A Man, a Blog, A Stem--Mets!

Seems I was less than convincing in my post about how to fix the Mets (it is spay and neuter your second place ballclub week, isn't it?) the other day. A non-linkable Chris made several points, and since I don't really know what to blog about today anyway, and since I've spent too much time the past several weeks reading all the rumors and possible to-ing and fro-ing of free agents, I must as well squeeze one more post out of this material. I will try to respond to Chris's points (in green) in order:

1) Schoeneweis is a lefty specialist, who in fact, does get lefties out. He allowed only a .524 OPS against lefties last season, .594 for his career.

But that's all Mr. S (I promised not to write that name anymore, and your defense of him makes me wonder if your last name might be S___, also, Chris) can do is get lefties out. So if you bring him in to face a lefty--lets call that batter Mike Jacobs--and then a manager pinch hits a righty--lets call him Wes Helms--it's time to duck and cover. This is a pitcher on a 3 year, $10.8 million deal. If all he can do is get out lefties, you don't sign him for that much for that long.

As many wiser writers have said, the biggest problem with the Mets bullpen last year was everyone was a specialist, so you couldn't expect a full inning from anyone (that is, without the opposition scoring).

2) Just as Mike commented earlier, I'd love to see where the Mets have the money to spend on Manny or Dunn, K-Rod or Wood, and all these washed up veterans you want, who will cost much more than they are worth.

Never was an economist, or even particularly good with money--which, of course, these days, makes me as bright as most economists, but that's a different post. The Mets have to have money, especially moving into a new ballpark, especially in NYC. Costing more than they are worth is a different issue, which is why I like the idea of shorter contracts for higher annual pay. While the Dodgers have tried this of late and have got burned--I'm looking at "u" Andruw--at least that signing is only a mistake for one more year. I mean, go ask the Rockies how they feel about that Todd Helton in perpetuity deal they're stuck with.

The biggest problem with the Mets is there's never time in NYC to tear down and rebuild. It's a club set up to win now, so you have to surround that great Santana-Wright-Reyes-Beltran core with better players. Now. It's not like the Mets have tons of super prospects we can even hope will help somehow.

3) Are you really trying to say that Joe McEwing, and his 2 playoff ABs are the reason the Mets made the WS in 2000?

The joke was supposed to be that a club needs some gritty, get-his-uniform-dirty guy to set a tone or else it won't have the heart/intestinal fortitude/cojones (feel free to pick your own crucial anatomy and language with which to call it) to be a winner. Oddly enough, this person is usually some over-achieving little white guy. Most of them don't grow "up" to be Dustin Pedroia. Instead it's a parade of Ecksteins and Hudlers and Counsells and pre-roids Dykstras.

4) Who do the Mets have to trade for a Jeremy Hermida, Felix Pie, or Rich Hill?

Turn the clock back one year. Boston supposedly dangling Buchholz, Ellsbury, a lifetime supply of delicious chowda. Yanks supposedly dangling Hughes, Tabata, several autographed Steinbrenner toupees. And who winds up with Johan?

All I'm saying is, you never know. (Although the Johan trade means we have even less of the little we had to offer other clubs.) Hermida is owned by a team that hates paying its players, so there's incentive for Florida to move him as he gets arb-eligible expensive. Pie and Hill aren't feeling the Cubbie love, so might come cheaply. These guys might never be great, but there's promise, and that might help avoid having to pay for washed up veterans. Let's get the guys who haven't even made it to the sink yet.

5) Oh, and I apologize for such a serious response to a not so serious blog post.

I will be the first to admit that I put attempts at humor ahead of attempts at argument, but luckily one of my favorite humor tricks is the non-sequitur. Joe Beimel's stats are about the same as S____'s, but I had to make the bar joke. Same thing for writing Erubiel Durazo. His name is a stand-up double to my ear.

Joe Sheehan over at Baseball Prospectus will do a real "fix the Mets" piece in the next few days. Go read him if you want smarts. I just want to give you a giggle or two. And say, as suavely as I can, "Erubiel Durazo."

UPDATE (12/4 12:19 pm): Joe Sheehan's piece is up now. And maybe it's because I've read BP so long I've internalized their way of thinking, or maybe I'm just brilliant, but he says sign Wood, Cruz, Lowe, and Abreu and sums up: "At this point in their history, though, with an amazing core, a new ballpark, and a share of the largest market in the game, they have to commit to doing whatever it takes to put this roster over the top. This is not the typical Prospectus approach, but this is not the typical situation, and getting caught up in principles isn't going to turn a very good team into the very best one. This is how to help the Reyes/Wright Mets win a championship."