We're pretty much on the same page. My thinking is that they could be ready by 2015, but that does not mean we'll contend the first year they're here. I'm giving them two year to adjust to the majors which would make us contenders by 2017. That sounds reasonable to me.

How far away are we from seriously contending?

--> When the Wilponzis are out of the picture.

Competitive? probably this year.

--> Are you for real?

Competitive to me is having a chance to win games as opposed to championship caliber which is expected to compete and have a chance to either win the division or the wc.

Competitive to me = finishing above 500 which won't mean much to the Mets.

from mlb.com:

"Bourn still on radar, but Mets content as constituted
GM Alderson won't challenge CBA clause unless club reaches deal with outfielder "

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130204&content_id=41388920&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb



" "The one thing I want to emphasize is we're not that far away," Alderson said. "We're getting to the point where we can be in the mix. If you look at the fundamental composition of our team, it wouldn't take more than a couple moves to change the whole perception of things. So I don't want anyone to believe that this is a long-term project that has no possible realization anytime soon. We're at the point where we can make significant improvement in a hurry, and we've been looking at ways that we can actually do that." "





I agree. Mets not that far off from contending. About 90% of it depends on pitching. Like it always does in baseball.

2014. but to be really good, we need a legit leadoff hitter, and a good rf with rh power. that assumes duda works out, if not then lf is another big need. all good reasons to sign bourn. we have plenty of pitching coming. too bad flores doesn't have the speed for outfield. we need to trade some of our prospects for a good preferably young outfielder. if we sign bourn, and duda comes thru, we can get by with a rf platoon.

I think we are a near 500 team, probably a little better as we are right now...add a power hitting outfielder or a leadoff outfielder and we are a contender.

Who;s to say, that outfielder may be someone we currently have who rounds into form...if we are in good shape at the trade deadline e could be buyers and syndegaard could bring us back a impact player.

We are a near .500 team....define near. Right now, we are a 90 loss team. That's a 9 game swing.
I guess you could call that near .500. However, I don't think that's what you meant. The truth is that we were a bad team in 2012, that got worse. If we sign Borne, which I doubt, it's just SA and the Wilpons blowing smoke trying to look like they care, we'd be close to a .500 team. Right now, we are a 90 loss team, and will continue to be for years to come. We have around 14 holes on this team...and unless every prospect pans out (laughable) we have no chance. Here are our holes.

Catcher
LF
RF
CF
#3 Starter
#4 Starter
#5 Starter

Entire BP

Why do I list the Starting rotation as having 3 holes? Because Santana's arm is hanging by a thread, Gee had/has a serious medical contition and nobody knows if he can still pitch. Nobody knows what Harvey is yet. That leaves Niese, who's a good pitcher, but no #1, and Marcum who's a stopgap. The fact that he was signed shows how little confidence the organization has in Mejia, Familia, or that Santana won't break down in July.

Why the entire BP? Well, it was awful. Francisco needs to bounce back. I think he will, but until he does it's a hole. Parnell has decent numbers, he pitches lights out in games we're winning or losing by 4 or 5 runs. In close games he stinks. Not a good traiT for a BP guy. A new bunch of guys off the scrap heap to replace last years group of guys off the scrap heap, doesn't plug those holes.

Buyers at the trade deadline? God, I would love that, but the Wilpons still own the team. It's more likely we'll be selling a Wright, or Niese. They don't fit in with the team. They're actually good players.

If the Mets want Fans they better get use to the idea they are feel like they deserve something.....this is true of any customer in any buisness anywhere in the world

You get what you deserve, to watch the best baseball players in the world play a game for you. That is what you deserve, and that is what you get. You can whine and say the Mets team as currently constituted is not the "best", but in the grand scheme of things, out of all the players in the world, they still are. This sense of entitlement is worthless. What have any of us done to deserve more? Sports are entertainment. That is it. It is a product they put on the field, and we watch. we want them to win, but the idea they "owe" us a championship is nonsense.

dan , question for you , after reading this forum for a month or so, why is your screen name danthemetfan -- shouldn't it be danthemetticketbuyer? ( LOTS of tickets available )

1 - First and formost I am a fan. I follow the team, and root for them to win, as most of us do, because I have done so since I was 4 or 5. This by no means means that they owe me anything. It is my choice to put my emotions onto their success. I still do it anyway, along with every other team I follow.

2 - I live in Md. so I dont buy any tickets... well I do go to watch them in DC a few times a year.

I have no problem if that is the type of fan you choose to be. Why do you have a problem with how other fans choose to be? Why is it your opinion that your method of being a fan is superior to others?

Your Spindy quote illuminates the very essence of Spinspeak:

"We're getting to the point..." (meaningless vague statement - how long will it take?)

"it wouldn't take more than a couple moves to change the whole perception..." (still TALKING about potential moves that do not get made - and notice he is not even saying what the goal of the un-made moves is - just another vague meaningless statement)

"We're at the point where we can make significant improvement..." (again speaking about beind at a point to do something, not doing it, or even specifying a timeframe)

"we've been looking at ways that we can actually do that." (it is almost impossible to read or hear this spinster say that without laughing, at this point, we have heard it so many time)

He certainly has earned the name Spindy Spinderson. Abe Lincoln rolls over in his grave every time he speaks. Perhaps that is his only charge though, a gift from Bud to his pal Fred (sigh) to spin things and hope enough fans are fooled as payroll drops more and more.

I find the fact that anyone thinks they deserve something they don't to be a problem. Maybe it is semantics, but to say you (not necessarily you in particular) "deserve" it or are "entitled" to it, really falls short of what that truly means.

What have any of us done to "deserve" more? Buy tickets? Buy merchandise? What? What makes us then deserve more than the other teams' fans that do the same? What I see is, generally the posters that think they "deserve" more, are the ones that are not happy with anything the team does. Also, what do any of them plan to do to get more out of what they "deserve"? It seems they want someone else to do something for them, which is not uncommon with those that feel entitled for the wrong reasons.

Lastly, what I do not understand is, if these fans are never happy with the team and how it is run, why be a fan? The ownership is not changing. As much as we want them to sell, the wilpons are not selling. People complain about Sandy, he doesnt do enough, or anything. While many of the same complainers hated Omar because he spent way too much money and on not the right guys. Or he got too many latinos and did not care about the American Draft. Before him, Duquette made terrible trades, and before him Phillips couldnt get a FA. Now all of that may be true, but if all you get out of this is negative <feedback, whats in it for you?

So be the fan you want to be (although many of these fans take umbrage to those that do enjoy the team, and look forward to possible better years), and maybe it is just word choice im arguing, I'm just saying sports are entertainment. Entertainment is for enjoyment. Lets enjoy the team and the sport.

OK. My thinking on this is as follows: The team we root for is run by guys who were involved with bilking lots of people out of their life savings in a global banking fraud. Now that that money has dried out, they apparently can't really afford a baseball team or know how to run one but still want to, and in a worse-case scenario, have the backing of the commish to cut costs in the most major sports market on the planet. As a lifelong Met fan I can't help but notice and be bothered by those things. And it would seem appropriate to discuss them on a message board for Mets related topics. I agree that I don't understand fans that take umbrage with other fans, and that it looks like ownership is not changing, but it doesn't mean I am happy about that. And expressing criticism about the Mets on a Mets board doesn't affect my life negatively in any way.

Thats fair. I would love to see new ownership, and I was kind of hoping they would lose their case last year to force them to sell, but seeing as that wont happen, I do not let that affect my outlook of the team. I do not believe as some say, the Wipons are against winning. I just think it may not be their #1 concern. In the end, who am I to tell them what to do with their stuff. It is their team after all.

Interpret what Alderson says any way you want.

I think Mets aren't THAT far away from being at least .500. Which they haven't been for the last 4 yrs. Maybe even be in the WC hunt into at least August. Not saying I expect Mets to be in 2013 playoffs. Just that they won't miss it by all that much.
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According to Cot's Baseball Contracts Mets current payroll is about $82.4M. And still 15 more players yet to be paid. Even if all 15 of those players get the minimum that's anothr $7.5M. Total of $90M PLUS Lyon's contract. Lyon made $5.5M last yr. It'll probably be around that same amount. Brings total to about $95M which is what Mets 2012 payroll was.

So 2013 payroll WILL NOT DROP!!!

Also a fair view (and maybe your blood pressure is a bit better than some ;-)

Yea its pretty good... could still be better. Watching NCAA basketball, and all the no fouls they now have are taking its toll on me. Basketball is unwatchable now, but thats for a different thread i guess.