Day by day it seems that The New York Mets remain snake bitten. The
newest chapter shows us that a potential deal that would have made David
Einhorn a minority owner of the team has fallen through. Einhorn was
expected to pay Met owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon an estimated $200
million for a 25 to 33 percent stake in the team. The Wilpons would have
used the money as an infusion to the cash strapped team. Now The
Wilpons look like me after a weekend in Atlantic City as they are trying
to get bus fare home. More importantly, the failed deal cannot help the
fragile mindset of Met fans.
Met fans have stayed away from Citi Field since the park opened in 2009.
The only time that The Mets are able to fill the stadium is when they
play their two rivals in The Philadelphia Phillies or The New York
Yankees who are two of the better traveling teams in Major League
Baseball. Since The Mets moved into Citi Field they have only laid eggs
and have become an afterthought as far as making the postseason.
Unfortunately for The Mets and The Wilpons, New York City is a proud and
knowledgeable sports town with fans that want to see a competitive
franchise on the field. When you win you’re loved and if you lose you’re
the evil stepchild that nobody wants.
This season The Mets are fourteenth in attendance in baseball according
to ESPN.com. The Mets are averaging 30,465 fans per game. The paid
attendance number is deceiving as it appears to be closer to 20,000 fans
in attendance at home games.
Reports are surfacing that the team’s debt could be above $500 million
by the end of the season. If that is the case then how will The Mets be
able to re-sign shortstop Jose Reyes? Reyes’ contract is up at the end
of the year and he is a fan favorite. Filling seats in 2012 will only be
tougher if Reyes is not in a Met uniform.
The saving grace for The Mets is that Sandy Alderson is the general
manager of the team. Alderson knows the team is cash strapped and he is
trying everything to give the team payroll flexibility. Alderson was
able to trade outfielder Carlos Beltran to The San Francisco Giants and
closer Francisco Rodriguez to The Milwaukee Brewers. Beltran’s contract
was up after this season while The Mets were looking at paying Rodriguez
$17 million next year which is insane for a closer. Alderson wants to
provide a winner but he knows the team cannot afford to take on another
big contract especially with $40 million committed to the underachieving
left fielder Jason Bay and the injury plagued pitcher Johan Santana for
next season. With that said it is imperative for The Wilpons to find a
partner or get hot at the tables at Foxwoods to get some money coming
in. Going forward The Wilpons are not the answer for The Mets.
Fred Wilpon made the mistake of buying out his partner Nelson Doubleday
in 2002. Doubleday had the baseball mind that made the team go. Now this
team is in a financial rut as they are caught between a rock and a hard
place. Fred Wilpon needs that partner to give him a different viewpoint
on what the team needs. The Wilpons were backing on fans flocking to
Citi Field as a huge source of revenue and it hasn’t happened. The Mets
are in the largest market in the country and they aren’t making money.
The Mets don’t want to exceed the luxury tax threshold handed down by
Major League Baseball like the crosstown Yankees constantly do. Right
now they have to approach things like a small market team and that is
absurd.
The Mets had their chance from 2006 to 2008 and came up short. The Mets
acquired Santana and the departed closer Francisco Rodriguez a year too
late. 2009 found them with an injury plagued team and as the wheels fell
off they have never been able to be put back on. Now they must rebuild
and that isn’t going over well with an impatient fan base. The Mets are
playing out the schedule for 2011. Much credit has to go in the
direction of manager Terry Collins as he has not allowed his team to be
distracted by what has gone on in the front office. Entering the season
The Mets were expected to lose 90 games for the second time in three
years. The Mets won’t make the playoffs but they have hovered around
.500 for most of the season. A strong finish is imperative for this
team. If The Mets can finish with 80 wins it will give the fans hope for
the future. Young players such as right fielder Lucas Duda, pitcher
Dillion Gee, and second baseman Justin Turner are making the most of
their opportunities with the club. All-Star third baseman David Wright
has returned from injury and is starting to find is rhythm. First
baseman Ike Davis is expected to return next year from his season-ending
ankle injury and provide a lineup in the middle of the lineup. If The
Mets can re-sign Reyes along with developing these young players, the
fans will start to come out. The more fans that come to the game means
that the team will see more money coming in and that is the best way for
any team to rid itself of financial woes.
It may get worse as I hear The Nationals will pursue Reyes. Sandy Alderson is the only one who has a clue because Fred and Jeff Wilpon are out to lunch as always.
There are a couple of reasons we the fans are staying away. Besides the underachieving product they are putting on the field, Citi Field doesnt speak to real Mets fans. The dimensions are horrible and we’re not the Dodgers west. After the two epic collapses it seems the team and the organization never recovered. You can point to the usual suspects, bay forgetting how to hit, johan’s arm etc etc etc. Are the wilpons leaving the solution? I dont know, but they better figure it out OR the risk losing one more fan.
The Wilpons either need to take on a partner of sell the team completely. Fred is clueless and Sandy Alderson is the glue holding them together. I like the young guys on this team, but the must bring Reyes back.
Biggest Mets’ story of the last month (that no one is talking about…) is the fact they signed ever single guy they drafted and went crazy-overslot for a bunch of guys. That, and they exclusively pursued high-ceiling guys.
If they do that the for the next 2-3 years, they’re gonna be well on their way. The Wilpons need to go, but it’s more important that Alderson be able to do his work and stick to the plan.