The Mets Bleak Mid-Winter

As snow continues to fall in the greater New York City area, the frost blanketed Citi Field is a symbol of the Mets off season so far: bleak. After a disappointing 2010 campaign, Mets fans needed hope. They thought they would find it in the firing of Minaya and Manuel, but instead this winter has only banished fans into further depression.

Yesterday, the Mets financial situation was brought into full light. While many had speculated pending doom for the Wilpons and Mets organization ever since Madoff's villainy was revealed, Friday was the first time even those within the organization admitted they were in trouble. I don't pretend to understand what exactly this means, but for the most part it means times are tough and won't be getting better any time soon.

To date there haven't been any signings, trades or deals worth getting excited about and money troubles will only add to the lack of interest in improving the team if it means adding payroll. From Chris Young to Chris Capuano to whatever other no-name, mid-level, rehabilitation project the Mets add to their roster, the feeling that 2011 will be one of those years to forget still lingers.

The 2009 season was abysmal, yet last off season I still found myself interested, hopeful and excited about what 2010 could be. This year it's the exact opposite. No hope. No excitement. And honestly I'm not at all teased by pitchers and catchers arriving in just under a month.

This is truly a bleak mid-winter for the Mets. And the worst part is the arrival of spring will most likely not change our demeanors. You never know what can happen, but the reality is 2011 will hardly be an escape from the Mets of 2010.

The Mets and Holliday and Halladay

The playoffs have only just begun, but those who follow the Mets are already dreaming of what changes can be made to the ball club to better themselves for next year.

The two names you will hear most this offseason is Holliday and Halladay. Besides being a pronunciation nightmare, these two players are the dream of Mets fans and management and the media loves to buzz about these two high price talents.

It's highly unlikely that the Mets will be able to get either or both of these guys. But since conjecture is an accepted art form in the blogosphere, let's say the Mets are able to get both Holliday and Halladay. Would that be enough to set the Mets on the right path in 2010?

It would absolutely help with their need for a #2 starter. Roy Halladay and Johan Santana would be potentially the best starting pitching tandem since Johnson & Schilling. Holliday would help with an extra bat in the lineup and give some protection to Wright and Beltran.

But is it enough? It might be. The Mets would need to make some minor moves to get some backup infielders. And of course you have the debate about what to do at first base, but I think it might be enough to help the Mets get back on course.

I would still sign Delgado to a one year incentive laden contract, which would allow we to have Murphy and Pagan come off the bench or start once a week. But what this gives you is an interesting lineup of Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Holliday, Delgado, Franceour, "Catcher."

That to me is a very interesting lineup to watch if everyone is healthy and returns back to normal (ahem, David Wright). Then your starting rotation would be Santana, Halladay and 3 other goons. But the good part is you've now pushed Perez/Maine/Pelfrey down in the pecking order to only be a #4 or #5 starter.

Ah, to dream. That's what the off season is all about. Instead we'll probably end up with Adam LaRoche and Randy Wolf.

Two Missed Moves Will Haunt Mets

Hindsight is always 20/20. I realize that. But there are two missed moves that are glaring in the face of every Mets fan and will trouble our minds not just this year, but in the seasons to follow.

The names are familiar: Adam Dunn & Derek Lowe. These two players while not perennial All Stars are the pieces the Mets needed, but opted for other options. I'm not saying that having these guys would have changed the outcome of this season. Injuries played too large a role to salvage any part of 2009. But the mismanagement of not getting these guys will impact the moves that need to be made in this coming off season.

Instead of signing Derek Lowe, the Mets opted for the unlovable, inconsistent head case that is Oliver Perez. The reason being that Perez is much younger than Lowe. So instead of a solid, proven veteran who is a legitimate #2 starter behind Johan Santana, the Mets are now saddled to the $140 million mental patient.

Injuries and his psyche, now make you question whether Perez can be a reliable starter, let alone considered a #2 starter. And one year later the Mets will enter the winter months looking for more starting pitching. They'll be forced to spend even more money potentially on a Jon Lackey or force a trade for a guy like Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt.

Not that any of those options aren't better than signing Lowe, but there's a chance the Mets might not even have the money or the pieces to get any of these guys. And the Mets will now have spent $140 million on a risky #4 starter and spend another $100 million on a #2. That's just poor money management.

Which brings me to Adam Dunn. The most glaring omission from the Mets lineup is a power bat. We expected to get that from Delgado, Beltran and Wright, but of course injuries and the curious case of David Wright have impacted that situation. But in the cavernous Citi Field, any baseball mind knows that you need a power guy who can just plain mash, which is what Adam Dunn does year in and year out. He's got 40 dingers and can potentially reach 100 RBI this year for the dismal Nats.

The Mets needed a left fielder, but they rolled the dice by going with a selection of tier 2 options that included Murphy, Tatis, eventually Sheffield, Sullivan, Evans and Reed. If the Mets had signed Dunn they would have had an extra power bat and a solid backup to Delgado at first base. Of course Dunn is a liability with the glove, but you can say that about pretty much every Mets player these days. When Delgado went down, Dunn could have slid over to first base or Murphy could have moved from bench player to first baseman rather than dancing around that option for a few months.

But the bigger impact of not signing Dunn is in this off season. Now the Mets will seriously consider signing Delgado for one year even though he hasn't stepped on a playing field for almost an entire season. They may get him cheap, but he's yet again a one year fix and the Mets will shop for a replacement again the following year.

If they don't sign Delgado, the first base free agent crop is cast of B-list players which don't quite fit the bill of what the Mets need. So the Mets may be forced to trade for a player or try and salvage a season with a roll call of backups or making Murphy fit into their first base plans for the future.

Instead the Mets could have had Dunn as their first baseman for the next two seasons and be in a position to sign Adrien Gonzalez or Justin Morneau when they are free agents and Dunn would come off the books.

There is little to be happy about this season when it comes to the Mets. But I hope the torture of this season and the missed moves of the last off season will cause the front office to think, not short term, but long term about the impact their moves have on this team for years to come.

Things I Will Miss About the Mets Off Season

Spring training is almost over and Opening Day is just days away. I'm highly anticipating the start of another Mets season (for better or worse), but there are some things I will miss about the Mets off season.

1. I'll miss the hopeful feeling that Luis Castillo might no longer be a Mets player, and that Orlando Hudson would be.
2. I'll miss the medication prescribed for me to deal with last September.
3. I'll miss reading a post practically every day talking about how the Mets need to sign Derek Lowe (mine included).
4. I'll miss reading and hearing about steroids, A-Rod and the World Baseball Classic.
5. I'll miss being able to turn on sports and not have a Sovereign Bank, New York Smoker's Quitline and Guiseppe Franco ad staring me in the face (they were replaced in the off season by the Snuggie).
6. I'll miss not having to hear Wayne Hagin on the radio
7. I'll miss the fun times I had counting money with Bernie Madoff.
8. I'll miss the trade rumors that every person wants to believe will come true, but you know never will.
9. I'll miss seeing my children (daddy's second job is about to start up; hey, we're in a recession here).
10. I'll miss the false hope that Fernando Tatis can actually be a legit left fielder for two straight years.