Question Marks
So it looks like the Mets are going to get an ace.
If the Mets do indeed "seal the deal" on Pedro, it would set their 1-5 in stone for 2005-2006 (assuming Tom Glavine's option vests). I have decidedly mixed feelings on this. On one hand, I love Pedro, love watching him pitch, and think that a move to the NL and Shea will do nothing but prolong his career (although four years is decidedly risky). On the other hand, Pedro alone is not going to return the Mets to the playoffs. For that glorious event to happen, take a look at what the Mets have to do:
1) Sign a first baseman and at least one outfield bat
2) Trade or release Cliff Floyd.
3) The Mets need to completely re-structure their bullpen, beginning with sacrificing The Run Fairy up to Jobu so that...
4) ...Mike Piazza can have a bounce back year with the bat
5) Jose Reyes needs to be healthy for a full year and continue to develop
6) David Wright and Victor Diaz need to continue to develop and Diaz needs playing time
7) Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano need an IV of Rick Peterson kool-aid and have to become the aces he envisioned
If all this comes to pass, the Mets will compete next year. That's an awful lot to go right. So the question remains, would the Mets have been better off spending their money on numbers 1 or 3? Will Pedro's contract hinder the Mets from improving themselves down the line when they have fewer question marks? Only time will tell.
Omar may have put an exclamation point on the winter meetings but he hasn't answered any of the question marks surrounding this team. The only question now is what will he do next?
posted by Unknown @ 6:37 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Lets hope that before blowing all this money on Martinez, Minaya determined that he couldn't sign Beltran for any kind of package, because Beltran would have done 5 times as much for the Mets over time.
Oh come on, in a relatively weak division with the Nats to beat on, the Mets can probably contend with less than that.
I wonder though, will the Pedro signing entice more people to come? Remember, Ortiz once said about Pedro, "He ain't going to no Mets." I wonder, will free agents see the Mets with a little more respect now?
I agree with most of your projections, however overall I am very afraid. Over 50 million dollars!!! For four years!!! To a 6 inning pitcher!!! For the last 4 years the Mets could not score runs, and their defense could not catch or throw the ball. How does this 50+million dollar acquisition deal with any of these issues...?
You could have seen it coming from a mile away. Omar M. is so eager to make a splash-see Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, etc.-with out any concern of the practical implication of his moves. Which in the case is a tremendous risk in terms of the size and length of the contract, the potential backlash from fans and media, as well as the quality of play on the field. *sigh*
Sorry for the rant…I am not a happy Mets fan this morning. It feels like Tom Glavine all over again. The Mets will be lucky if it turns out that good!
-Marc
zach3292004@yahoo.com
Hey OFF!
You're right in that Diaz probably won't be as good as Floyd next year. But wouldn't you rather have him get a full year of playing time and experience than see Cliff out there again? Yeah, it'll sacrifice some offense but the Mets will then have a good idea of what Diaz can do.
If he bombs, they can get someone for 2006. I guess that's what I was thinking.
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