With snowmaggeddon, or whatever you want to call the same annual big snowstorm we get, it does warm my heart that we are still talking baseball. We’re still talking baseball over two months since the World Series ended.
Usually, I equate snow and baseball with the old Mayor’s Cup games. No, not the original. I wasn’t alive for the majority of those. There was some odd reboot in the early 90’s. Back then there was no Interleague play, so this was it for bragging rights.
In any event, my father brought my brother and me to the game. We also went with my uncle who is a huge Yankee fan. In any event, I might’ve been the coldest I ever was at that game . . . that meaningless awesome game. I remember we my Dad buying those pale blue batting gloves from the concessions for my brother and I. I remember my Dad having to take my brother into the concourse and give him hot chocolate. I don’t remember the score of that game, but I do reminder sitting in my seat through all nine innings. I sat there through the bitter cold and the flurries.
At the end of the day, baseball is awesome no matter the weather. It’s nice to be talking baseball on a cold day with snow on the ground. It’s nice to be excited about Mets baseball. It’s nice to be thinking about baseball when it seems like warm summer nights at Citi Field are seemingly so far away.
This morning my son woke me up early, very early, by sitting on my chest and yelling, “DADDY WAKE UP!” I’m starting to come down sick. Despite all of this, I’m going to have to shovel about a foot of snow. So, how am I feeling this morning?
AWESOME! Yoenis Cespedes re-signed with the Mets. He turned down more money because he wanted to play for the Mets, for us fans. This never happens. Usually, like with Carlos Beltran, the Mets had to be the highest bidder in order to get the player. Again, this never happens.
Furthermore, the Mets spent $27.5 million in the first year to get him. They gave him a no trade clause. They offered him an opt out. His contract is the fifth highest in Mets history and the highest single season salary in Mets history. The Mets made him the second highest paid position player next year. The Mets front-loaded his three year $75 million contract. The Wilpons spent to improve the team.
Right now, there is no reason for any Mets fan to complain. Sure, you can miss players like Daniel Murphy. However, there is no reason to complain if you’re a fan. Alejandro De Aza may feel differently, but I’m pretty sure fans are alright with that.
Today, it doesn’t get any better being a Mets fan. The fans were always all-in, and now the team is all-in as well. Today, as it continuously snows leaving us all trapped inside, the Mets have not had a sunnier outlook. Instead of thinking of shoveling, Mets fans are thinking of watching a World Series favorite playing baseball on warm summer nights.
I’m not putting on my snow clothes to go outside today. No, I’m putting on the same clothes I will be wearing this October in Citi Field. What a great day.
LETS GO METS!
I’m still in shock, but Yoenis Cespedes is returning to the Mets. Better yet, the Mets opened the pocketbook in order to re-sign him. It’s incredible. La Potencia is back in Citi Field.
This is even better because this shouldn’t have happened. It’s been a very bizarre offseason with many of the top free agents remaining unsigned until after the New Year. In any other year, Cespedes would’ve been signed long ago. Teams normally would’ve jumped all over him because he didn’t have a Qualifying Offer attached. The Mets got very lucky.
The Mets were lucky because Cespedes was still on the market. They’re lucky Cespedes turned down bigger offers. They’re lucky he was willing to effectively take a one year deal. They’re just plain lucky.
I’ve seen people saying the Mets played this perfectly. I’ve seen people saying the Mets are owed an apology. This is all nonsense. The Mets signed Alejandro De Aza to platoon in center. The Mets moved on from Cespedes. De Aza was not part of a long con to get Cespedes. No, for some reason, Cespedes was still on the market when he shouldn’t have been. As a result, the Mets got lucky, very lucky. We should all celebrate this day. However, no one should be patting the Mets on the back. Instead, we should all be taking the other 29 teams for not making Cespedes an offer he couldn’t refuse.
More importantly, we should all thank Cespedes. He wanted to be here. He got a no trade clause to be here. He is the one that made it happen more than anyone. He deserves your promise more than anyone. So no, don’t apologize to the Mets. Go out and thank Cespedes.
It’s a Cespedes Miracle!
We knew it was going to happen sooner or later. It turns out tonight was the night the Mystery team got involved in the Yoenis Cespedes bidding:
there are more than just the mets and nats in on cespedes. #mystry teams
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 23, 2016
As far as I know there is only one Mystery team. They’re in Alaska, and they play hockey. I can understand the lure to join Mystery. Russell Crowe is on that team. He may hold you accountable, but he does party with the team. There’s a lot to like about joining the Mystery team. With that said, I highly doubt Cespedes wants to play in Alaska. That would be going from the biggest stage in the world to effectively becoming invisible. It’s time for Cespedes to stop fooling around and just sign the discounted team friendly deal the Mets have offered him.
It’s got to beat playing in Alaska, doesn’t it?
As Sandy Alderson stated numerous times this offseason, the Mets payroll is expected to be around $115 million. With the Mets signing Antonio Bastardo, it looks like the Mets payroll is around $115 million depending on the remaining arbitration cases. This probably means the Mets are done spending this offseason.
If the Mets are done spending, that means the Mets will need to find a right hand hitting 1B/OF from within their organization. Looking over the 40 man roster, there is one player that fits that description. Fan favorite Eric Campbell. Seriously, peruse the roster. Matt Reynolds is a 2B/SS. Darrell Ceciliani is a left-hand hitting outfielder. The other prospects are future everyday players.
No, it appears that right now Eric Campbell is going to make the Opening Day roster. For all the discussion of the Mets building a deeper, more versatile roster, we get Eric Campbell.
Now, there are some good things to say about Campbell. He’s a good pinch hitter. He’s willing to do anything and everything to play in the majors including learning how to catch. He has an unsustainably low BABIP, and he hits the ball hard. Those two things coupled together means he could have a much better year at the plate.
With all that said, how is Eric Campbell in position to make the Opening Day roster. The Mets are less than a month away from Spring Training, and they don’t have a better option than Campbell to be the 25th man on the team. How is this excusable for a team that just won the NL Pennant and wants to return to the World Series? Right now, the reason boils down to the Mets possibly having maxed out on their budget for the 2016 season before signing a better player for his spot.
I like Campbell and all he represents. He cannot be on the Opening Day roster. As of right now, he probably will be.
Note: this obviously changes if the Mets sign Cespedes. I may be in the minority, but I’m not confident that will happen.
Earlier this offseason, Commissioner Rob Manfred came out against opt out clauses. His stance is important because traditionally the Wilpon family has adhered to the Commissioner’s requests and recommendations. They did so even if it could have possibly prevented the Mets from getting a better player.
I was reminded of that again when I saw the video from the Mets meeting with season ticket holders. Essentially, the Mets appeared to once again be falling lock step with the Commissioner’s office on an issue that would only harm the Mets ability to obtain the better players. Well, now with all the Yoenis Cespedes drama, it appears that may be changing:
Sources: Mets, Cespedes discussing an opt-out clause after the 1st year of a three-year deal. Would allow him to test market again Fall '16.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 22, 2016
Or is it? We all read Andy Martino’s New York Daily News article about the Winter Meetings. We saw in that article how the Mets attempt to manipulate the media to curry fan favor and/or attempt to remove some heat off of them. The key passage is:
My first scoop came in late November, when some media outlets were reporting that Dickey was seeking a five-year deal. Dickey called me one day, angry, insisting he only wanted three. He believed the Mets were leaking misinformation to make him appear greedy. I didn’t know anything about that, but was more than happy to relay his take. I got the story, and he got his perspective in the paper.
*************
One team official, very late at night, screamed at me, “I don’t know what R.A. is telling you, but he needs to step aside and let his agent handle this.
I look at all of this, and I wonder if the Mets are truly going to offer an opt out clause. We know the Mets previous attempts to change public perception on Cespedes failed. Mets fans don’t want to pass on him because he smokes cigarettes. No, they still want him to return. Further complicating the matter is the fact that Cespedes loved being a Met. That means the Mets need to act and act fast. Judging by Buster Olney’s Tweet, it appears they are.
However, I don’t know how plausible it is the Mets would offer an opt out clause. If the leak came from the Mets, it may just mean they want to placate their fan base that they really tried to land Cespedes on a reasonable deal, but he passed anyway. It might have been leaked by Cespedes’ agents to try to get Washington to bid against themselves. What I do know is that the Mets going against the Commissioner’s Office on an issue is uncharacteristic of them. I hope this is the time it happens, but based on past history, I doubt it.
Until I see Cespedes at a press conference putting his #52 jersey back on, I’m going to assume the Mets offer to Cespedes is three years with an opt out after the third year.
All it took was one Tweet for Mets fans to get suckered back in on the Yoenis Cespedes front:
Sources: Mets, Cespedes discussing an opt-out clause after the 1st year of a three-year deal. Would allow him to test market again Fall '16.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 22, 2016
Now, every Mets fan is hitting refresh on Twitter and on MLB Trade Rumors. Essentially, everyone is hoping Cespedes is going to take an under market contract to stay with the Mets.
Honestly, this whole situation reminds me of a George Harrison song:
The long story short is the a Mets fans can’t stop thinking about Cespedes. However, the man is going to want to get paid. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t look like the Mets are going to give him a “whole lot of spending money” or “the time to do it right, child”.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope the Mets can get Cespedes for a song.
Right now, it appears that Yoenis Cespedes may be leaving the Mets and joining the Nationals. While his ride was fun, there is a legitimate debate regarding what his true impact was. One way to measure that is WAR. Looking over the numbers, there were very few Mets who had a bigger impact than Cespedes did with the Mets. Can you name them? Good luck!
Wow #MetsTwitter is turning into a cesspool right now over the news that Yoenis Cespedes may be signing a deal with the Nationals. Seriously, everybody is attacking everybody. People I’ve found to be pretty lockstep in their opinions and/or cordial to one another are jumping at each other’s throats. Seriously, no opinion is safe:
- If think Cespedes doesn’t deserve a long term deal than you’re a shill.
- If you think Cespedes didn’t have the impact fans thought he did, you’re a nerd that doesn’t watch baseball.
- If you’re angry with how the Mets are operating this offseason, you’re ungrateful for the NL Pennant and/or unfit to be a Mets fan.
- If you think the Mets can win without Cespedes, you don’t know baseball.
- If you think Cespedes is a good centerfielder, you’re a dinosaur that doesn’t understand advanced stats.
At the end of the day, do you know what this all is? It’s misplaced anger. To a man Mets fans are upset with this offseason. Put aside your feelings on the Mets ability to win the NL East or the World Series next year. You’re not happy with the offseason. You’re not happy with the Mets not keeping their promise. The Mets said they would spend if the fans showed up and spent their own hard earned money.
Well, the fans did that, and yet, the Mets still aren’t spending commensurate with their revenues or their market. At the end of the day, it makes Mets fans angry. Mostly, we’re angry with the Wilpons. Only there’s no way we can voice our displeasure directly at them. So instead, we create billboards to voice our displeasure. We start yelling at each other. The reason? Simple, we’re angry, and there’s no avenue to properly voice that displeasure.
The sick part is the Mets don’t understand this. They don’t see a passionate fanbase. They see ungrateful people that should sign a loyalty oath because we know loyalty means never voicing a contrary opinion. The Mets don’t understand how lucky they are. This is a fanbase put through the ringer by this ownership, and yet, these fans still care. They are still passionate. They still keep coming back like Charlie Brown trying to kick that football.
The thing is the venom is going to get worse once Cespedes does officially leave the Mets. Fans will continue to go after one another instead of voicing our displeasure directly to the Wilpons. Again, the fans are angry, and I understand why. I think it’s time to take a step back and realize who the culprits are. It’s not each other; it’s the Wilpons. Other than the billboard, there’s no other method to let the Mets know how we feel (Note: not an advertisement, just stating a fact).
Basically, all I’m saying is Mets fans need to stop cannibalizing one another and find constructive ways to vent. The billboard is one idea. I know some who boycott. If there are other ideas, come up with those because right now yelling at each other isn’t helping anything. In fact, the only thing it accomplishes is irritating each other while the Wilpons’ malfeasance is ignored. It’s time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize the fans you’re attacking love this team no matter what.
You’re really angry at the Wilpons. Find a way to voice that displeasure. It’ll accomplish more than you yelling at another fan.
Yesterday, there was a lot of uproar over Fred Wilpon’s statements regarding the Mets chances to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes:
Fred Wilpon, on whether #Mets will sign Cespedes: "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm sticking with what Sandy said."
— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) January 20, 2016
You can read this anyway you want. Personally, I take this to mean that Fred Wilpon is in semi-retirement and/or focusing his attention on the other Wilpon businesses. Right now, it appears that the Mets are now truly Jeff Wilpon’s toy. It’s what the Wilpons always intended.
In 2000, Andrew Rice reported on the strife between the Wilpons and the Doubledays. Part of the story was how Doubleday no longer wanted to be partners with the Mets, and how he wanted out. The Wilpons blocked any attempt for Doubleday to broker a deal that would threaten Jeff’s ability to run the team
Last year [1999], Mr. Doubleday was ready to sell 80 percent of the team to Cablevision for $400 million – a deal that could have shielded his children, who are uninvolved in Mets affairs, from huge estate taxes. But Mr. Wilpon scuttled the deal, out of concern that, as a minority partner once again, there would be no assurance that he would still run the team. Jeff Wilpon, who is closely involved with the day-to-day planning for the new stadium, is said to be eager to take over the team one day.
[emphasis added]
Well, that time has come. Jeff Wilpon now appears to be in charge of the Mets. He’s the one appearing at Hall of Fame press conferences, the one who does not make himself available for reporters’ questions, and the one attending Winter Meetings, and the one showing up in the clubhouse for team celebrations. He’s taken over the team.
Jeff’s time at the top had been eventful and unchecked so far. Anything is possible from here on out. With Jeff firing pregnant women, taking out massive loans, and getting rid of disabled people without so much as a peep from Major League Baseball, nothing will surprise me. So far, no one has spoken out or corrected Jeff Wilpon for his actions. Jeff is running this team unfettered.
So no, I’m not surprised Fred Wilpon doesn’t know what’s going on with Cespedes because Jeff is in charge now.