New York Mets: Early Returns
Fred Wilpon has made bad investments in the past. Lots of them. But at least today, on April 6, 2009, it doesn't appear that the Mets' new bullpen will end up on that list.
I know that Opening Day is kind of a small sample size, and that I'm probably overreacting. But from my perspective, even this one day, and how much of a stark contrast it is to last year, is enough to give me optimism that my World Series pick won't end up making me want to step in front of a train.
The Mets did not collapse last year. They didn't collapse because they had no business being anywhere near the playoffs. Their starting left fielder most of the year was Fernando Tatis, and the closer in the most important games they played was Luis Ayala. It was a flawed team that was badly constructed, and honestly overperformed from the time Willie Randolph was fired to about the second week of September.
But the biggest reason they lost was their bullpen. It wasn't their Achilles heel, it was an Achilles leg or torso or face. It was the worst thing that I had ever seen on what was supposed to be a good team. And if Omar Minaya hadn't been able to fix it this offseason, he would have deserved the firing he would have received (I hope).
But at the winter meetings, Minaya signed Francisco Rodriguez, who'd just set the MLB record for saves, and he laid the groundwork for a huge trade for J.J. Putz and Sean Green (and Jeremy Reed, but he's a story for another day). On two strokes, the bullpen was mostly saved. But names don't win jack squat. You win games on the field. And so all winter, as I taped pictures of my new saviors on my door and dreamed of saves unblown, there was a seed of doubt. Would they do it on the field? Or is this all just a huge waste of time?
Today the Mets started their 2009 campaign. Johan Santana started, and as usual, he pitched quite well. But the strike zone today wasn't favorable to the pitchers, and he had to leave after 5.2 innings. Enter Sean Green, formerly of the Seattle Mariners, and 1.1 innings, four batters faced, no hits, no walks, no runs allowed. Enter J.J. Putz for the 8th, formerly the closer for the same Seattle Mariners. One inning, four batters faced, no hits, one walk, no runs allowed. And to close it out in the 9th, enter Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels. One inning, three batters faced, no hits, no walks, no runs allowed.
Johan Santana gave his bullpen a lead, and rather than coughing it up, like the Heilmans and Schoeneweises of yore, they actually outpitched him. For a fan who sat through the torture of 2008 and 2007—and even of the NLCS in 2006—this was like some kind of a pleasant dream from which I expected to awaken at any moment. But it's been hours, and the Internet claims that the Mets won 2-1, because of (not in spite of) their bullpen.
It's just Opening Day, but so far, it's worth the money, and I'll take it.
.png?w=256)
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
