Mets Needed Manny This Offseason

The New York Mets should have signed Manny.

The off-season is still not over and Manny Ramirez is still a free agent. So there's still time. But it seems like it won't happen (they're blaming some Madoff guy for not having the money) and that may mean another October at home for the Metropolitans. I just really started watching the Mets regularly last year living with a fan of the Metsies, but even this guy knows that the Mets biggest problem isn't money or naming rights, but their play in September (also, Cole Hamels will make sure to remind them).

Don't get me wrong, I love some of their moves. They basically had closers bid against themselves to drive down the price of K-Rod. I'm worried about his possibility of breaking down with his violent delivery and his amount of use. He also doesn't work more than one inning. Which is why I think the Mets best acquisition of the off-season is J.J. Putz. They basically traded Aaron Heilman for Putz in the deal as I think that the rest of players offset each other. And since Heilman was going to bitch and moan until he was going to be traded, this deal made a ton of sense (though their bullpen, at least at the beginning of Spring, looks a lot deeper than in the past)

But the Mets missed their big opportunities. The past two seasons the Mets broke down in September. But besides besides the Church/Schneider deal last year, they really haven't made any moves to change their position players. That's why Manny Ramirez would have worked out so perfectly for the Mets. MannyBeingManny crushed the ball last year after being traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline last year. His OPS went up by over 300 points and he had more HR and more RBIs in less ABs. He's a New York native who has always loved to shine on the biggest stage. In front of his childhood fans, and dissed by every team this off-season he would easily be a threat for 45+ HRs and 140+ RBIs hitting amongst Carols Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado. So again, why didn't the Mets sign him?

Oh yes, money. This is the same team which will probably pay $2.5 million to add both Freddy Garcia (who Matthew Cerone described on Twitter as "...not impressive. Lots of flat fastballs, lots of hits.") and Livan Hernandez (who, despite his "durability" and "rubber arm" has been tremendously unsuccessful most of his career including a 6.05 ERA last year and a .400 BAA in the last two months of the year--those lovely last two months for the Mets). Then pay $2 million for a utility infielder in a depressed market (and another $600K on another left-handed hitting outfielder. Then they went and gave $13 million a year to a guy who has been wildly inconsistent for them and who has only once ever been worth $13 million in a season--and that season the Red Sox last World Series win was 1918. If they waited him out, they may have been able to drive down his value any more. That's at least $18 million spent in places where the Mets could have better spent their money (like signing Ben Sheets instead of Perez who was even trying to learn Spanish for Omar Minaya--j/k). Plus a Manny signing, while not necessarily a great financial decision, would reenergize a fan base that has had to suffer for the past two years (this does have precedent with much more useless players).

The Mets other problem is that they replaced one manager who couldn't succeed under pressure with another. When Manuel's team also collapsed in September, they should have let him go. Instead, they're allowing him a full season of his bad personnel decisions. He's alienated Ryan Church, a guy who was a key to the Mets success for the first half of last season. He's been mulling lineup changes which do the great deed to his team of giving a worse hitter more at bats. Great...

There is some good news for Mets fans (even sans Manny). Daniel Murphy may be a good choice for an everyday job despite the fact he's still learning left field. He had a really good season for the Mets last year, though he should see a drop in both his strikeout rate and batting average on balls in play (BABIP). The most optimistic view for 2009 (from Bill James) is .296 with 14 HRs and 73 RBIs and a .397/.473/.871 line. If the Mets signed Manny, and shifted Murphy to RF, they wouldn't have to deal with a platoon of a guy who had a career resurgence out of no place (Tatis) and a guy who the manager doesn't believe in (Church). Or they could move him to 2nd base to replace Castillo. But I don't think Castillo is as bad as people think. He had a down year last year but most expect that his OPS should at least 40 points. Matthew Cerrone on his Twitter today said "I know it's just spring, but Luis looks right. He looks healthy, he's taking pitches. NY luvs a comeback, so I'm eager to see this play out."

The Mets may wait until July and acquire an outfielder from a financially strapped team like Magglio Ordonez, Rick Ankiel or Alex Rios or a pitcher like Dan Haren or Roy Oswalt.

But let's say the Mets go out and sign Manny? Here's how I would construct that lineup: Reyes, Murphy, Wright, Manny, Beltran, Delgado, Schneider, Castillo, pitcher with a bench of Tatis, Church, Cora, Green, and Castro. Now that, my friends, is a lineup that can get a team past September.
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In other Mets stuff: Wright and Reyes don't just share the left side of the infield. Also closing the book on the old stadium, the final piece falls, the new Citi Field is really nice, with a new homerun apple, and maybe a better logo than previously thought...but maybe with obstructed seats. Let's go Mets, F-A-N, doo doo doo