Which Way Do We Go, George?

People who know me as a Mets fan know that I live, breathe and eat (sleep too, since they can show up in my dreams) all things Mets.  So when they ask me "what would YOU do this off-season in regards to...fill-in-the-blank?" (Mostly concerning Jose Reyes, but also how to improve the team)...I really have no clue how to respond.

The past season wasn't just one thing that stood out to me.  The Mets ranked number six in the National League in runs scored, so scoring runs wasn't a problem...yet, they didn't have a 100-plus RBI guy at all (and the guy who led the entire team in 2011 was no longer on the team as of the end of July).  Plus, even with the scoring run potential, that didn't mean much since it wasn't enough to win.  This suggests to me that what needs the most revamping is the pitching, from top to bottom.  There just needs to be a douching of the entire staff.

This post goes into where the crux of the Mets problems has been for the past five years essentially.  Pitching hasn't been horrible, but hasn't been fantastic or show-stopping either.  I love R.A. Dickey, but when he's your ace, this is a problem.  The whole "Well, when Johan Santana comes back..."  is a Omar Minaya-esque rationalization, and we have no idea what he'll be like when he returns from several injury-ridden seasons, and one season where he was out for its entirety.

It's time to see where Sandy Alderson views as pros, cons, strengths and weaknesses of this team.  Alderson could have bettered the team in 2011 in some areas like trading Angel Pagan and/or Mike Pelfrey when they were at their highest value.  Now they're at about their lowest value and we can only hope they'll rebound the regain some of it.  In 2011, however, Alderson was damned if he did, damned if he didn't...do anything, that is.  If he traded Pelfrey, we would have screamed as he had a better in St. Louis or someplace like that.  People would have "never rooted for the team again" if Angel Pagan, their "darling" who clearly peaked in 2010, was gone.  Of course, I am exaggerating but this was something that clearly could have been something positive for the Mets if Alderson had gone the proactive root.

Don't misunderstand me: I am happy Alderson is on the Mets' side.  Yet, with Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran officially off the books, this is now HIS team to run with and improve.  If the money thing regarding the Wilpons is more of a deterrent than we know, we may not have Jose Reyes, but there are other places I think that need improvement that probably don't need millions of dollars to revamp or just for the sake of spending.

My philosophy now is with the official release of the dimensions changing, this is the time to address a big gaping hole in the Mets organization in the last few years and that's pitching.  Getting good starters is one thing, but if you look at the playoff teams this year, they ALL have deep and very strong bullpens.  Where have the Mets lost a lot of games these past few years?  In back innings.  There were two games against the Milwaukee Brewers in the summer where they have late inning leads, just to see them blown by an inconsistent jumpy bullpen.  Also, in the World Series, you see the Cardinals, you see the Rangers, they have Dave Duncan and Mike Maddux, respectively, as their pitching coaches.  The Mets have Warthen.  This is a problem. 

So which way do we go? If pitching is not seriously addressed to go with the new dimensions of the stadium and for a stronger 'pen, the Mets will be in for some serious problems, those which changing dimensions won't help at all.