Dear Mets Fan:
All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year’s success. We did not meet our organization’s expectations — or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you — our loyal fans — and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year.
Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond.
You deserve better results.
Many thanks again for your record-breaking support.
The New York Mets
Though it’s a bit of any eye opener to learn that Mets fans “deserve” to win the division, I do hope Omar and Wilpons fail to heed the advice of WFAN’s Mike Francesca, who today opined that swapping Carlos Beltran to “a small market” would “bring back a pitcher.”
Francesca’s logic went something like this : Beltran’s salary looks downright bargain-riffic in ’08, “and he’s not a New York kind of guy”. Thus, Mike’d Up would have the Mets move a superlative centerfielder two years younger than A-Rod, and one that’s managed to play his way through injuries during each of his 3 seasons in Flushing. Which hurler from a small-market might possibly command fair value for an everyday player who could well be a MVP candidate for the next 5 years? Even if Minnesota — likely to lose Torii Hunter this winter — were to dangle Johan Santana (33 HR’s allowed in 2007), I’d hesitate to make such a deal.
I think the Mets could get Gil Meche or Brian Bannister for Beltran. If not both. Maybe Dontrelle, Mike Jacobs, and Henry Owens in a package?
some dude on the five seconds i watched “around the horn” today was also proposing a beltran trade. which is a lousy idea. why get rid of the team’s hr and rbi leader? because he isn’t “a new york guy,” whatever that means?
Doesn’t surpirse me one bit that Francesca would say that, anything intelligent coming out of his mouth is what would have been shocking. Beltran must obviously stay. It’s like talking about getting rid of Wright or Reyes. Insane.
question, is it true that if the mets had won yesterday they would have had another chance at postseason play even if they had lost today against the phillies? there would have been a game against either Padres or Rockies Tuesday right?
I’d rather (no kidding here) see the Mets invest $30 million plus per year in A-Rod and deal Wright for pitching. That’s kind of a crazy idea, too, but at least there’s a pricey alternative to Wright on the open market. But the Mets are unlikely to find a CF the equal of Beltran anytime soon.
you have a potentially great starter wasting time in the bullpen currently and he will not be starting another game as long as willie is on this team.
Not say Willie’s an East Coast Ken Macha or anything, but I’m pretty sure he’d use Heilman whichever way Minaya and ownership asked him to. Would Heilman have been a better option this year than Lawrence, Vargas, Pelfrey, etc. ? Quite possibly. But had he performed in his set up role in manner close to what he displayed in ’06, there would’ve been no drama yesterday, at least where the NL East title was concerned.
It may not feel like it but Heilman’s ERA the last two weeks of the season, since sept 14, was 1.50… and he played in more games and pitched more innings than any other Mets reliever during that time. I don’t know who needs to go to give this guy a chance to start a game again, but it needs to happen. Maybe I’m just sentimental over his first ever start, but the guy is a potentially Great starting pitcher.
hey, he wants to start and who am I to say he doesn’t deserve the chance. Taking nothing away from that, the role of the 8th inning bridge-to-the-closer has never been more important, and clubs pay through the nose for it these days. I mean no disrespect to Heilman in claiming the Mets will have a desperate time finding someone of his caliber to do such a job…not without overpaying, either in terms of talent or loot.
We can also keep in mind that Heilman might not want to come back in ’08 if he’s expected to return to the bullpen. In which case, it might be best for all parties for the Mets to get what they can for him — he’s hardly without value.
the mets have undervalued him since day one, and no one will offer anything close to what he is worth. he’s young and could turn into something very special. to have him and Maine on the starting pitching roster for the next 5 years would be a boon to any major league team. and i’ll take a really strong starting pitcher over an 8th inning man any day (feliciano or schopenhauer, i mean schoenweis, may be adequate at that). then again, i don’t have a job in baseball.
wild game in colorado – kaz matsui!
I’m referring to Heilman’s market value, not so much the way the Mets have (mis)handled him. And with that in mind, I’d submit that demand is so great for an 8th inning specialist (where would the Red Sox be this year without Hideki Okajima?), Heilman still has considerable trade value. And barring injury, he’s in line for a serious payday — even if he’s relieving next season — once he’s a free agent.
The Mets bullpen studs just sank the Rockies. Did Jorge Julio learn that talent from Mota? We don’t even have to be playing to make people miserable!
Amazing finale to the game. Mets rejects right in the thick of it. Good for Kaz!
hoffman, wow.
what a game.
really didn’t think I’d be up for watching baseball tonight, but that was a loony classic from begining to end. Have the Rockies lost more than 1 game in the last two weeks? After all the jokes about Denny Neagle’s blow job, Mike Hampton’s public school concerns and Dan O’Dowd’s God Squad b.s., Colorado’s resurgence has been pretty exciting. But tonight was example “a” for instant replay proponents.