The Destruction Of The Mets

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

All Mets fans know that even after all the promises of the Staff (Randolph) and GM (Minaya) that the Mets would win a WS, they have not and never will with the team that they assembled. 

This team encumbers old (in most senses washed up players) players who were supposed to win a championship or two.  But the creation of this team has been hindered by age, luck, and idiocy.  Did Minaya never think that most of the players he signed in free agency (33+) would get worse?  Did he not think rebuilding the farm system was necessary? 

And what the #@% was he thinking when signing Luis Castillo to a four year deal worth $25 million?  I mean, if I was Castillo, I would have thought christmas had come early.  In this article I will talk about the downfall of the Mets, the formula which created a team that promised a WS ring, but couldn't even get to the WS. 

Free Agency

For the last couple of years, the Mets have signed big name after big name in free agency.  The Mets have decided to abandon the farm system, to live for free agency, to bet there future on men who cared more about money then staying with their team.  Some of the big FA aquisitions were Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Billy Wagner, K-Rod, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. 

These players paired up with the home grown talent of SS Jose Reyes and 3B David Wright were suppossed to lead to a World Series Ring, and hope.  

Long ago when the Mets aquired these players, I was giddy with some feeling that the Mets could regain their form and reach the World Series that should have been theirs in 2000 (althought I think Bobby Valentine was the reason the Mets were even in the playoffs). 

But looking back on the Mets splurges at the end of seasons, I realized the gaping flaw.  Half of these players were past their prime (Glavine, Wagner, and Delgado) and were pretty close to being just average players. 

Minaya has brought together possibly the oldest team in the major leagues: Delgado, Wagner, Pedro, and Glavine were all at the end of their careers when they joined the mets. 

Because of their age, it wasn't suprising that Pedro only pitched one of his three years (last year was an abomination). Wagner is out probobly for the rest of the year. Delgado is hurt and will miss at least another month, and Glavine had an E.R.A under four for only three of his five years pitching for the Mets.  And if you didn't think that was enough, Minaya signed Luis Castillo to a four-year contract.  Was he on crack?  Castillo is at the end of his career, he can't play 2B anymore and his speed has decreased immensly.  The worst part is that he overpayed him...

But even more recently, Minaya didn't sign Derek Lowe, but instead signed Oliver Perez.  Sure Lowe wanted $3 million more and an extra year, but Perez... is Perez.  This year he couldn't even find the strikzone if it was smackin him in the face.  Perez costs the mets $12 million dollars, a player whos E.R.A. stands at 9.31 in some 40 innings pitched.  Recently, it seems that Minaya is bent on destroying the Mets.

Chemistry

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