Mets: The Wilpons need to take winning more seriously or get out

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Death, taxes, and New York Mets owners letting down the fans are the only guarantees in life. It’s time the Wilpons sell.

I’ve been waiting to write this since I wanted to see what further moves the New York Mets would make. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Robinson Cano deal, but have to admit that for the short-term, having him and Edwin Diaz, while shedding the contracts of Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak, makes the Mets a better team.

I have no issue with signing Jeurys Familia again, since I believe, as a set-up guy, he’ll be much more effective than as a closer. Plus, he likes and wants to play in New York. That’s no small thing since the size of the market has wilted many a player before him. I’m even more than okay with the Wilson Ramos signing because there’s no way I would’ve given up any of the reported packages the Miami Marlins were asking for J.T. Realmuto.

But, here’s the thing. This is not enough. It’s not even close to enough. I would agree that the Mets are better now than when we ended the season, but we’re not talking about significant, putting-you-over-the-top improvements.

For Brodie Van Wagenen to come out and say that we should consider the Mets the favorites in the division, is a joke. There are still holes on this team, and on paper, they still appear to be behind the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves. All of whom finished ahead of the Mets in 2018, and all have also made improvements to their clubs for next season.

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And the thing is, Van Wagenen’s declaration didn’t even come across as authentic. It came across as just trying to get the fanbase excited to accept less than the best, as many who have worked for the Wilpons have done before him.

If this was his attempt at a Davey Johnson-like, “We’re gonna dominate”, it fell far short. Because with that 1986 team, you believed Johnson. Here, Van Wagenen’s comments just sounded like some more lip service and empty promises from Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the brashness. It’s a breath of fresh air. But, without the product to back it up, it immediately rings hollow. And I realize that Van Wagenen has to do something to excite the fans because he knows that he’s already at the end of his rope with the Wilpon budget. That’s why he even considered making a horrendous trade of Noah Syndergaard because he couldn’t add payroll without subtracting another contract first.

But, as a Mets fan, it’s infuriating to see the Yankees mulling signing Manny Machado, and you see article after article pondering whether the Mets should get Melky Cabrera or Adam Jones.

The Mets need a lefty in the bullpen, and instead of going out to get Andrew Miller, who might have been the best one available, they let him go to the St. Louis Cardinals? A New York team losing out to one from Missouri? So, now do they turn to Oliver Perez again. I mean, seriously?

The Yankees collect stars. The Mets collect them also, except the Mets wait until those prime years have faded and try to sell you a name instead of substance. The Yankees are at the bakery, when it first opens, to get the fresh loaves, while the Mets wait for the day-old-bread discounts. It used to be good but doesn’t quite have that same freshness as it once did.

Payroll Doesn’t Reflect “All In”

From everything that I’ve read, the Mets’ current payroll sits at around $150 million. Less than what it was at the end of 2018. That number still doesn’t take into account the insurance money the Mets will get back from David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes, which will lower payroll even further.

For the Mets to not even entertain the thought of Bryce Harper or Manny Machado is beyond comprehension. They should at least meet with them. First, to at least get a sense of what they wanted, and even more, for appearance sake. The Wilpons are said to be sensitive to how they’re portrayed, so to not even put up a charade of having an interest in these players, is a case of horrible optics.

The MLB luxury tax threshold for 2019 is $206 million. The Mets could have signed Harper and Miller, and still be well under that figure. Van Wagenen can’t say the Mets are “All in” when they’re clearly not.

It’s amazing how the Wilpons can’t see the goodwill they’d generate with the fans by finally signing a top-shelf player. Instead, they seem content to just put out a shoddy product, as long as they make a profit.

Since the Wilpons took over sole control of the Mets in 2002, they’ve had just six winning seasons in seventeen years! Just three years of making the playoffs.

With the cheap-in-cost, high-quality starting pitching the Mets have had the last few years, it’s a crime that they didn’t build a quality team around them. The Mets could have and should have been a perennial contender.

Even with the disappointing 2015 World Series loss, it felt like it was just the beginning of something. Instead, that turned out to be the aberration. And really, if not for a Cespedes hot streak, they probably don’t even reach the playoffs that year either. But, to then not build on that moment, is a crime in which every single Mets fan should be disgusted.

There should be no more giving anyone on the Mets a pass. There have been too many interviews with Jeff Wilpon, where the reporter lobs softball questions. He needs to be grilled, not let off the hook. If he tries to evade the question, he needs to be pressed. He has tried to defer that payroll is up to the general manager.

First Sandy Alderson, and now Van Wagenen. That’s clearly not true. Van Wagenen just stated that there was still “Financial flexibility”.

Unless they show us otherwise, that will be proven to be a lie as well.

No More Words and Empty Promises

If a New York team can’t even entertain the thought of going after the top players in the game, then something is wrong. If the Mets are still hurting from the Madoff Scandal, then they shouldn’t own a team. If that is truly the case and MLB hasn’t forced the Wilpons to sell, as they did with Frank McCourt and the Los Angeles Dodgers, then that is a disgrace.

Met fans are an impassioned bunch, and they have shown they will come out in droves to support a good product on the field. The Wilpons don’t deserve their fans. The fans deserve better. The city of New York deserves better.

No Mets fan should accept not going after Harper. No Met fan should accept the talk of financial parameters when they’re miles away from the luxury tax threshold. No Met fan should be content with “This puts us in the discussion for a Wild Card berth” talk.

All in means that you do everything in your power to win and that you’re putting out a team people think could win a World Series. It does not mean “If a few lucky breaks go our way.”

It’s really very simple, right now. Either, the Wilpons need to show the fans that they are committed to winning, or they need to get out of this game, or at least get out of this market.

Let them buy the Tampa Bay Rays or Oakland Athletics. Teams that are used to running things like a small-market club. If the Wilpons can’t run the Mets like a big-market team, due to financial concerns, then they must sell or be forced to sell, since the Wilpons will only go kicking and screaming.

But no Mets fan should be content with the moves the Mets do, if they aren’t going ‘All in’, for real. ‘All in’ means getting the best. The Wilpons can’t have it both ways any longer.

Next. When are Mets fans allowed to root for the Yankees?

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It’s time to put up or get out, once and for all.

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Death, taxes, and New York Mets owners letting down the fans are the only guarantees in life. It’s time the Wilpons sell.

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Payroll Doesn’t Reflect “All In”

No More Words and Empty Promises

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