The Minaya Manifesto

So far, little has happened in Metsville this off season.

After a horribly disappointing season to everything but the Failpon's wallets (team wise, not Madoff wise), the Mets have not really been players in winter activities, sticking to the resigning of cement shoes Alex Cora and signing Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi while consistently being in the midst of rumors for just about every catcher that's available and for outfielders Jason Bay and Matt Holliday.

For most Mets fans, impatience is probably the thing killing the most, followed closely by the fact the team seemingly is chasing the wrong players for its new ballpark, which seems to be built for speed and defense. So why Bay or Benjie Molina are being considered is head scratching, since the former is a defensive liability and the latter's top speed makes some speed walkers look like Jesse Owens. And, of course, both players are in the extortion business, as both are looking for longer deals than Omar and the Failpons are interested in handing out, but hey, that's just how the market works.

Molina is a total mistake, without a doubt, but he's a player Omar's coveted for a while, so it's no surprise he's kicking the tires on him. But you don't give 3 year deals to 36 year old catchers. You don't give 2 year deals to 36 year old catchers, even if they're coming off their first 20 homerun season, so why the Mets are looking at an old man to be their backstop for the foreseeable future is beyond this writer, but then, nothing these guys do really surprises me anymore. But seeing how many old catchers are getting signed to multi year deals obviously is playing a part in this, and I for one hope the team isn't foolish enough to give in just because you have a man crush on some old dood who can't run any faster than he can walk.

And while most Mets fans would completely prefer to see Holliday's name on the score cards for next season, chances are it's not going to happen, as he's asking for a ton, has Scott Boras for an agent and is the premier player on the market this winter, meaning it would take a miracle to convince the Failpons that this is the right way to go. Instead, they're handing out information that seems to infer Bay is a better fit for Citi Field, hitting wise, that is. And while it might be true (who really knows as the man's never played game there as far as I know), Bay is also one of the worst fielding leftfielders in the game, posting up a -13 UZR this past season after posting up -18.5 and -11 the previous two seasons. With Citi Field's immense outfield, and centerfielder Carlos Beltran starting to show signs of age in the field, it seems like an ill advised move to put him in left, especially since Jeff Francouer is in right, and he's completely immobile, too. The thought of those two guys manning the corners really makes one imagine the sheer amount of doubles and triples that'll be hit off Mets' pitching this next season.

Speaking of pitching, the team really needs to bring in another decent innings eater, but so far, Omar and the gang seem turned off by the high prices so of these guys are commanding, such as the 10M per year Randy Wolf snaked off the Brewers this month. Jon Garland and Jason Marquis both would be sufficient, but neither is close to really being the type of guy that really makes you say contender, especially when thrown together with Ollie Perez, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey, otherwise known as the Three Stooges right now. The team relying on all 3 of these guys to step it up and turn back into the carriage is a huge gamble, but Omar loves playing craps with this team, so who knows what to expect next season.

I do, however, look forward to seeing how Igarashi turns out for the club. He's said to be a pretty hard throwing relief type who's got a great splitter, but he's also coming off TJ surgery from 2 years ago, so here's to hoping his arm stays attached to his body as the Mets most likely over use him like they do all their other relievers, again thanks to the Three Stooges not being able to get their jobs done. If he can post a 3.80 ERA, I think he can be thought of as a success. Unless OMar decides to put him on waivers after 3 games, like he did Darren O'Day last year, and we all know how that worked out.

Patience is said to be a virtue and, really, I'm sure it is, but when you've been waiting 20 some years, you start to realize you just stop caring after a while. Hopefully next year can knock the apathy out of the fanbase, and this writer, cause God knows there's nothing else to look forward to in life, am I right or what?