Braves make first move, give up on Yunel Escobar »
Remember about a year or so ago when the talk was that Jose Reyes was the fourth-best shorstop in the NL East, behind Rollins and Ramirez and Atlanta's Yunel Escobar?
Well, that theory - which was put to rest a long time ago - was officially blown out of the water Wednesday when the Braves shipped Escobar to Toronto for Alex Gonzalez.
It's a clear sign the Braves not only thought Escobar had come down with Jeff Francoeur disease, but also a sign they are going for the division crown this year, trading away Escobar's potential turnaround for Gonzalez' resurgence.
Now the question is what do the Mets do about this? I don't think the addition of Gonzalez makes the Braves a lock to run and hide in the East, but it makes them better for the next few months, and that is all that really matters now.
The addition of Carlos Beltran is obviously a huge boost for the Mets, who need it, especially with Jason Bay in the hitless protection program and Francoeur - who will mostly lose the most playing time - struggling again.
What we really need now is a pitcher, especially with Pelfrey struggling and Dickey perhaps living on borrowed time.
I'm still ticked the Mets didn't get Cliff Lee, but we must move on and get another big arm in here (Oswalt, Haren). Since the Yanks went after Lee, it's clear they want to add another arm, so we have to strike fast. Like Lee, I wonder if the Wilpons have the guts to trade away young prospects for an expensive arm like Oswalt.
I was thinking about the Wilpons today in the wake of George Steinbrenner's death. No matter what you say - good or bad - about the Boss, one thing was absolutely clear: he wanted to win and he understood that winning not only costs money, but also makes money. While it may be unfair to feel this way, I sometimes wonder if Fred Wilpon thinks the same way.
Yes, he has spent plenty of money on players, and - unlike Steinbrenner - has shown tremendous patience (which has paid off at times and has burnt the Mets other times). But I really wonder if winning title after title is his main goal with the Mets. I honestly believe he likes having a competitive team, perhaps an occassional playoff team, but will not go above and beyond his means to give the team the best shot it can possibly have to win a World Series.
Again, the Boss wasn't perfect when it came to baseball decisions. You wonder if the Boss owned the Mets if David Wright or Reyes or Ike Davis would still be around. We all know Jerry Manuel would've been gone months ago, but we also know Ollie Perez wouldn't be around either.
Anyway, with the world talking about how driven Steinbrenner was to win, we will likely find out in the next 2-3 weeks just how driven the Wilpons are. The Braves made the first move Wednesday, it's time for the Mets to answer, if they answer at all.
Well, that theory - which was put to rest a long time ago - was officially blown out of the water Wednesday when the Braves shipped Escobar to Toronto for Alex Gonzalez.
It's a clear sign the Braves not only thought Escobar had come down with Jeff Francoeur disease, but also a sign they are going for the division crown this year, trading away Escobar's potential turnaround for Gonzalez' resurgence.
Now the question is what do the Mets do about this? I don't think the addition of Gonzalez makes the Braves a lock to run and hide in the East, but it makes them better for the next few months, and that is all that really matters now.
The addition of Carlos Beltran is obviously a huge boost for the Mets, who need it, especially with Jason Bay in the hitless protection program and Francoeur - who will mostly lose the most playing time - struggling again.
What we really need now is a pitcher, especially with Pelfrey struggling and Dickey perhaps living on borrowed time.
I'm still ticked the Mets didn't get Cliff Lee, but we must move on and get another big arm in here (Oswalt, Haren). Since the Yanks went after Lee, it's clear they want to add another arm, so we have to strike fast. Like Lee, I wonder if the Wilpons have the guts to trade away young prospects for an expensive arm like Oswalt.
I was thinking about the Wilpons today in the wake of George Steinbrenner's death. No matter what you say - good or bad - about the Boss, one thing was absolutely clear: he wanted to win and he understood that winning not only costs money, but also makes money. While it may be unfair to feel this way, I sometimes wonder if Fred Wilpon thinks the same way.
Yes, he has spent plenty of money on players, and - unlike Steinbrenner - has shown tremendous patience (which has paid off at times and has burnt the Mets other times). But I really wonder if winning title after title is his main goal with the Mets. I honestly believe he likes having a competitive team, perhaps an occassional playoff team, but will not go above and beyond his means to give the team the best shot it can possibly have to win a World Series.
Again, the Boss wasn't perfect when it came to baseball decisions. You wonder if the Boss owned the Mets if David Wright or Reyes or Ike Davis would still be around. We all know Jerry Manuel would've been gone months ago, but we also know Ollie Perez wouldn't be around either.
Anyway, with the world talking about how driven Steinbrenner was to win, we will likely find out in the next 2-3 weeks just how driven the Wilpons are. The Braves made the first move Wednesday, it's time for the Mets to answer, if they answer at all.
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