The New York Mets hope to be a contender this season for the first time since 2008, but the prevalent feeling among fans is one of negativity due to the ownership’s continuing payroll problems and the team’s failure to sufficiently upgrade the roster during the off season, a report said.
Matt Harvey is returning to a strong starting rotation that has two of the best pitching prospects in baseball waiting in the wings, and the Mets have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball, so help should continue to be churned out over the next several years. Fansided said.
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For a team that’s on the upswing and hopes to legitimately contend in 2015 without tons of things breaking in their favor, it’s odd that the fan angst seems higher now than it did at any point in 2012, 2013, or 2014 – during seasons and offseasons when the team wasn’t close to as good as the 2015 team can be, the report said.
There are two legitimate reasons for the negativity, though, and they’re more than understandable. It starts in the owner’s box, where Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz, and Jeff Wilpon are overseeing a franchise that is a hair away from being a true threat, but whose construction is being limited by a lack of funds, the website said.
At present, the Mets have a payroll that’s hovering around $97 million. Most people believe that they simply can’t raise the payroll much higher than it is now because of the massive debt they’re currently in due to the fallout from their investments with Bernard Madoff, the report said.
While it’s absurd that the Mets have a mid-market payroll while playing in the largest market in the world, they’re not breaking any rules. So, the odds of an ownership change being forced are minimal. The odds of Fred Wilpon willingly selling seem to be even slimmer, according to Fansided.
The inability of the Mets to be in the market for the majority of the highest-paid players has resulted in understandable anger towards ownership, and has put the front office in a very difficult position while constructing the roster, the website said.
Still, General Manager Sandy Alderson is not free of blame. While Alderson is dealing with a payroll situation that is less than ideal, it’s his job to work within those parameters in order to put the team in the best position possible, the report said.
After years of stripping down and rebuilding, the Mets have been unambiguous about their expectations for 2015. They’re ready. Now is the time. The rebuild is supposedly over. That’s their message, anyway, according to the website.
However, most would argue that the Mets do not have a legitimate starting shortstop on the roster. Still, the case can be made that if it was so hard to find a shortstop upgrade, the team should’ve upgraded in other areas besides corner outfield. They did not, the report said.
Still, the Mets could add the remaining piece or pieces of the puzzle during the season. They’re a young, talented team, and it wouldn’t be shocking if they contended. Any team that makes the playoffs is by definition a World Series contender. And for the Mets, there’s hope that they can contend for a playoff spot, the website said.
