(Wenig/AP)
A lot is made of the decisions the New York Mets make. The present whipping post is Brodie Van Wagenen. He is the General Manager, thus makes the decisions.
Or does he? It is out there in the public that Jeff Wilpon is consulted on all decisions and makes the ultimate choice. The Mets try to spin it in a way that talks about "collaborative" efforts. Most fans believe it is just more meddling by the Wilpons.
This is not a recent situation. Every General Manager for the Mets, since the Wilpons acquired full ownership, dealt with this same issue. In short, the Wilpons fancy themselves baseball experts. Unfortunately, their track record proves otherwise.
Too often the Mets appear like they have no clue what they are doing. Many beat writers are pointing the the Travis d'Arnaud situation as Exhibit A.
This winter, after missing a year due to TJS, the Mets picked up Travis' arbitration. Instead of letting him walk, they opted to pay over $3 million to keep him. The plan was to let him rehab for a month to get his swing back.
Always known as an offensive catcher, they compounded the situation by signing Wilson Ramos, another catcher not known for his defensive ability.
To make matter worse, the Mets then moved d'Arnaud's rehab time from a month to a week (similar to Michael Conforto last year). Then they gave him a grand total of 25 at bats before releasing him.
All the while, the Los Angeles Dodgers were in waiting. They tried to trade for d'Arnaud last Winter, something that did not come to pass. When the Mets waived TdA, the Dodgers sprang into action.
After one at bat with the team, he was traded by Los Angeles to the Tampa Bay Rays. Since that time, d'Arnaud is starting to flourish. This was capped by a 3 HR day against the Yankees including a game winner in the 9th inning of Chapman.
The problem for the Mets is that both Los Angeles and Tampa Bay are two of the better run organizations in baseball. Both have the ability to find talent. What did they see that the Mets missed?
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. As the Mets approach the deadline and there is talk of trading Noah Syndergaard, one has to wonder if the clueless owners are back at it again. Is Jeff Wilpon pulling the strings believing the Mets are close to being a contender? Perhaps they are although the track record is saying otherwise.
Teams today require a strong 35 man roster. The Mets barely make 25. When injuries happen, or players under perform, the team is sunk. The bull pen this year was awful and the starting pitching had no depth. On the future front, the Mets farm system is rapidly improving yet most of the talent is in A ball or below. There is very little of note at the upper end.
So where will the team be in 2020? This is what they have to figure out.
The Wilpons, if their history is any indication, believe they are just a player or two away. Sadly, the Mets might need an improvement in 10-12 positions on the 35. This is hard to do in one offseason without much help on the way from the minors.
As bad as 2019 is, 2020 might not be much better.
Such is life as a Met fan.