Year in Review

Year in Review

Contrary to the popular view expressed on sports talk radio in New York that the Mets’ 2005 season was a failure, the season, in my view, was actually a rousing success. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a successful baseball franchise, particularly one that has been plagued by numerous mis-steps by management over the past four or five years. New York is definitely a tough town in which to play baseball. The standard is set by the Yankees and the media is quick to beat down the Mets when they fail to play to the standard created by a franchise and its fan base which believes that all other teams in the sport exist to nourish the Yankee monster. To their credit, despite the pressure of Mike and Mad Dog,  the Yankee lackey, Michael Kay (late of ESPN radio) and even Murray Chass of the New York Times, the Mets have stayed true to their recent course set by Omar Minaya and neither over-reached or promised more than they knew they could deliver. Finishing four games above break even is a significant accomplishment for this team, regardless of the criticism, and a terrific starting point for the years of success I believe will follow.

There are without questions areas of the team that need improvement and it will certainly be interesting to watch the pieces of the puzzle gradually come together over the next few months. It may very well be that as with 2005, the team will emerge in Port St. Lucie in February 2006 still a work in progress and while it is probably unacceptable to many in the media and those impatient for a return to 1986, I don’t think a World Series ring is necessary to make 2006 a success so long as the team continues to improve and play hard.  

I must point out that I am and have been a season ticket holder for more than fifteen years and thus feel that I have a vested interest in the team’s progress and that they, in turn, have almost a fiduciary duty to me and to all fans (not the ones who injured themselves first jumping on to and then off the bandwagon as it moved through Florida, Atlanta and St. Louis in September) to make every reasonable effort to improve and compete.

The bullpen certainly needs attention. Braden Looper underwent shoulder surgery on Monday past and hopes to be ready for spring training. Hopefully, the team will opt to buy out his contract for $250,000 rather than invest another $5 million in a closer who can’t get left handed hitters out. That he was injured and chose not only not to tell anyone but repeatedly reported himself available only to blow saves and/or create problems for himself and the team itself warrants his “dismissal” from the team. While a number of established closers may be on the market (e.g. Billy Wagner and BJ Ryan), I think serious consideration needs to be given to using Aaron Heilman as the everyday closer. One needs only listen to Pat Burrell telling Matty Loughlin that Heilman’s stuff is nearly unhittable to realize that this kid, while certainly with starter’s “stuff”, may be the team’s answer to the closer question. He certainly merits a look given his performance over the last weeks of the season when the team was ruining the Phillies’ and Marlin’s pennant hopes.

I would also not rush to spend money to find a new first baseman. It may very well be that particularly after a season of winter ball, Mike Jacobs’, already an adequate first baseman, will improve enough to provide the team with a more complete package than he provided over the past two months of the season. It is certainly a very tough call for Minaya who may be able to pry someone like Sean Casey away from the Reds. If, however, a trade for Casey or someone like requires the Mets to part with real prospects, Jacobs, who I think is the real deal (player of the year and believed to have the best swing in the organization) may certainly be the way to go.

Catcher needs an upgrade and while I am one who believes that Mike Piazza still has something to give, if only on a part time basis, I nevertheless believe that catcher is the one position that the Mets should be willing to spend their money. The Padres’ Ramon Hernandez will be a free agent this winter and is someone who would certainly fit well into the team’s plans.

Second base also needs an upgrade though I don’t know if (a) the Mets will be willing to retain Matsui and not play him and/or (b) whether the Mets will be able to unload the former Japanese star. New York certainly does not look like a good fit for the guy (who, I believe, can be successful in the United States) and perhaps he would be able to salvage his US career elsewhere. Assuming Matsui can be moved, the focus should be upon extracting Soriano from the Texas Rangers. I have no doubt that Soriano will prosper (not that he’s suffering all that much in Texas) by a return to New York and Willie Randolph. He is a defensive liability who would probably benefit from Willie’s attention (in much the same way that Reyes benefited from Randolph’s counsel). The question, of course, is how much Soriano will cost the Mets. The Rangers remain in desperate need of pitching to support their terrific offense and it may be that the Mets will be asked to part with Jae Seo and Aaron Heilman, among others (possibly Anderson Hernandez, as well) in order to complete a trade with Texas. I would certainly be sorry to see Heilman go, but, on balance, Soriano’s bat in a lineup with Reyes, Wright, Floyd, Beltran and Cameron would make the offense as potent as any in the NL.

Finally, counter-balancing any move to bring Soriano to the Mets would be a push by Minaya to work out a trade with Boston for Manny Ramirez. Absent including Beltran in the deal, I don’t think the Mets (or any team, for that matter) has enough pieces to complete trades for both Soriano and Ramirez. If the push were for Ramirez, it would likely cost the Mets not only the same players who would go to Texas for Soriano, but either Floyd or Cameron, as well. Honestly, I’m not sure a Ramirez trade is in the team’s best interest despite his obvious Hall of Fame numbers.

Met fans should be thrilled with all that the team accomplished this year.