Disgruntled Mets Fan

I think it’s becoming clear that Omar Minaya is no longer the only guy calling the shots in the Mets front office.  Between his absence at the Carlos Beltran Drama Conference and the emergence of John Ricco as the mouth of the organization, Omar may well be on his way out.

The fact that the news broke today about Bengie Molina rejecting the Mets latest offer should not be looked at negatively.  If anything it shows a change in philosophy at the top of the organization that will help the team get better in the future.  That change is patience.

The Mets have continually displayed patience this offseason.  They haven’t over-payed for anyone.  They haven’t tied up tons of money for tons of years in an attempt to appease the disgruntled fan base.

Instead they’ve put their offers on the table, with a “go out and find a better offer” approach.

Molina wants a three year offer, the Mets offered him a year with a team option for a second.  How a thirty five year old catcher can think he’s going to get a three year deal is beyond me, and apparently beyond the Mets.

As early as last season, when Omar was the guy captaining the ship, you could have almost guaranteed Molina would have signed already, happily inking his name to the three year contract he’s asking for months ago.  Now it seems that times have changed.

If Molina finds a better offer, the Mets will likely beat it, meaning Molina will likely end up a Met before the start of the season anyway, but this way they won’t be bidding against themselves.

Perhaps while Bengie is out “shopping” the Mets can focus on the area they need to address the most, starting pitching.

I believe that at least one of Joel Pinero, Jon Garland and Ben Sheets will be a Met by the start of the 2010 season.  I’m certain we need at least one of them to fill the rotation, and two of them to bolster it.  After all, 80% of the rotation will be coming back from injuries or surgery and the other 20% is Mike Pelfrey.

Looking forward to some good news, but for now I’ll settle for good playing from the J E T S Jets Jets Jets.

I’m not called the Disgruntled Mets fan for no reason.  I describe myself as a self-hating  fan that wishes he had no morals so he could switch allegiances to a team that did not aggravate him so much.  But alas, after 20+ years of aggravation, I’m still here.

In my first off season blogging, I found myself unsuccessfully trying to think of things to write about.  My writing style is more about gut reactions to things that are happening on the field rather than reporting on the day to day news about transactions and signings.

The off season was pretty uneventful up until a few weeks ago, when the Mets landed their version of the “Big Fish” in Jason Bay.  Bay may have been the smallest big fish out there this season, but there’s no doubt he’ll be an upgrade in left field.

The main problem I had with the Bay signing, was that Bay was not a starting pitcher.

The Mets have a gaping hole that makes up the last four spots in their rotation.  Johan Santana is the only guarantee they have.  They have what amounts to three No. 3/4 starters vying for the No. 2 spot in the rotation, and a huge question mark at the No. 5 spot.

The Mets have let opportunities pass in the starting pitching market this off season.  John Lackey was the guy to go out and get, and they missed their chance.  Whether Lackey didn’t want to play for the Mets or not, a big money offer would have changed his mind.

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This season, I started out with skeptical optimism regarding left field.  I was very high on Daniel Murphy as a player, and thought he could do a decent job playing the outfield every day.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Murphy’s blunders in left, while not daily, were frequent and costly enough for him to lose his spot.  He’s since been replaced by a platoon of outfielders including Gary Sheffield, Jeremy Reed, Angel Pagan, Fernando (6-4-3) Tatis, Nick Evans, Fernando Martinez, and Corey Sullivan.

A few of those guys, specifically Reed and Pagan, would make great fourth outfielders, and I hope they are both in the future plans of the organization, but they are not every day guys by any means.

With none of the players on that list what I would like to consider a starting outfielder on a contender, I think the Mets may again need to look toward free agency to fill a void.

There are a few big name left fielders coming into free agency in the off season.  This position, with the exception of starting pitching, is the one hole I feel is the most important for the Mets to fill.

The Mets have solid offense and defense at the other two outfield spots lined up for next year with Carlos Beltran (assuming he’s able to return healthy) and Jeff Francoeur.

Adding a power bat with some speed would round out the outfield, and make up for the power outage at other key positions like first base.

The player I’d love to see more than any other become a Met is Carl Crawford.

The 27 year old lefty is having an incredible season for the Rays.  He’s batting .312 with 12 HRs, 55 RBIs, and 55 stolen bases already.

The Rays have a $10 million option to resign him for next season, but I’m sure Crawford will be able to make more as a free agent, and he’s sure to do so.  The only question for the Mets is will they be willing to spend what it will take to lock him up?

What I like best about Crawford is that he can also play center field if Carlos Beltran’s mobility is so limited that he can no longer do so.  He’s got 20 HR/80 RBI potential which is much more than the Mets have gotten from a left fielder in a while.

Crawford is not the only option I like.

Jason Bay will be a free agent at the end of this season as well, and I think he’s someone that should be strongly considered for a spot on the Mets.  He’s a guy that can give you a 30 HR/100 RBI season with some solid defense to back it up.

His career batting average is just under .280, he always draws a lot of walks.  He’d be a great addition to the middle of any batting order, and he may come with a more affordable price tag than a guy like Crawford.

He was able to succeed without much protection behind him when he was with the Pirates, and that success has only grown on a team with a solid line up, the Red Sox.

Another option that the Mets should consider, and should have considered at the trade deadline, is Matt Holliday.

He was a 35 HR/120+ RBI guy in Colorado.  He’s a professional hitter, and a professional run producer.  He finished second to Jimmy Rollins for the MVP Award in 2007, when he put together a .340 BA with a .405 OBP, 36 HRs and 137 RBI.

His power numbers dropped off considerably leaving the friendly confines of Coors Field.  In little more than half a season with Oakland this year, Holliday was batting .286 with 11 HRs, but he still knocked in 53 RBIs and had 12 stolen bases.

The thing I like best about Holliday is the way he carries himself on the field.  He’s one of the “character” guys I think the Mets need to stock their clubhouse with in order to become successful enough to be champions.

I’m not sure there’s a bad option with any of these three players, although I’d like to see Crawford come to the Mets most because of his speed.  Speed in a stadium as big as Citi Field may be the best attribute to possess if you’re going to succeed.

Unfortunately, I don’t make the decisions.  Omar does.

We all know how well that’s worked so far.

There’s really nothing to be gained from complaining about this season any more.  The team is awful, and that’s all there is.

Since 2009 has ended sooner than any of us would like, I’ve decided to dedicate some time thinking about the direction the team needs to take to have success next season.

I will evaluate the Mets roster, position by position, and try and figure out what I would do.  I won’t create fantasy trades, but I will look at who will be on the roster next season, as well as the free agent pool in an attempt to come up with ideas to improve the team.

Since Citi Field’s first season has presented it as a pitcher friendly park, I think starting pitching and speed should be the teams top priority.

The Mets starting pitching has been inconsistent at best this season, and it’s an issue that needs to be addressed above all others.

The rotation next will look something like this…

1.Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Oliver Perez
4. John Maine
5. ?????

I believe that aside from Johan Santana, all the Mets starters are overvalued in their rotation spot, meaning Mike Pelfrey should be a No. 3 starter, Perez an No. 4, and Maine a No. 5.

This means that the Mets should be in the market for at least one top tier starter to fill their No. 2 hole.

I say at least one, because the Mets have a lot of question marks regarding injured starting pitchers for next season.

No one can be sure John Maine will be effective if he returns after his mystery shoulder ailment. Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve were effective in their limited time with the team this season, but will both be battling back from major hamstring injuries, so their value will also be questioned.

That being said…

I searched through the free agent list for starting pitchers in 2010.  I’ve left out all players that have a club option for next season, assuming their respective teams will resign them.  I’ve come up with a list of five players I believe the Mets should look at adding to their roster next season.

The first player on my list is Erik Bedard.  The 31 year old lefty is 5-3 this season in 15 starts.  He’s sporting a 2.82 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .212 against him.  He’s averaging 9.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.  He would be a legitimate No. 2 starter in this rotation and would compliment the power arms currently in the rotation with a great curve ball.

The next player I looked at is Rich Harden.  He’s a 28 year old righty that is 7-7 in 19 starts this season.  His ERA is a little high at 4.41, but he’s got a great strikeout rate at 10.7 K/9 while walking just under 4 in the same span.  He’s got a high home run rate at 1.7 HR/9, but that number will surely be improved pitching half his games in Citi Field.  Opposing batters are hitting .242 against him. Harden would most likely be a No.3 or No.4 starter in the Mets rotation, so although it would add depth, it would not strengthen from the top down.

Next, I looked at John Lackey.  The 31 year old right hander is 7-5 in 17 starts with a 3.88 ERA.  Opposing batters are batting .256 against him and he’s striking out 7.5 K/9 while walking 2.6 BB/9.  I think Lackey has the stuff to be a No. 2 starter, especially in the National League.  He has post season experience, and has pitched on World Series caliber teams for the last few seasons.  He would be a welcome addition to the rotation.

I also think the Mets should look at Jason Marquis.  He’s having the best season of his career so far, sporting a 3.65 ERA with a .200 BAA.  He’s 12-8 in 22 starts so far.  He’s also a New York kid, playing his High School ball on Staten Island.  Having a local guy on your team is something the Mets have been missing since the departure of John Franco.  If Marquis can have this type of season for years to come, he’s also a legitimate candidate for the No. 2 starter spot.

The last guy I looked at is Joel Pinero.  The 31 year old right hander is 10-9 in 22 starts so far.  He’s got a 3.22 ERA with an incredible .174 BAA.  He’s not overpowering, but he’s a ground ball machine.  He would be a perfect fit for a stadium like Citi Field.  Like Harden, he’s probably not a No. 2 starter, but he will strengthen the overall rotation, which is something worth looking at.

I stopped at 5 pitchers, but the truth is, there are others out there that might give you better results than the bottom of the Mets rotation has so far this season.

I will discuss every position the same way I’ve broken down starting pitching in the coming days.  Maybe Omar can look at these ideas and take them as his own, since I sincerely believe he doesn’t have any plans or ideas at all.

I couldn’t care less about Tony Bernazard.
I couldn’t care less about Adam Rubin.
I couldn’t care less about Omar Minaya’s comments regarding what happened.

The only possible impact this might have on my life, is Omar being too distracted to make a move that might be good for the team…both for this season, and in the future.

The off-the-field missteps of this franchise are to be scoffed at for sure, but not by me. All I care about is what’s going on between the white lines, and for the last three games at least, things have been going well.

As far as I can see, Jeff Francoeur is the catalyst to the team’s success.

Since joining the team, he is batting .326 with 15 RBI and three HR. He is handling the New York press as well as I’ve ever seen anyone do, answering every question, saying all the right things, and doing it all with a smile on his face.

His ties to the organization are new and fresh, and he seems to push the “losing attitude” out of the team aside. He is using words like “us” and “we” that show his team-first attitude, and is quick to criticize himself when he does something wrong.

His positive attitude is rubbing off on the rest of the players, and it seems to be showing on the field.

That being said, I’m sure I’m not the only Mets fan that was screaming at the TV last night as Jerry Manuel sent Fernando Tatis up to pinch-hit…the double play machine himself, at the turning point of the game, with an inning-ending double play written all over him.

I was flabbergasted at Jerry’s decision-making process. Tatis has done nothing but kill rallies, and he was set up to do it again.

Fast forward to the 0-2 pitch that Tatis lifts into left field, and I’m thinking to myself, “well, at least we’ll get a run…he got the ball to the outfield.”

Before you know it, the outfielders are at the wall looking up, and Tatis is pounding his chest rounding second base.

The moral of the story is that Tatis has been so monumentally bad and un-clutch in situations this season that I forgot about him being the Grand Slam King of the World.

I hope his streak of badness is over, and now he can be called on reliably as a pinch hitter and reserve outfielder; a role that he filled very well in the past.

I wonder when Alex Cora will turn his season around. He had been one of the most consistent players in an inconsistent line…up until he stopped producing at the plate. He’s still doing a stellar job at shortstop, but has fallen in the line up, and seems to never get a hit anymore.

It could be a case of a 10-carry back getting 30 carries a game, and we’re just learning why he’s a 10-carry back.

There seems to be some good news regarding Jose Reyes making a return soon, so perhaps Cora will be able to return to his intended role as a reserve middle infielder…taking some of the pressure off him, and allowing him to return to form.

I take all news about the Mets injuries with a grain of salt though, so I won’t take the good news seriously until the injured players are back on the field at a major league level.

Things are looking up for this team, but as I said yesterday, I won’t be a believer until the homestand is over.

We’ll all know a lot more by then.