Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson spoke with WFAN’s Mike Francesa earlier today, discussing the recent demotions of Ike Davis, Robert Carson and Mike Baxter, the job security of Terry Collins and the team’s general lack of depth (“I wish we had some more”). Along with alluding to voices in Davis’ head (if one of those voices was Craig Carton, it would totally explain Ike’s struggles), Alderson continues to insist that he’s been fielding guys like Rick Ankiel and Latroy Hawkins out of choice rather than necessity. From WFAN.com :
The general manager disputed the notion that his hands are tied so tight from ownership that he’s not able to make significant moves.
“It simply isn’t accurate,” Alderson told Francesa. “…For the first couple months of the season, you’re really looking at releases and waiver wires and your own players to improve the team. So if you’re not getting performance at the minor-league level from your own players that warrant a change, if you’re not seeing anything on the waiver wire that you think is going to help … then basically you have your team and that’s what you’re going to run out there on a daily basis.”
Alderson admitted that he simply doesn’t have much to work with within the organization at the moment.
“I wish that some of our better players were closer to the big leagues,” Alderson said. “I wish that certain guys were available to us, but they’re not, and nobody really cares. It’s all about whether you win or lose the games, and I understand that. But nobody is tying my hands at this point, nor would anybody be tying my hands at the trade deadline.”
While Alderson seems to blame an undisciplined plate approach to the club’s offensive woes (as opposed to say, ownership and management fielding a thoroughly uncompetitive team), one of Sandy’s predecessors found another scapegoat, as Metsradamus recounts :
I’m not sure what’s worse: this team being so unwatchable, or having to listen to Jim Duquette on the post game show talk about how the Mets lost because Mike Baxter can’t lay down a bunt. The same Mike Baxter who has gotten big hits in the ninth inning twice this season … which is two more than the number of sacrifice bunts in his career. But yeah, let’s have him bunt, and then blame him for not being “fundamental”. Five runs in 30 innings, but blame Mike Baxter’s bunting skills when he never should have been made to bunt in the first place. And also, Duquette tried briefly to say that the Mets were merely playing down to the level of their competition, as if they were a first place team that can’t blow anybody out. The analytical gymnastics it took Duquette to avoid reality is stunning. An art form, really.