I'm not a big lover of signing FAs to huge multi-year contracts (esp. pitchers). To me the Red Sox were smart to get rid of those unwise contracts and their GM should get Exec of the Year. But for the Mets to go with a minor league outfield. Guys who failed last year and didn't show they were Major league esp. during the second half collapse is a slap in the face to the fans. The Wilpons now claim the have no financial problems and are willing to spend money. But they continue to operate like they're a small market franchise. I don't disagree with not signing Bourne (and losing the pick) but I don't believe they were ever serious. And as for pitching they keep signing bargain basement players off of serious injuries. And got rid of a Cy Young pitcher because they didn't want to pay him. For an unproven prospect. The one guy they paid last year, Frank Francisco was a bust. To me there were major league players esp outfielders who were available at middle to lower prices. Even Hairston they wouldn't commit to something like 4 mil per. for 2 years. A good major league outfielder like a Reed Johnson would have been a lot better than the guys they currently have. Unless they're lucky and one of a few of them play well (Duda, Kirk, etc) there again will be no hitting like there wasn't last summer. Who does Sandy Alderson think he's kidding anyways.

I agree with your points, except they should have acquired Bourn considering we have no outfielders or leadoff hitter, and I doubt they ever seriously considered spending for him.

I think the point is to put on a reasonably good showing for awhile, and then collapse. A top 5 draft pick will make the pain go away.

This was supposed to be a year of evaluation. Some fans got greedy and wanted a better team but three major signings wouldn't make Mets a contender. Let's enjoy this year of experimentation. I think the OF situation is entertaining.

I agree. It should be fun.

They should be useful pieces if the high profile players can perform.

Defeatist

I wouldn't consider Met fans to be greedy for wanting a semi-star like Bourn.If anything we were just going to settle for that.I was anyways.

Mets are doing the right thing. Can't believe I just said that.

Patience must be had. They may have grander plans in the coming years.

The only "plan" is to run things on a shoestring so the Wilpons can afford to keep the club. The team stinks. It's getting worse, not better. The Wilpons don't care.

"And got rid of a Cy Young pitcher because they didn't want to pay him. For an unproven prospect."

I stopped reading here. Dickey was not due a raise. He was under contract for 2013 for a measly sum of $5mil. There was no extra money that was even in danger of being put in play. He was not traded because "they didn't want to pay him", that is an uninformed, ignorant statement that shows you really don't really follow this all that closely.

Dickey was traded because he is 38, had one very friendly year left on his contract, and is at the absolute ceiling of his trade value. If you have followed the advanced Moneyball tactics that are being employed in today's game (note: "Old Moneyball" found value in OBP and allowed teams to get quality players on the cheap because many of the "old school" were not all that adept at applying Math to baseball, "New School Moneyball" as employed by teams like the Rays, A's, Reds etc. treat players like stocks. To NOT trade a player when their trade value is actually higher than their talent ceiling would be akin to buying a car and not selling it for twice the price after you had already put 50K miles on it).

Dickey had NOTHING to do with money. It had everything with being the smartest possible move.

"The only "plan" is to run things on a shoestring so the Wilpons can afford to keep the club. The team stinks. It's getting worse, not better. The Wilpons don't care. "

Are you anticipating the coming season with any degree of ... well, anticipation?

" And got rid of a Cy Young pitcher because they didn't want to pay him."

<facepalm>

First you couldn't realistically keep Dickey for five mil after a Cy Young season unless you extended him. And the Mets weren't willing to do that because they didn't want to pay him 12 mil a year. Actually Dickey's asking price was very reasonable considering his production in the past several seasons. $30 million for 3 seasons including the $5 million for 2013 is a bargain. The Blue Jays were willing to pay it. As for his age he's a knuckleball pitcher and three years isn't taking that big of a chance. Signing any ptcher for 5 to seven years like the M's just did with King Felix or the Mets did with Johann is taking a big chance. As for the Mets outfield it's not big league. The only team Mike Baxter could start for is the Mets. I'm not asking for Willie Mays or a big ticket outfielder but just some representative major leaguers who have proven they can hit not the guys they have.

I've lived the horror and know it takes time to recover. Mets always climb out of deep holes before they make new ones. They're in undercover climbing mode.

He was under contract. You could absolutely just let him play out the year and try to trade him at the deadline. You could also extend him and hope that while his 38 year old arm that was born without an ulnar collateral ligament would hold up and that his 38 year old legs would continue to be able to propel his knuckleball at speeds of over 85 mph. While knuckleballers to tend to have more legevity, Dickey is not a normal knuckler.

If his legs start to get old and that knuckler drops to a "Wakefield-esque" 75 mph, then you will start to see $10mil per season for a long reliever on your payroll.

The Mets made the right move, what you are advocating is just....well.....stupid.

<<"This was supposed to be a year of evaluation"

No it wasn't.

Alderson's first season (end of the yr) and last year was about evalutation. Before becoming manager, TC was the minor league coordinator and should have already had a good feel for the Mets upper-level talent.

How many years of evaluation are necessary?

The only OFer who may have a good season is Duda. Based on minor league careers and scouting reports, the rest are 4th/5th OFers, at best.

I would have kept him because Dickey was the best player on the Mets. The 38 is a consideration and if you extend him you're taking a chance but you do that with any player you sign to a multi-year contract. You just traded your number one starter who was a 20 game winner on a team that couldn't hit. Where are you going to get back those 20 Ws. Unless they're lucky nowhere. I'd have signed him and then if the season still went south possibly traded him later in the season to a contender. But you're going into 2013 with nothing and as a fan I want to see a decent product on the field this coming season.

If you wait to trade him until mid season, you end up with less of a haul as the team taking him on now only gets a half a year rental.

In five years would you rather have memories of an extra half year of Dickey, or three years worth of wins from TDA and Syndagaard?