I’d like to preface what I am about to say by stating that I personally love Jose Reyes, there is no bigger fan of this man’s abilities. Nevertheless, we must face the reality as Mets fans that the team is moving in a different direction and I for one welcome the change. The fact that the Mets have lost money is no secret and I am not as pessimistic as some other fans. Hidden behind every doomsday scenario is a silver lining, by letting Reyes walk, Sandy Alderson is clearly attempting to mold this team to personify his definition of a winning strategy. We were lucky enough to witness Reyes at his best from 2005 through 2008 and at his worst during the Mets 2007-08 September collapses and of course all the injuries that would follow between the 2009-11 seasons. There is no doubt that when Reyes is able to stay on the field he is one the games best at his position, but in recent years his injuries have destroyed the Mets chances because they were so reliant on him to succeed. He's also a player who relies heavily on his speed and whose legs have been the primary source of his troubles.
Obviously not signing Reyes is not going to be received well here in NY amongst a large portion of the Met fan base, who is longing for a return the World Series, but this shouldn’t be a people pleasing business, it’s a bottom line business that will put fans in the seats if you can win regardless of the formula. Sandy Alderson said in response to losing Reyes and possibly rebuilding: "I'm not conceding anything with respect to 2012,"… "The Diamondbacks didn't concede anything about 2011. The Cardinals didn't concede anything about September. Stuff happens in baseball." And that’s it in a nutshell; stuff happens in baseball from one year to the next, I once read an article in Sports Illustrated that listed a bunch of teams that went from last place to first from one year to the next from 1990 through 2008. I have taken the liberty of listing those teams and adding the most recent example from 2010 to 2011:
1990/91 Braves (‘90: 67-95; ‘91: 92-70): The addition of veteran leadership from Terry Pendleton (the '91 NL MVP), Sid Bream and Rafael Belliard helped carry the Braves from worst-to-first, but it was the core of blossoming young hurlers that propelled the team. Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery formed the cornerstone of a beginning dynasty.
1990/91 Twins ('90: 74-88; '91: 94-68): The offseason signings of Jack Morris and Chili Davis gave the Twins the frontline starter and switch-hitting power bat they needed to turn the franchise around quickly. Those two, AL Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblauch and Kirby Puckett carried the Twins to their second World Series title in an epic matchup of worst-to-first teams.
1992/93 Phillies ('92: 78-84; '93: 93-69): Keyed by attitude and sporting mullets, the '93 Phillies relied on a veteran cast of colorful characters to reverse their fortunes. Tough, scrappy players like Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Curt Schilling led the way as the Phils toppled the favored Atlanta Braves in the NLCS and moved on to the World Series.
1996/97 Giants ('96: 71-91; '97: 90-72): Two offseason trades invigorated what was already a solid Giants lineup. San Francisco acquired future MVP Jeff Kent from the Indians and first baseman J.T. Snow from the Angels. The Giants also bolstered their pitching staff with a deadline deal, acquiring Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin from the White Sox on their way to nailing down an NL West crown.
1997/98 Padres ('97: 76-86; '98: 98-64): After watching the Giants go worst-to-first in their division the year before, the Padres added Kevin Brown to an already strong pitching rotation. Brown went 18-7 in '98 and posted a 2.38 ERA. Runs were never at a premium in a lineup with Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Greg Vaughn and Steve Finley, and the Padres ran away in the West, winning the division by 9.5 games.
1998/99 Diamondbacks ('98: 65-97, '99: 100-62): The expansion Diamondbacks lost 97 games in their inaugural season of 1998, but the signing of star left-handed pitcher Randy Johnson in the offseason dramatically altered their fortunes. Johnson went on to win the first of four straight Cy Young awards in 1999 and the Diamondbacks finished with 100 victories. They captured the NL West title by 14 games but fell to the Mets in the Division Series.
2006/07 Cubs ('06: 66-96, '07: 85-77): The Cubs slumped to a 96-loss season in 2006, but rebounded in 2007 behind new manager Lou Piniella and a roster bolstered by $300 million worth of new additions, like Alfonso Soriano and pitcher Ted Lilly. The Cubs were stuck at 22-31 in June before catching fire and winning the NL Central in the last week of the season.
2006/07 Diamondbacks ('06: 76-86, '07: 90-72): The D'backs lost 111 games in 2004 and even though they improved to 76-86 two years later, they still finished tied for last in the NL West. But in 2007, despite a young roster and an offense that was outscored for the season, the D'backs pitched their way to 90 wins and the NL West crown. Arizona was swept out of the NLCS by the Rockies.
2007/08 Rays ('07: 66-96, '08: 97-65): 2007 was not much different than every other season in the Rays' brief history. They lost 101 games, their third 100-loss season, and finished in last place in the AL East for the ninth time in their 10 seasons. But in 2008, with a cast of young stars led by rookie third baseman Evan Longoria, the Rays jumped to an early lead in the AL East and held it almost every day the rest of the way. After winning the division, the Rays advanced to their first World Series by eliminating the White Sox in the Division Series and the defending world champion Red Sox in the ALCS.
2010/11 Diamondbacks (’10: 65-97, ’11: 94-68): In a season projected by many to be a last place finish, the Arizona Diamondbacks bucked expectations maintaining playoff contention at the All Star break with a 49-43 record, only 3 games behind the 1st place San Francisco Giants. The Diamondbacks' success was credited to the approach of manager Kirk Gibson as well as strong starting pitching behind Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Joe Saunders, and rookie Josh Collmenter as well as a much improved bullpen led by closer J. J. Putz.
The point is that in baseball, clearly anything is possible as the record reflects. I’m not predicting the Mets will win it all in 2012, but I haven’t given up hope because there are a number of things to like about this team going forward. The return of Johan and a full season of Wright, the progression of Niese, Gee, Davis, Duda,, Murphy and of course the continual plan of building a strong foundation of pitching from within, e.g.) Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler, J. Familia and J. Mejia. Quite frankly I’m tired of plugging holes with high priced free agents for the long haul which cripples our financial flexibility. And I’m not the only one who feels this way, in a recent poll conducted on one of my favorite blogs, metsblog.com, of the roughly 8,000 fans who voted 85% said they wouldn’t have given Reyes more than 5 years.
Listen fellow Met fans, it isn’t all gloom and doom in Metville. Baseball is a cyclical sport, we will be out from under this Madoff mess soon enough, and when we are, hopefully Alderson and his trusted regime of intellectuals would have built us a new sustainable nucleus, superior to the last one under Minaya that didn’t win us a thing! Please don't forget this, for every exciting moment Reyes provided he was equally frustrating, e.g.) .204BA during the September ‘07 collapse. REYES DID NOT WIN US A THING PEOPLE! When the Mets brass is able to put this financial nightmare behind them, possibly as soon as 2013, we might be able to supplement our core with one or maybe two of Josh Hamilton, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke or Brandon Phillips et al. My plea to you loyal Mets fans out there is: Don’t be fickle and jump ship, especially with this new MLB format. We root for the uniform, always remember it’s the blue and orange that runs through our veins. If your son disappoints you, do you abandon him? If your wife disappoints you do you divorce her? If your best friend upsets you do you put an end to your friendship? I sure hope our faith isn’t that capricious.
In keeping with my Christian faith I’d like to urge you to consider the following appeals: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 And don’t worry Met fans “…Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5.
