The glitz and glamor of Steve Cohen’s purchase of the New York Mets have faded away. Sportswriters and Mets fans have descended from their cloud nine celebrations. Baseball writers and “analysts” criticize the amount of time it has taken for Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson to construct their front office and roster.
The media was very happy to sit quietly through two decades of mismanagement, sexual harassment, negligence, and avoidable injuries with the Wilpons, but Steve Cohen takes a bit too much time to sign a GM and he’s failing https://t.co/oQqyQZToi8
— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) November 30, 2020
As usual, Andy Martino of SNY and Joel Sherman of the NY Post are creating headlines based on feelings, not logic. Both are known for their loyalty to the Wilpon regime and their want for Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez to own the franchise. They will have you believe the Mets are already in a crisis, or even a failure, based on the Mets’ struggle to find a president of baseball operations.
If This Is A Failure, What Do They Classify The Wilpon Era As?
Now, I am not here to defend everything the new regime does, but I will be honest in telling you those reports are bs. Despite Cohen struggling to get interviews with his selected candidates, Alderson is a good as a backup plan as it gets. Even if the 3-5 year championship window Cohen is a high expectation, any good baseball executive would be crazy to turn down the opportunity the Mets present.
Why rush to hire someone when hiring the right guy is of the utmost importance? This is how the Mets latch on to a Brodie Van Wagenen failure, which decimated the farm system. There is also the potential Theo Epstein may want back in the game after his year off from baseball at the end of 2021.
To think some executives are shying away from the job is hard to believe. Imagine stepping into a job with the most money to spend, the best pitcher/maybe closer in baseball on the roster, and the offense which led the entire league in batting average in the previous season. To call the situation with the front office, a small concern is one thing but to claim that it is a failure makes it a wild claim.
Just a reminder that as of this article being posted, the date is December 1. The Mets do not touch a baseball field for at least another two and a half months. Should the Mets miss big time on their opportunity to improve the roster once spring training rolls around, then, by all means, call it a failure.
Context Clues
The Mets have the most leverage of any team in baseball. Teams can deny the Mets interviews all they want, but they cannot change the situation they are all in. Cohen did not suffer the $100 million-plus type losses from 2020 like the Philadelphia Phillies did. Agents throughout baseball know that as well, which is why this offseason revolves around the Mets. Them and the players they represent will wait until they hear the Mets offer before moving on. The anomaly is Charlie Morton, who understandably opted for location over money.
For the fans who are rushing to make their free-agent photoshops come true, please take a deep breath. Not having a general manager stops them from signing players, and we have seen the ability the Mets have to keep things quiet. Whether someone gets signed tomorrow or February 1, who cares as long as they are in a Mets uniform? Much like my original article about the sale, stay away from Martino and the NY Post.