What The Mets Have To Do This Winter

For the second consecutive season the New York Mets broke my heart and the hearts of many as they blew a September lead to only be eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the season. I am sure many Mets fans would agree that 2007's monumental choke job of blowing a seven game lead with 17 games to go is much worse than what occurred in 2008. This past season with 17 games to go the Mets had a three and a half game lead in the division over the eventual N.L. East Champion Philadelphia Philles and could not seal the deal. In fact for the second straight year all they had to do was win at home against the Florida Marlins to at worst force a one game playoff for an opportunity to play in the post-season.

Not one Metropolitan fan including myself thought the unthinkable could happen. Would the Mets actually miss the playoffs again in similar fashion?? Sadly, the answer was yes. As I stated earlier many Mets fans probably would say 2007 was much more painful than 2008 but for me 2008 may have actually struck a deeper nerve with me. Why you may ask? Well I was there to watch the demise on the 2008 Mets occur on the final day of the season. I watched from the press box painfully as the Mets incompetent bullpen handed the game over to the Marlins.

As a regular fan you could cry yourself to sleep after the loss or find your local neighborhood bar to go and drink away your sorrows. However, after the game I still had a job to do. And part of that job included reporting the story of yet ANOTHER Mets collapse. Arguably the hardest part of the day was interviewing the heartbroken Mets fans after the game for my story. I think the greatest contrast in the story I did today was the mood of the Mets fans prior to the game and the mood of the fans post-game after they realized their team would not be in the post-season.
After the game the question on every fans mind was what will the Mets do this off-season. Well already the Mets have shown that they value stability in management and the front office as they extended the contract of General Manager Omary Minaya and removed the interim title from manager Jerry Manuel with a new two-year deal. As the playoffs (which I can barely watch) come to a close this month the Mets should aggressively hit the free-agent market.

Obviously, the reason for the Mets demise this season was the bullpen and that need must be adressed. Billy Wagners days of closing for the Mets are over due to his injury late last season which will force him to miss the entire 2009 season. The Mets have to do whatever it takes to Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez in a Mets uniform in 2009. With 62 saves in 2008 there is no doubt that he is top reliever on the market. Brian Fuentes formerly of the Colorado Rockies is a great second option but the Amazin's need an automatic person to anchor their bullpen and K-Rod is the man for the job.

Starting pitching was not a problem for the Mets this season and I think they are fine in that aspect. Omar Minaya may have to overpay for lefty Oliver Perez. Perez has tendencies to implode when becoming unnerved. However, he is a very good big game pitcher and is durable. I do not think the Mets can affor to let a young solid lefty as Perez get away. The other two positions where the Mets must upgrade is left field and second base.

I would love to see Daniel Murphy play in left every day but that is not his natural position. The Mets need more power out of their outfield and I have heard from a few beat writers that Ryan Church is not happy in New York. A change of scenery may be best for him at this point and time. So look for the Mets to potentially move Church and shift Murphy to right field. Mets fans you may see where I am going with this suggestion....oh you guessed right!! Omar Minaya has to make a huge run at Manny Ramirez! Sure you will have to deal with "Manny being Manny" but who cares?! Look at what the best right-handed hitter in the game has done for the Lost Angeles Dodgers this season after being traded from Boston. Mr. Minaya has had a bit of a well-documented man-crush on Ramirez for years now and you know he will be agressive when it comes to courting him.
The Mets must also be agressive when it comes to upgrading the position of second base. Does anyone want to recall the "production" shown out of that position last season? I think we all can agree that Damion Easly and Argenis Reyes did great jobs filling in but neither player are everyday players on the major league level. Arizona's Orlando Hudson is a free agent and is a talented Gold Glove second basemen who would also provide some much needed increased leadership in the Mets clubhouse.

So lets summarize the Guru's off-season plan:

1. Sign K-Rod
2.Re-Sign Oliver Perez
3.Sign Manny Ramirez
4.Sign Orlando Hudson

Will the Mets do all four of these moves?! Probably not but I will sign for three of the four moves right now. If the Mets can accomplish that then there is no doubt that it would be considered a successful off-season. There has been a great deal of chatter about trading the mets "core players" ie David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. That chatter needs to end. The core players are not going anywhere and they should not be blamed for the failures of the Mets these past two seasons.

The problems of the Mets are outlined in the moves that the organization needs to make this season. Now the only question Metropolitan fans is well they follow the sage words of the Guru?