I am the kid in the upper deck, getting into games in 1964 with Borden's coupons off the milk carton. I went to many games that year finding the trash bin where they were placed at Shea giving me a season pass. The Mets became the World Champions in 1969 with a strong set of arms, STARTING PITCHING with young arms, crafty veterans, and a bullpen that came in to get outs with a variety of pitches. Their roster was not filled with stars, it was comprised with a platoon at 1B, 2B, 3b, and RF that provided strong defense at every position. Their Manager knew how to teach, expected each player to perform when placed in the lineup, and had an outstanding coaching staff second. Their scouts had the eye to obtain talent in the minor leagues, and players long into their professional years that could bring the younger players along. If this is where we are headed, I'm onboard!
I wrote a long comment over at “talkin Mets” being a fan who saw and experienced the 1986 team and all the heartbreak since. Stearns has a plan. To pull it off he surely cannot tell the media before these meetings began as that makes prices move to the sky and ruins his stealth. I’m angry and hurt with all the moves but until this team begins playing meaningful games I’ll save my shredding of Stearns. My one request would be please let me have one more World Series championship before I die.
Amen. I don't think there's a realistic plan to compete this year either, and if we have to talk about a "transition year," the sooner we do it, the better, so we'll know what to expect next season.
This core group only made the playoffs twice and won playoff series one of those years. It’s not like we’re breaking up the Beatles, showing my age, this group has underperformed every year except one
The Mets are gone. I'll follow Polar Bear and root for the Orioles or follow the Dodgers since we're both from Brooklyn. Following the Mets since 1962 has been a continuous heartbreak except for 69 and 86 and has been full of midnight massacres like with The Franchise, Doc, Polar Bear, and others.
Simply put: Sterns knows he bombed with the star plan: Scherzer, Verlander, Lindor, Soto added to existing ones. The window has closed. With nerves of steel he’s wheeled and dealt three of his biggest stars. An all or nothing roster reworking. Gamble? Yup. Desperate? Probably: odds are against him succeeding before he wears out his welcome. But he’s smart enough to know most GMs die on that hill of repeatedly bringing back the same gang, hoping they can succeed this time. His Waterloo was the Scherzer/Verlander debacle. It’s affected subsequent years. After all rich guys didn’t get that way being stupid. The writings on the wall. If he wears his welcome out, the next guy will at least have his spoils and not start from scratch.
FYI - David Stearns had nothing to do with the Lindor trade and contract extension, nor the signing of Scherzer or Verlander since he wasn’t employed by the Mets during those years. Therefore his Waterloo with the Mets has yet to occur…although this offseason might be it depending on how it goes from this point out.
We don't know that the Mets FO "bungled" the Diaz thing. Maybe yes, maybe they were deceived. We don't know what went on behind the scenes. We do know it turned out very badly. If we sign Tucker and a good reliever and trade or sign a good starting pitcher, the outlook can change in a hurry.
Trading Seaver was the worst day ever. Straw leaving was sad. But losing Pete? Awful. I was at MSG the nite everybody was rooting for Giacomin to beat the Rangers. You can be sure when Pete faces Devin at Citi in September, the crowd will be hoping to see another HR!
I think fans and writers who are fans with a pen in hand (JustMets - that's you) really don't know what patience means. Now when you're putting out a daily blog realistically you cant' be patient and actually have content. But It think Stearns is going to pull off a big move and that move will be a young unproven top tier PROSPECT who is game ready (Bryce Eldridge) who can be our 1B for 10 years and under team control for many years- and we won't be paying him $30 million a year.
You may agree or disagree, but there's a point to be made: to get different results, you have to do things differently. Although that does mean you need to know what you're going to do differently...
"Maybe Stearns went to his owner and said, 'OK your way sucked, now it’s time to do it my way.'"
This may sort of be it. More likely, at least in my mind, is Cohen hired Stearns specifically to do things differently than we've done in the past, and to bring a more disciplined and analytical approach to roster building than we've had in the past.
Which may or may not be a good thing. I personally think analytics are just information, not answers, and there's more to the game on the field than the stats on the spreadsheet. If we're driven too much by the underlying metrics, we could end up with a good team on paper which loses a lot.
That being said, after signing Soto for such a huge amount of money for such a long term, it only makes sense for him to be the tentpole and everything else to be built around him, and the only way to do that season after season is to lean into the data and move pieces as needed.
Whether that cold, somewhat ruthless approach sits well with Mets fans remains to be seen. A lot will depend on exactly how much moving we do and how much we become business-first. And we should never forget, sports are a narrative. If our story starts to look mercenary like the guys on the other side of town, we could be trading our souls for the illusion of success. After all, the Boys in the Bronx have gone a long, long time without a ring.
You reasoning and frame of mind on this are completely justified and reasonable. My hope when they dealt Nimmo (and I am not saying it lightly because he was an excellent Met, but his contract always felt short sighted to me) was that they would be reinvesting those dollars into Alonso and running with a kid in one corner and likely a stop gap in CF, and would use excess resources to supplement the crux of the problem, pitching.
Allowing Diaz and Alonso to just walk at this point feels like only three quarter of the way complete. I have to believe, and sorry for beating this drum over and over, but I have to believe that the hoped next step Stearns has is dealing Lindor in a similar fashion to Nimmo-Semien. But I think his goal would be to get younger now and take on more money to relieve himself of the 6 years in the wane of Lindor.
I know a lot of people probably see that as crazy, but what struck me most about Stearns comments this week was how much "need for need" opportunity appears to be on the trade market.
Lindor for Tatis Jr does that and tickles his objective about how to structure long term deals, make sure you have 4-5 years of them be shy of 30. The Mets would certainly have to drop something in as Preller still wants to compete despite the Padres financial escapades. But I have to believe this is doable. Obviously Lindor has veto ability. But it would be astonishing given what has just transpired if he puts his foot down to say no. Cohen has shown that he will be ruthless, and not just with Stearns. He was with Eppler too.
Mark me down as one of the people who says dealing Lindor would be crazy. Tell us more about the Padres' "financial escapades" because I and presumably others, don't know what you refer to.
you can't really be watching MLB and not know that the Padres owner died in 2023 and his wife and two brothers are in a legal battle over the team while the brothers are seeking a buyer.
Of course the team is for sale. We jump from that to them trading their best player to the Mets? From what I've read (and I do waste a lot of time following baseball commentary) that doesn't even have the status of a rumor...more like a pleasant fantasy for Mets fans. But if there's anything of any substance out there, I'd like to know. Wouldn't mind taking on Tatis one bit.
I am the kid in the upper deck, getting into games in 1964 with Borden's coupons off the milk carton. I went to many games that year finding the trash bin where they were placed at Shea giving me a season pass. The Mets became the World Champions in 1969 with a strong set of arms, STARTING PITCHING with young arms, crafty veterans, and a bullpen that came in to get outs with a variety of pitches. Their roster was not filled with stars, it was comprised with a platoon at 1B, 2B, 3b, and RF that provided strong defense at every position. Their Manager knew how to teach, expected each player to perform when placed in the lineup, and had an outstanding coaching staff second. Their scouts had the eye to obtain talent in the minor leagues, and players long into their professional years that could bring the younger players along. If this is where we are headed, I'm onboard!
I wrote a long comment over at “talkin Mets” being a fan who saw and experienced the 1986 team and all the heartbreak since. Stearns has a plan. To pull it off he surely cannot tell the media before these meetings began as that makes prices move to the sky and ruins his stealth. I’m angry and hurt with all the moves but until this team begins playing meaningful games I’ll save my shredding of Stearns. My one request would be please let me have one more World Series championship before I die.
Amen. I don't think there's a realistic plan to compete this year either, and if we have to talk about a "transition year," the sooner we do it, the better, so we'll know what to expect next season.
Got to limit, if not eliminate, the 'opt out' contracts. They change the meaning and intent of the word "contract".
This core group only made the playoffs twice and won playoff series one of those years. It’s not like we’re breaking up the Beatles, showing my age, this group has underperformed every year except one
I'm honestly really mad that we got rid of Edwin Diáz and Pete Alonso in the same season
The Mets are gone. I'll follow Polar Bear and root for the Orioles or follow the Dodgers since we're both from Brooklyn. Following the Mets since 1962 has been a continuous heartbreak except for 69 and 86 and has been full of midnight massacres like with The Franchise, Doc, Polar Bear, and others.
Simply put: Sterns knows he bombed with the star plan: Scherzer, Verlander, Lindor, Soto added to existing ones. The window has closed. With nerves of steel he’s wheeled and dealt three of his biggest stars. An all or nothing roster reworking. Gamble? Yup. Desperate? Probably: odds are against him succeeding before he wears out his welcome. But he’s smart enough to know most GMs die on that hill of repeatedly bringing back the same gang, hoping they can succeed this time. His Waterloo was the Scherzer/Verlander debacle. It’s affected subsequent years. After all rich guys didn’t get that way being stupid. The writings on the wall. If he wears his welcome out, the next guy will at least have his spoils and not start from scratch.
FYI - David Stearns had nothing to do with the Lindor trade and contract extension, nor the signing of Scherzer or Verlander since he wasn’t employed by the Mets during those years. Therefore his Waterloo with the Mets has yet to occur…although this offseason might be it depending on how it goes from this point out.
We don't know that the Mets FO "bungled" the Diaz thing. Maybe yes, maybe they were deceived. We don't know what went on behind the scenes. We do know it turned out very badly. If we sign Tucker and a good reliever and trade or sign a good starting pitcher, the outlook can change in a hurry.
Trading Seaver was the worst day ever. Straw leaving was sad. But losing Pete? Awful. I was at MSG the nite everybody was rooting for Giacomin to beat the Rangers. You can be sure when Pete faces Devin at Citi in September, the crowd will be hoping to see another HR!
I think fans and writers who are fans with a pen in hand (JustMets - that's you) really don't know what patience means. Now when you're putting out a daily blog realistically you cant' be patient and actually have content. But It think Stearns is going to pull off a big move and that move will be a young unproven top tier PROSPECT who is game ready (Bryce Eldridge) who can be our 1B for 10 years and under team control for many years- and we won't be paying him $30 million a year.
You may agree or disagree, but there's a point to be made: to get different results, you have to do things differently. Although that does mean you need to know what you're going to do differently...
Braves To Sign Robert Suarez ... three-year, $45MM contract
"Maybe Stearns went to his owner and said, 'OK your way sucked, now it’s time to do it my way.'"
This may sort of be it. More likely, at least in my mind, is Cohen hired Stearns specifically to do things differently than we've done in the past, and to bring a more disciplined and analytical approach to roster building than we've had in the past.
Which may or may not be a good thing. I personally think analytics are just information, not answers, and there's more to the game on the field than the stats on the spreadsheet. If we're driven too much by the underlying metrics, we could end up with a good team on paper which loses a lot.
That being said, after signing Soto for such a huge amount of money for such a long term, it only makes sense for him to be the tentpole and everything else to be built around him, and the only way to do that season after season is to lean into the data and move pieces as needed.
Whether that cold, somewhat ruthless approach sits well with Mets fans remains to be seen. A lot will depend on exactly how much moving we do and how much we become business-first. And we should never forget, sports are a narrative. If our story starts to look mercenary like the guys on the other side of town, we could be trading our souls for the illusion of success. After all, the Boys in the Bronx have gone a long, long time without a ring.
Going that way would REALLY suck.
You reasoning and frame of mind on this are completely justified and reasonable. My hope when they dealt Nimmo (and I am not saying it lightly because he was an excellent Met, but his contract always felt short sighted to me) was that they would be reinvesting those dollars into Alonso and running with a kid in one corner and likely a stop gap in CF, and would use excess resources to supplement the crux of the problem, pitching.
Allowing Diaz and Alonso to just walk at this point feels like only three quarter of the way complete. I have to believe, and sorry for beating this drum over and over, but I have to believe that the hoped next step Stearns has is dealing Lindor in a similar fashion to Nimmo-Semien. But I think his goal would be to get younger now and take on more money to relieve himself of the 6 years in the wane of Lindor.
I know a lot of people probably see that as crazy, but what struck me most about Stearns comments this week was how much "need for need" opportunity appears to be on the trade market.
Lindor for Tatis Jr does that and tickles his objective about how to structure long term deals, make sure you have 4-5 years of them be shy of 30. The Mets would certainly have to drop something in as Preller still wants to compete despite the Padres financial escapades. But I have to believe this is doable. Obviously Lindor has veto ability. But it would be astonishing given what has just transpired if he puts his foot down to say no. Cohen has shown that he will be ruthless, and not just with Stearns. He was with Eppler too.
Mark me down as one of the people who says dealing Lindor would be crazy. Tell us more about the Padres' "financial escapades" because I and presumably others, don't know what you refer to.
you can't really be watching MLB and not know that the Padres owner died in 2023 and his wife and two brothers are in a legal battle over the team while the brothers are seeking a buyer.
Of course the team is for sale. We jump from that to them trading their best player to the Mets? From what I've read (and I do waste a lot of time following baseball commentary) that doesn't even have the status of a rumor...more like a pleasant fantasy for Mets fans. But if there's anything of any substance out there, I'd like to know. Wouldn't mind taking on Tatis one bit.