A very disturbing trend (when the Mets are going to compete)

[wdwyer]

I have noticed a very disturbing trend. Mostly from those who believe in the rebuild process but still believe that there is some magic date this team will be ready by. For the past few years the date has been the 2014 season. When certain money come off the books. Now the past few weeks has brought with it a new date of 2015.

This is a rebuild people. A rebuild that began July of 2010. Not 1986, not the mid-90's...2010. For 2 1/2 years this team has been run on the budget it has been given, and has been reduced each year. A rebuild will do this, as it's purpose is to get rid of large contracts, aging players, and those who have not performed. All for the sake of finding cheap, young, future controllable, MLB ready players to create a new core. So far the Mets have young players in place, and continue to do so, as the new core has not been found yet. Guys like Ike, Murphy, Tejada, Duda, Kirk, Baxter, Niese, Gee...plus, do not have a solidified spot, and should be judged by now as to whether they should be kept. New names this season like Cowgill, Valdespin, and most of the SP names like Harvey, Mejia, Hefner, McHugh, etc...are names that will begin to be judged this season.

This is how a rebuild really should work. Generally you want to see some progress 3-5 years into it. You want a direction...even if it is part of a core...you want something. Well it guarantees NOTHING. There is no date to go by. No expiration. No expectation date.

In fact there is an equal percentage that a rebuild doesn't work, and has to be done over. This was the sticking point that has been my fear this NY Market couldn't handle. By far we know there is zero patience in the area. Sure we have waited for a long time...but we have no patience. See if we did, we would accept what the Mets have been trying to do, and watch with anticipation as to what this new core would be. No by the looks of most of the comments here, we can't wait to go back to retooling. To bring in the biggest FA name every year. To hope to be contenders...instantly.

It's too late. The rebuild is underway. I simply just do not want to see any abnormal expectations. Whether you believe in impatience...or believe there is some magical date a switch will be turned on (like 2014 or 2015). It won't happen.

[YoungStuna]

Well, by re-signing Wright they have to compete while he's still a productive player, so by next year they should start aqcuiring pieces that will help the major league team. Otherwise it would have been smarter to sell high on Wright and get a couple high quality prospects to make a full rebuild.

[wdwyer]

Well, by re-signing Wright they have to compete while he's still a productive player, so by next year they should start aqcuiring pieces that will help the major league team. Otherwise it would have been smarter to sell high on Wright and get a couple high quality prospects to make a full rebuild.

Your right, but that is not what happened. Wright was kept, and if Wright was duped, he has no one to blame but himself. But it changes nothing as this is a rebuild and this is how a rebuild really does go.

They are not bringing in anyone of name value...until a new core is found...period.

[YoungStuna]

Your right, but that is not what happened. Wright was kept, and if Wright was duped, he has no one to blame but himself. But it changes nothing as this is a rebuild and this is how a rebuild really does go.

They are not bringing in anyone of name value...until a new core is found...period.

The core will be Wright, Ike, d'Arnaud, Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, and Tejada. That is a good enough core to fix the outfield and bullpen.

[metswon69]

Your right, but that is not what happened. Wright was kept, and if Wright was duped, he has no one to blame but himself. But it changes nothing as this is a rebuild and this is how a rebuild really does go.

They are not bringing in anyone of name value...until a new core is found...period.

I don't know what specifically you would define as a "core".

The guys YS mentioned is a pretty decent core and remember when the Mets began to build in 2005 the core consisted of Wright and Reyes.

There is a significantly bigger and possibly better cast here.

[Sick Of It All]

There is not magical time when anybody can say for sure this is it!, this is the year the Mets will contend again.

It will be a rebuild until they are winning and that can be in 2014, 2015, 2016 or later.

Right now the hope is that in the next couple of years the young guys like d'Arnaud, Wheeler, Harvey, Davis, Niese and others continue to improve and do well in the pros and allow them to possibly get other players to fill the holes they have with FA and or via trades.

[wdwyer]

The core will be Wright, Ike, d'Arnaud, Harvey, Wheeler, Niese, and Tejada. That is a good enough core to fix the outfield and bullpen.

I don't know what specifically you would define as a "core".

The guys YS mentioned is a pretty decent core and remember when the Mets began to build in 2005 the core consisted of Wright and Reyes.

There is a significantly bigger and possibly better cast here.

Yes, these names could be. But part of the problem is our instant gratification. We want these names as the core...now. The problem is to find a core. To work these names...will take more than acquiring them...more than one season. We will need to see them over the course of 3+ seasons to really make this determination.

Wright and Reyes were added to a NOW team. Our team right now, is no longer a NOW team.

This is where we are, we are still feeling them out. We are acting as if these names are set in stone and we should be adding FA's to them already.

[metswon69]

Yes, these names could be. But part of the problem is our instant gratification. We want these names as the core...now. The problem is to find a core. To work these names...will take more than acquiring them...more than one season. We will need to see them over the course of 3+ seasons to really make this determination.

Wright and Reyes were added to a NOW team. Our team right now, is no longer a NOW team.

This is where we are, we are still feeling them out. We are acting as if these names are set in stone and we should be adding FA's to them already.

Reyes joined a 66 win team in 2003 and Wright a 71 win team in 2004.

I don't see how those were NOW teams. They built themselves quickly into a NOW team by 2005 and 2006 but that was after acquiring Pedro, Beltran, Delgado, etc etc

The Mets could be a NOW team if they made a couple of significant OF upgrades in conjunction with a solid starting rotation and a better bullpen (whether the bullpen is internally or they acquire a couple of pieces)

The INF is solid and so it seems the catchers spot.

Again they didn't wait till Wright and Reyes were superstars to have built around them, they had a solid foundation and then filled in areas of weakness.

That's what this team should be doing in the coming years.

[tonyroos]

Hey guys, first time posting. Love this site. I think we are on the right track. It's just not getting done as fast as we like. Been a life long Mets fan since the 60's..So I know about losing teams

[YoungStuna]

Yes, these names could be. But part of the problem is our instant gratification. We want these names as the core...now. The problem is to find a core. To work these names...will take more than acquiring them...more than one season. We will need to see them over the course of 3+ seasons to really make this determination.

Wright and Reyes were added to a NOW team. Our team right now, is no longer a NOW team.

This is where we are, we are still feeling them out. We are acting as if these names are set in stone and we should be adding FA's to them already.

We don't have to blow all of our flexibility in one off-season. I'm just saying that in 2014, we will start acquiring some pieces that will help our rebuild. It's when we will start being in the market for better players that we can add to our core. Our payroll will be extremely low, so money will be spent.

[StoicSentry]

We've already bled a lot of payroll. We're losing even more of it next season.

Signing 1 or 2 major free agents before 2014 will not kill our flexibility.

[Daaaarryyl]

Wright and Reyes were added to a NOW team. Our team right now, is no longer a NOW team.

No, they were added to an over the hill team in DIRE need of an overhaul and some youth. '03-'04 may be a while ago but I remember those teams well with Mo, Alomar, Ordonez/Sanchez, Cedeno, Timo, Burnitz, Leiter, Franco, Spencer, Stanton, Weathers, Zeile, Garcia, Clark, Lloyd.

The only carry overs from those teams in '06 was Glavine, Floyd and Trax.

[Daaaarryyl]

Hey guys, first time posting. Love this site. I think we are on the right track. It's just not getting done as fast as we like. Been a life long Mets fan since the 60's..So I know about losing teams

Welcome! No need to say when you started watching the Mets to say you've seen a lot of losing though.

For instance-

I've been a life long fan since the early 80's and know about losing teams.

My younger brother's been a fan since the early 90's and knows about losing teams.

My niece has been a big fan the past 5-6 years and knows about losing teams.

See? :cry:

[jomota]

No, they were added to an over the hill team in DIRE need of an overhaul and some youth. '03-'04 may be a while ago but I remember those teams well with Mo, Alomar, Ordonez/Sanchez, Cedeno, Timo, Burnitz, Leiter, Franco, Spencer, Stanton, Weathers, Zeile, Garcia, Clark, Lloyd.

The only carry overs from those teams in '06 was Glavine, Floyd and Trax.

We had Stanton before the Marlins???? Why did they let him go????

[Daaaarryyl]

We had Stanton before the Marlins???? Why did they let him go????

I'm talking about the roider who used to pitch for the Roiders....uh I mean Yankees.