Meet the New York Mess
This story was written by CBSNews.com's Gordon Donovan, long-suffering Mets season-ticket holder and author of the blogMeet the Mess
New York is a Yankee town. It has been since the mid 90's and perhaps always will be. The Mets have attempted to match the most successful sports franchise over the years by bringing in high-priced free agents and Japanese imports, while starting their own network and opening a new ballpark.
A local company is running an ad on the New York area saying, "Why leave a city with six professional sports teams and the Mets?"
But the Mets continue to be as successful as Daniel Murphy laying down a bunt or playing the outfield.
The team brought in a new general manager and field manager after two disappointing seasons to help change the culture... or clean up the mess Omar Minaya left behind. The team looks like the same franchise from 2010, maybe even worse. The 2011 season looks to be another disaster.
The Mets' two highest paid players are major question marks to start the season. Pitching ace Johan Santana ($22,500,000) and outfielder Carlos Beltran ($18,500,000) will both miss the start the season due to injuries.
Santana will start the season on disabled list following surgery to repair a tear of the anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder. A story surfaced that he would be out for the entire 2011 season. Santana dismissed the rumors and now is throwing from 60 feet in his rehabilitation.
Santana is expected back in July, so right-hander Mike Pelfrey is the ace for now. Pelfrey is no ace, at best he's a number three starter. Pelfrey has been lit up this spring and his career has been marred by inconsistency.
Big Pelf was 15-9 last season - a promising 9-1 until mid-June. From there he was 4-8 until early September, then finished the season with several strong outings.
Carlos Beltran has played only one game at DH during spring training due to soreness in his knee than was not surgically repaired last year. The 3-time Gold glove winning center fielder is moving to right field this season in spacious Citi Field. Beltran should stay behind in the warmth of Florida to get his knees in shape rather than coming north to the still frozen surface at Citi Field.
Beltran is in the final year of a seven-year $119 million contract. The Mets insurance in right field is the platoon of Scott Hairston and Willie Harris. Hairston is a career batting average of.245 and Harris is a .239 hitter.
Also gone this year will be shortstop Jose Reyes. The Mets hope Reyes will have an injury-free and career year so they can trade him to a contender for prospects, rather than resign him. Reyes will be seeking Carl Crawford type money if he can put up numbers like he did from 2005-2008. Ruben Tejada will be playing shortstop in AAA to start the season.
Meanwhile, the Mets are in financial trouble. In the off season the Mets borrowed $25 million from MLB to keep the team afloat. Despite being sued in a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by the trustee trying to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff scheme, the Mets ate $18 million of player salaries.
The New York Times reported that the Mets lost nearly $50 million in 2010 and 2011 does not look much better.
Gone are left handed pitcher Oliver Perez and 2B Luis Castillo. Both were the object of fans anger to all that was wrong with the franchise since the team's late-season collapses in 2007 and 2008. Both have been picked up with other teams and the Mets will be on the hook for most of the $18 million in salaries.
Many of the executive decisions are made by listening to local sports radio stations and irate fans. Dropping the two players was a PR move. Bad Ollie and bobble-hands Luis were booed on opening day at Citi Field the last season.
Season tickets sales have dropped this season. Yesterday I received my season tickets (yes I need help). The package came in a large blue box. Inside were my season tickets, the season schedule printed on the box lid and a special gift for season ticket holders. A New York Mets watch set to time in 2015, when the Mets will finally matter again in New York.