12/4/17

Reese Kaplan -- Lay Off the Wilpons This Time


Some people routinely call me a downer, a pessimist, a Wilpon basher, an Alderson hater and the like.  They’re right, of course.  However, there are a few story lines coming out of this weekend in which I am put in the rare position of defending what the Mets are doing (or not doing, as the case may be).

Everyone here would be doing cartwheels and popping champagne if the Mets somehow landed Shohei Ohtani, a 24-year-old two-way player who would instantly fortify the suspect rotation and add a good extra outfield bat as well.  I chided the Wilpons and Sandy Alderson to try to make it happen.



Much to everyone’s surprise the Mets made the gesture of filling out his handler’s questionnaire about how they would use the player and what the team and city could offer to the unique Japanese talent.  Sandy Alderson had given a half-hearted comment about wooing him here, “I don’t think there is a downside into looking into it.  I think the only downside is creating a false set of expectations among fans that have to be tempered. This guy can go to any one of 30 teams.”

Well, Sunday night word came out (to no one’s surprise) that the Mets are out of the bidding and many will hold the Wilpons’ and Alderson’s feet to the fire for again taking half measures into building a competitive product that actually has a chance at approaching the post-season.  There are plenty of reasons to bash the guys who cut the checks and make the personnel decisions, but in this case it’s unwarranted.

Apparently Ohtani is interested in West Coast and small market teams.  (Cue the jokes about how the Wilpons operate like a small-market team).  If anyone could push their hostility aside for a moment, apparently the others told sayonara include the Yankees, Athletics, Braves, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox and Twins.  Notice that the Dodgers, Giants, Mariners and Padres are not on this list (though oddly Oakland is).  I don’t know how much smaller markets they have in mind than The Brewers, Rays or Pirates.  Note that the Mets fit neither the West Coast nor small market preferences, so short of relocating the franchise, there was nothing that could be done to lure him here. 

Similarly, it was reported that the Marlins have worked out the frameworks for deals to either the Cardinals or Giants to move their $295 million man, Giancarlo Stanton, in order to make Derek Jeter able to save enough money to pay cash for the big private jet.  He gets a pass for doing that, but the boo birds are out in force squawking once again about the cheap Wilpons and gutless Sandy Alderson. 


I’ve seen articles all over the place chastising the Mets for not getting into this trade/payroll war.  Would they benefit from the addition of Stanton to their roster?  Just getting him out of an opponent’s lineup might be worth it alone.  Despite his huge injury history, he’s clubbed 35 homers and driven in 81 in just 108 games against the Mets.

Regardless of what it would take in talent and payroll dollars to get him to put down roots in Queens, Stanton has been quite vocal about preferring to play for a contending team or one closer to his California roots.  Again, do the Mets meet either of these criteria (not to mention do they have the talent or payroll flexibility to take on Stanton’s A-Rod-like contract?

I’m sorry to douse the gasoline on the fire, but the answer is once again a resounding no.  Furthermore, the size of that contract and the long injury history would be setting yourself up for another David Wright debacle.  No, Mets fans, not getting Stanton is dodging a bullet.

Of course, by NOT spending money on Ohtani or Stanton the folks who make the turnstiles rotate are doubly anxious to see the club spend money on improving the team where they actually do have the opportunities to do so.  Expect with the Winter Meetings starting next week that the already restless natives are going to come out with pitchforks and torches when the likes of Mike Moustakas, J.D. Martinez and others wind up inking deals with other clubs.  That’s to be expected.  However, save your energy for another week for legitimate complaints.  Neither Ohtani nor Stanton would come here based upon their own personal desires.  

16 comments:

Unknown said...

All true but now the FO needs to prove were really "in it to win it" and do something to improve this club instead of excuses. Sandy always seems to be backing up when top talent is available and talking about payroll limits surely "thrills" the fan base as "same old Mets" is ringing in our ears. Lets hope this off season brings more of a reality check for Sandy and company and we all can look forward to a new manager and some new key additions so I'll be patient and hopeful till spring training.

TexasGusCC said...

Gary, I've felt this for 5 years now: Why are fans crying for the Wilpons' pockets, like they have been trained to do so? And, why do we need to hear about payroll all the time? Alderson keeps throwing the finance reality card out there, but I'm thinking all this "payroll-payroll-payroll" talk would be a turn off to customers when tickets keep going up-up-up.

Mack Ade said...

I am being told that the whole Hot Stove season is being held hostage by the agents until both the Ohtani and Stanton deals are done. These deals will begin to determine the value of each of these agent's clients in the open market.

One of these deals could be a return of Jay Bruce to the Mets.

Tom Brennan said...

Hot Stove is Cold Stove right now....

Reese Kaplan said...

Don't worry, Tom. Pretty soon the Mets will sally forth with their version of the 3 day-old hot dogs rotating on a greasy roller at 7-11.

Tom Brennan said...

Reese, the Mets like to shop in the stale food, past-the-sell-by-date section of your discount grocer. They have found many "bargains" there.

Reese Kaplan said...

Fernando Tatis...Bueller...Bueller???

Unknown said...

Every time I hear the term “sally forth “ I think of Army Of Darkness

Unknown said...

Hey we signed the Hebrew Hammer last week to a minor league deal so I guess the heavy lifting us done (sarcasm)
Let’s just hope whatever players are imported this offseason makes this team competitive again

Hobie said...

Bruce? Fine. No Mous, Kipnis, Lind--even JD--etc.

Pitching, pitching pitching.

Mack Ade said...

Can you imagine if the Giants get BOTH Stanton and Ohtani?

Christopher Soto said...

@Mack

It would be quite the team.

Lineup

Denard Span CF
Hunter Pence LF
Buster Posey C
Giancarlo Stanton RF
Brandon Belt 1B
Brandon Crawford SS
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Christian Arroyo 2B

Rotation
Madison Bumgarner
Johnny Cueto
Jeff Samardzija
Shohei Ohtani
Matt Moore

Eddie from Corona said...

Whoa only read the Title and had to respond... The wilpons are the worse owners in Baseball... they Ponzi their way to own the team... they do nothing to provide the financial support to a team in the Biggest market in the World.... they are the reason we are a second class team... At least Woody Johnson tried to win...

Anonymous said...

Anyone else a bit put off by Shohei Ohtani? Granted, he is one of the best players in Japan but he hasn't sniffed MLB yet and he is coming off like a DIVA!

A questionnaire distributed to each team with a request for an outline of how the team will cater to him (kiss his arse)? Really, dude? Maybe you could actually have some success in MLB and earn that respect first.

Largely avoiding the media "hot beds" and larger market teams (for the most part), screams someone who may be a bit sensitive and insecure. So, you demand this extra attention with your free agency methods, but you don't want too much attention? Sounds a bit nutty to me.

I could be wrong, but he might be a huge BUST when all is said and done. Especially if he doesn't replicate his success in MLB and the scrutiny is amped up as a result.

My prediction is that he underwhelms with the bat and he ends up being a solid back of the rotation piece in the media "black hole" that is Seattle. Five years from now, he will be JAG.


Mike

Eddie from Corona said...

Reese we tend to see things the same way when it come to Our Team in Queens...But to say acquiring a player like Stanton with a contract like his would be a mistake is to say we will never or should never have a all time great player... If conforto had Staton's career what would his contract look like in today's market? What is Machados' and Harpers contract look like?
If we had a shot at stanton I think we should be all in a potential Hall Of fame player...

Reese Kaplan said...

@Eddie Corona -- I'm not questioning Stanton's talent in the least. What I am questioning is his ability to stay on the field, his salary and what you would have to give up to get him. Let's say for the sake of argument the Marlins would take a package that included Wilmer Flores, Corey Oswalt, Tyler Bashlor and Gerson Bautista. For that you get Stanton and his existing contract.

Now let's see how this would play out in the next few years...say Stanton misses 50 games per year, Jeurys Familia and A.J. Ramos flee as free agents, Jerry Blevins gets older and T.J. Rivera takes a longer time to heal than expected. The Mets are hamstrung by Stanton's contract from doing anything else and they've dug a hole in their future by trading away four younger players who might have helped them and given them the financial flexibility to do something else.

Now if you wanted to argue that they should spend $20 million per year on Moustakas, Martinez or whomever and they refused to do so, then that's a more damning indictment of the team. There they would have healthier players for less money and retained all of those younger assets for their own benefit or to be used as chips in other deals.

The price for Stanton is too high in terms of talent and contract, but it's a moot point since he wants either a contending team or the west coast, so it won't be happening anyway. For once it's not the Wilpons' fault.

Get back to me when they're too cheap to spend to improve the team on players that they CAN actually obtain...I'll be right there with you with a megaphone :)