From what I understand, Mets fans are not satisfied with what Omar Minaya has done this offseason – and they see that Manny Ramirez and his big-ass bat are out there for the taking.
However, there’s a problem there – Mets ownership is not interested in signing Manny and the problems that come with the awesome slugger.
Danny Knobler, CBSSports.com Senior Writer, has it like this…
Many Mets officials still believe that they would have made the playoffs if Billy Wagner hadn’t gotten hurt. They have every reason to believe that their rebuilt bullpen, with Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz at the end of games, will be enough to push them past the Phils.
“Both those teams are certainly playoff caliber,” said one National League East scout who watches the Mets and the Phils carefully. “Really, last year, both of them should have been in the playoffs. Maybe this year they will.”
Mets people have been careful when answering the Manny questions, but they’ve also been careful not to let anyone believe they’re going to be involved.
They’ll tell you that they can fully understand the Wilpons’ reluctance to spend any more money. They’ll tell you that while they have some concerns that Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis won’t repeat their 2008 numbers, they also believe that David Wright and Jose Reyes could get better.
They’ll also tell you that they like the idea of having Daniel Murphy in left field, and that they see him as the Paul O’Neill/Scott Brosius type player that was so important on the Yankee championship teams.
Mets people will also repeat what all of us should already know. They had to fix the bullpen, and they responded by getting both their first and second choice for a fix. They had to sign a starting pitcher, and in Perez, they got no worse than their second choice (behind Derek Lowe).
They wouldn’t go back and give up any of those players in order to afford Ramirez.
And they shouldn’t have to apologize for it.
If you listen to the show, you know that I’m on record praising what the Mets accomplished in the offseason. Like it says above, they targeted Rodriguez and Putz and signed both. Those two at the back of the Mets bullpen are going to force the Phils to work that much harder in innings one through six.
So, while the Mets would certainly be better with Manny, we know they’re good enough without him.
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Is this Metsblog or PSC? I would love to have Manny. For one year. Manny is still one of the best hitters in the game, and transforms any lineup he’s in. But a multiyear deal between 20-30 million is asinine. His best bet is in the AL as a DH. I still think he ends up with the Angels.
Derek, Derek, Derek…
When you write things like that I want to stab myself in the eye. I know the Mets pitching got better. Stevie Wonder can see that. But there is NO SHOT that team has the leadership/heart to go far in playoffs.
I will disagree with Lets Go Mets about 20-30 Mill for Manny being asinine. You put Manny in that lineup with those little heartless douchebags and the only outcome I see is a Mets Worl…. World….. Ser…. SER….. God hope Manny doesn’t sign with them.