Bradford showed he could go out there and get Major League batters out no matter the situation.
There other reliever designated for assignment was Josh Smoker.
Smoker’s story is one of perseverance. After being the Nationals 2007 first round draft pick, he would suffer a torn rotator cuff and labrum. This would cause the Nationals to release him thereby putting his professional baseball career in jeopardy.
A healthy Smoker proved himself in the Frontier League leading to his getting signed by the Mets. Two years later, Smoker found himself part of a bullpen that helped pitch the Mets to the postseason. Given his talent and perseverance, it was not surprise Smoker would be a part of the 2017 Opening Day bullpen.
What was a surprise was how Terry Collins used him. Really, his manager showed a willful disregard for a pitcher with a history of shoulder issues. It was almost as if Collins learned nothing from his handling of Johan Santana and Jim Henderson. Eventually, Smoker had another shoulder injury. Thankfully, it was not as serious as it would not require seasons ending surgery.
Once again, Smoker would have to re-prove himself, and re-prove himself he did. In the second half, Smoker was 0- 0 with a 2.63 ERA and a 10.5 K/9 in 22 appearances. Perhaps of more importance, Smoker found himself a capable pitcher against left-handed batters making him an even greater weapon in the bullpen.
However, like Bradford, Smoker will be a weapon in someone else’s bullpen.
After being designated for assignment, Bradford signed a minor league deal with the Mariners. To risk not losing him on waivers, Smoker was traded to the Pirates for minor league left-handed reliever Daniel Zamora. With that, the Mets have ridded themselves of two relievers who not only provided themselves capable of getting out Major League batters, but also two relievers who showed perseverance in getting themselves to this point. That’s no small thing to lose.
As we learned during Player’s Weekend, Bradford’s nickname is Black Bear, and Smoker’s nickname is Brown Bear. While it may seem a bit much, considering their nicknames, it’s fair to say it’s difficult to bear knowing neither pitcher will be a part of the Mets next season.
Fortunately for both of them, they are now with new organizations who likely value them all the more. They deserve that, and all Mets fans should wish them the best of luck.
Right now, the City of Philadelphia could not be happier. Much like the Super Bowl XXV winning Giants team, the Eagles have made their way to the Super Bowl behind a back-up quarterback. These Eagles fans are so giddy just sensing the moment of their first Super Bowl victory.
Really, we have not seen people in the City of Philadelphia since 2008 when a Phillies team led by Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth won the World Series. It was this same Phillies group that helped overcome being seven games back with 17 to play in 2007. That still remains among the lowest points in Mets history.
And while we fans were mourning that lost 2007 season, and we were in pain watching our beloved Mets collapse in consecutive seasons, the City of Philadelphia rejoiced. They were also all to happy to pour buckets of salt into the gaping Mets fans wounds.
As a Mets fan, why would you ever want to watch Philly be in a position to rejoice ever again? Really, we should be in a position to once again revel in their pain and laugh as we can all collectively point out how the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl.
For people like me who are both Mets and Giants fans, this is an easy sell. Admittedly, this is a much harder sell for Mets fans that root for the Mets and the Jets.
To those people I ask this, what was worse: Seeing Philadelphia rejoice in 2007 and 2008 or any of the Patriots Super Bowls?
As a Mets fan, I understand the Patriots-Jets paradigm. I also understand that each successive championship by a team you hate matters all the less. However, the pain and suffering in Philadelphia will last a lifetime.
So really, as Mets fans, we can all reasonably disagree about our football teams, but overall, we should be united against the City of Philadelphia.
Go Patriots!
If not for an excellent and much needed post from Faith and Fear in Flushing, I probably would’ve forgotten about Ed Kranepool.
For those like myself who had forgotten, the Mets first real phenom is in trouble. He has two failing kidneys, and he needs a transplant. To keep paying his extensive medical bills, he has undertaken selling his personal memorabilia.
To be fair, as noted in a Newsday column, Kranepool did not notify the Mets of his illness. Why would he with their strained relationship.
The strain in their relationship goes back to when the Wilpons were desperately trying to hold onto the Mets. As reported by the New York Daily News:
According to Horwitz’s account, Kranepool was critical of the Met owners selling off chunks of the team in an effort to raise funds in the wake of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme the Wilpons were tied up in, saying to Jeff: “I hear you are selling shares in your team. I don’t want shares. I want to buy the whole team so I can run it better than you and your father.”
It’s an account Kranepool denies, but it doesn’t matter. Mostly, it doesn’t matter because it’s likely what the Wilpons believe to be true.
If it wasn’t this, it must’ve been something else because there is obviously some personal animosity between the Wilpons and Kranepool. Why else would the Wilpons fail to at least contact Kranepool in the more than half a year subsequent to discovering he was gravely ill?
This isn’t to say the Wilpons owe Kranepool anything. There is no obligation to pay his medical bills. There’s no obligation to do anything even with the Wilpons owning a team and television network that could be put to use to help Kranepool.
For example, recently, the Mets held a blood drive where donors received a pair of tickets to a 2018 Mets game:
Still time to save lives at the @Mets blood drive – til 5PM at @CitiField Fans that donate will receive a pair of tickets to a 2018 #Mets spring game. See details here https://t.co/DZyH5WhXNv pic.twitter.com/RBreQW4vAv
— NY Blood Center (@NYBloodCenter) January 10, 2018
No, the Mets aren’t obligated to do anything for Kranepool. However, just because they aren’t obligated to do anything, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.
A man is gravely ill, and the Wilpons haven’t even reached out to him. While running drives to search for a donor or even using time on your airwaves has a cost, it doesn’t cost the Wilpons anything to check in on Kranepool. The fact they don’t even do that is sadly telling.Whatever the perceived slights and bad blood, it’s time for all to put them aside. It’s time to see what everyone can do for Kranepool.
Many have pointed out the Mets only have two left-handed pitchers on the 40 man roster – Jerry Blevins and Steven Matz. This is an unusual circumstance for a franchise that has had a number of notable left-handed starters and relievers. Those left-handed pitchers are scattered among the Mets all-time leaders.
Can you name the 10 Mets left-handed pitchers with the most wins in Mets history? Good luck!
Jerry Koosman Sid Fernandez Al Leiter Jon Matlack Tom Glavine Jon Niese Bob Ojeda John Franco Tug McGraw Jesse Orosco Johan Santana
Recently in the news, it was reported former Mets great Al Leiter will be a part of a 20 person class that will be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Of all the people inducted, Leiter will be the only baseball player.
It is interesting Leiter is being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, but he is not being inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. Last year, I made the case for his induction into the Mets Hall of Fame. Rather than regurgitate the full case here, I’ll quickly note he’s in the Top 10 in wins, strikeouts, and ERA+ in what has been a pitching rich Mets history.
As it stands, from that era of Mets baseball, only Mike Piazza and John Franco have been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. As we know, Piazza is a Hall of Famer who has had his number retired by the team. Franco, the Mets leader in saves, had his best years before Leiter even joined the team.
Behind Piazza and Franco, there are some Mets from those late 90s, early 2000s teams that certainly merit induction.
Edgardo Alfonzo is the best middle infielder in Mets history, and he was a key player on a Mets team that went to consecutive postseasons for the first time in team history.
In three years with the Mets, Robin Ventura won a Gold Glove, hit .260/.360/.468, and he had an all-time great postseason moment with the Grand Slam Single.
You could argue John Olerud had a similar, albeit not as great impact, on the Mets as Keith Hernandez. He came over in what became a ridiculously lopsided trade, and once he become a Met, the team had taken off.
With Olerud in the fold, the Mets went from a 71 to an 88 win team. If not for Mel Rojas, that 1998 team probably makes the postseason. In 1999, Olerud was a key part of a Mets team that won the Wild Card and went to the NLCS.
And speaking of that 1998 team, there is Todd Hundley. Still to this day, Hundley remains the Mets single season home run leader.
Certainly, you can make arguments against some of these players, but ultimately, the fact the great contributions of Mets players who helped bring the team to consecutive postseasons has been far overlooked by this franchise. It needs to be remedied, and it can start with Leiter adding Mets Hall of Famer to his New Jersey Hall of Famer resume.