“Mets have big plans, but are they players or posers?” asks a headline on a Newsday article by Marc Carig.
I suspect every Mets fan who hasn’t given up on the team is wondering the same thing.
For the New York Post, Dan Martin writes that David Wright is already trying to convince free agents to come to the Mets.
“Some players question what the plan is and say, ‘Why should I come to the New York Mets?’ ” Wright said. “Our track record isn’t exactly great lately.”
Fans are wondering the same thing.
If you tuned in to any of the September games and listened to Gary, Keith and/or Ron talking about their expectations for the team’s plans in 2014, it almost seemed a forgone conclusion the Shin-Soo Choo would be filling one of the corner outfield spots next season.
Now Choo is said to be asking for a contract better than the seven-year, $126 million deal Jayson Werth signed with the Washington Nationals before the 2011 season. Whether or not he gets it, Choo is probably not going to end up a Met unless his market craters before Sandy Alderson commits his available money to other players.
For the Daily News, Andy Martino notes the Mets have expressed preliminary interest in Curtis Granderson, but they’ve got competition from both Chicago teams and the New York Yankees made him a qualifying offer of $14.1 million for one year. He may not fit Alderson’s budget either, and it’s a virtual guarantee that he will not be able to hit 40+ home runs if he plays half his games in Citi Field.
The Dodgers have let it be known that they are shopping one of their three veteran outfielders – Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford – but according to Jon Heyman, none of the three figure into the Mets off-season plans.
Maybe none of these particular players do make sense for the Mets. But at some point soon, they have to start spending more money on player payroll and trading for players who meet needs, even if it means losing other useful players or prospects.
No matter what Alderson does this off-season, he probably can’t turn a 74-88 team into a playoff contender in one shot. But if the winter’s acquisitions amount to another round of Frank Franciscos, Brandon Lyons and Shaun Marcums, I’m going to be saying the same thing a year from now.
Going back to what Wright said in Martin’s Post story:
“We need to start making an impact and show we’re a contender,” Wright said. “That would be better than anything I could tell them.”
Fans and free agents are looking for the same thing. Let’s hope the Mets take some visible steps in the right direction soon.
PaulHadsall.com 
Why, exactly, wouldn’t either Kemp or Ethier fit into the Mets plans? It boggles the mind. And why is David Wright wasting his time trying to convince players to come and sign on in New York when Mets brass has shown no interest in actually intending to aggressively court any significant free agents in the first place?
What I’d love to see is for David Wright to break character and stop being Mr. Nice Met, and finally say what needs to be said: Upper Management, it’s time to put up or shut up. What has he got to lose?
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