It is not even 10 percent into the 2011 season and it is already time to clean house.
It really never was a matter of if, but always a matter of when. You can change a number of things, but unless you change almost all of them you can’t change a losing atmosphere. It becomes like that movie the Blob. It engulfs everything, seeps into the air vents and fills every orifice. It can only be exorcised by freezing or burning or blowing up the whole damn thing.
They say even a losing playoff appearance often serves to give a young team experience and make them stronger for the next year. In most cases that is true, and looked to be true for the post 2006 Mets until epic collapses in 2007 and 2008 erased that and injected an already “loser” tagged franchise with the dreaded “choker” tag. In the same way playoff experience is supposed to help, an epic collapse can destroy a franchise – for years. Back to back collapses seals it in cement. Together, the core of this team can never get past it. Not in this lifetime. Not with basically 50 years of losing hanging over their heads. Could anyone have ever expected the Cubs to overcome Bartman?? Was never going to happen and everyone knew it.
Do we have to endure another 3 or 4 months of “we were in every game”, “we battled”, or some other form of incessant babbling like nobody realizes losing by one run is actually the same as losing by 10 runs in the standings, If standings are what we really care about. If what we actually care about is blowing smoke, then keep the atta boys coming.
If blowing the whole thing up and going in a different direction is the chosen path, then do it sooner rather than later. It is what it is. Let’s stop sugar coating it and try to cash in. Let’s stop bringing back Chris Carters in trades. Let’s start trying to maximize trades. Thank Depodesta for his efforts and then have him Fedex Eamus back to Toronto, with a prepaid postage shipping label. Fire Warthen.
Bury Hairston and Harris on the bench where they belong. Then start dealing before it is too late.
Turn the tables on all the ½ year rental whiners. This gives potential trade partners a full, solid year of the player, on top of the chance to resign them. This increases the value of a KROD, Reyes and Beltran even more so than trading them last year, as all were injured unknown quantities last year.
One of the resident geniuses, Stark or Rubin was writing how valuable a few months of Fielder would be to an AL team. BECAUSE he didn’t have to be resigned. When it is a Met he has no value because his contract is up. When it is a Met he has no value because he is locked up for the next few years. Or has an option. When it is another player in the league he HAS tremendous value BECAUSE he is locked up for the next few years OR because he has an option. Is anybody else tired of hearing the same nonsense from the same people over and over and over.
Put the offers on the table and they will come.
KROD and PARNELL to Chisox for Sale and Beckham
BELTRAN and PAGAN to Boston for Bard and Ellsbury
WRIGHT to Philly for Hamels and Dominic Brown
REYES to SFN for Cain and …
That leaves nobody left from collapsing teams except Santana and he won’t have anyone to commiserate with if and when he ever comes back. Still leaves the likes of Bay, Niese and a cast of thousands of junk ball relief pitchers and/or not so blue chip prospects we could try and package or use as filler. Try it. We might like it.
These trades are real doable trades and could possibly net much more getting a few teams into bidding wars. It just has to be done right now, not in drips and drabs in June or September when you get nothing back.
Finally, was a bit taken back trying to read a story from this JOE JANISCH – A BLOG GUY. He proceeded to rip off the entire first paragraph of our The MORE THINGS CHANGE WITH NO MENTION OF THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE FROM 2 WEEKS EARLIER??
Thing s indeed are rapidly falling apart. Make the moves I am suggesting and make them all and make them now and the season will be saved. People will come to see Hamels, Cain, Bard and Sale pitch.They will pay to see Mejia develop iin the MLB rotation. They will salivate seeing Harvey and Holt continue to develop with Flores , Valdespin and all the OF prospects.
The Mets did show that even if they could turn this around with the players they got they may get to 75 wins and I am stretching. No need to go through the agony of the past few weeks 3 or 5 more times just to get there.