How did the Mets become a small market team?

[Coupon]

It looks like that's what's happened. All I keep hearing is how they don't have money to go after free agents, how they have a strict budget in the draft, how there's no hope of contending next year...

How the hell did this happen? They have the highest revenue in the National League! All of a sudden the experience of being a Mets fan has become effectively the same as being a Royals fan.

The acceptance of this on this board and others is disturbing. The franchise is being run into the ground. This is a more significant topic than how to replace Santana on the cheap or who the next pitching coach is going to be. We all know the 2011 Mets will suck in advance - despite charging the highest prices in the league and having the highest revenue!

It's a ****ing scandal.

[Nymfan87]

I stand by my opinion of what I think happened:

-The Wilpons invested roughly $500 million dollars in the Ponzi scheme

-After several years of this going on, the Wilpons believed their $500 million had turned into nearly $1 billion dollars and operated as if it was worth $1 billion dollars

-At that point, the Wilpons withdrew $550 million dollars of the $1 billion they thought they had

-Ponzi scheme is discovered, and while the Wilpons' $500 million investment did in fact make them $50 million dollars, they "lost" $450 million in money they thought they had. So all of a sudden, they realized their $1 billion was really $550 million. This is why I think there are so many conflicting reports; they did in fact profit, but they also lost a large amount of money that they thought was theirs.

And I also believe that the Wilpons are going to try to recoup that $450 million dollars off of the Mets, because their corporate real estate firm can't be doing too well right now with the economy being like it is.

[Hustla23]

I think your name would describe quite a bit.

[NoQuarter]

What were they suppposed to spend it on that they didn't?

This is the first year in the last 8 they weren't the highest payroll in the NL. I wouldn't have given Omar another red cent to spend, save the money for the new GM.

Find a legit complaint, they're out there by the dozen.

[vtmet]

not quite sure how a team that has the 5th highest payroll in the Majors can make them a "small market team" ($10 Mil seperates us from 3rd highest; $14 Mil seperates us from 6th; and $38 Mil seperates us from 9th; with only 8 MLB teams having a $100+ Mil '10 salary)...

I think that it's a matter of not getting much return on the investment, and we aren't close enough to the top performing teams to waste additional money...especially when quite a few of the multimillionaires, are getting outperformed by players making close to league minimum...

All of a sudden the experience of being a Mets fan has become effectively the same as being a Royals fan.

Funny that you mention the Royals, because the Royals are another team that has little to show for their money...Out of the "small market" teams, the Royals have a pretty high payroll...and also out of the small market teams, the Royals are one of the worst performers...The Royals '10 salary is higher than the NL Central leading Reds, and only $1 Mil less than the AL East leading Rays...They also have a payroll that is $16 Mil higher than the AL West leading Rangers...They also have a payroll that is $33 Mil higher than the AL West leading Padres...

Did you ever think that maybe it's about poor decision making, a little more than being poor?

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/salaries.../new-york-mets

[SILVER SEAVER]

I think your name would describe quite a bit.

You beat me to it Hustla, I was going to say the same thing.

[Coupon]

What were they suppposed to spend it on that they didn't?

* Bench depth that's not fished out of a dumpster for Major League minimum.

* Draft picks with high ceilings that they might have to go over slot for.

* Credible free agent signings of secondary players, instead of the one big name every off-season to try to fool the fan base into thinking legitimate action is being taken.

* Eating a garbage contract every now and then instead of making those players inoperable cancers.

What they're not supposed to spend it on is:

* The Islanders

* Pro-Wrestling promotions

* The UConn Huskies

* SNY programming

* Their real estate ventures

* Anything other than the Mets

The prices they charge at the new stadium are obscene. The fact that this revenue is not being pumped back into a winner is obscene.

[NoQuarter]

* Anything other than the Mets

Ok then.

All the NY area teams ticket prices are obscene.

It's not like spending the most in the NL did much for them, they need better decision making, not more spending.

[Backman86]

I watched this act before when Donald M Grant stopped spending money and let the team turn into drek. I believe Jefff wilpon will spend little if any money the next several years. When you don't even spend it in the draft you cannot expect to build a winner from within. Its not going to be pretty being a Mets fan for the next several years IMO.

[vtmet]

Ok then.

All the NY area teams ticket prices are obscene.

It's not like spending the most in the NL did much for them, they need better decision making, not more spending.

I think Bob Klapisch once wrote a book about this phenomenon "Worst Team Money can buy" or something like that (I think WIllie was on that team as well)...

[Backman86]

I think Bob Klapisch once wrote a book about this phenomenon "Worst Team Money can buy" or something like that (I think WIllie was on that team as well)...

The Book was written by Klapisch and John Harper and it's excellent. Gies you a good picture of the meddling Fred Wilpon also.

[NoQuarter]

I think Bob Klapisch once wrote a book about this phenomenon "Worst Team Money can buy" or something like that (I think WIllie was on that team as well)...

Yep, read it years ago. It is someone's sig.

[prayforSANTANA]

You beat me to it Hustla, I was going to say the same thing.

damnit me too lol

[GottaBelieve]

Their payroll hardly makes them a small market team.

Their decisions however, make them a dumb team.

[SILVER SEAVER]

I think Bob Klapisch once wrote a book about this phenomenon "Worst Team Money can buy" or something like that (I think WIllie was on that team as well)...

The team they were referring to was the 1993 club, in my opinion the worst team ever in the franchise's history due to their payroll and talent they had. The '62 Mets were supposed to suck they were an expansion team but that '93 team was supposed to threaten for a championship and they went 59-103. So anyone who defends Jeff Torborg needs electric shock therapy.