New York Mets torn apart between financial crisis and regular season preparations - MLB Feature
Playing last two Spring Training games against New York Yankees, signing contract extension with Jon Niese, thinking on a release of Mike Pelfrey are some of the steps reflecting more of the financial concerns of the New York Mets than a dedicated attempt
toward regular season preparations.
Every decision they take is an off-shoot of their financial miseries. While getting rid of the financial mess is great, doing anything at the detriment of regular season performance amounts to a betrayal with fans.
A belief that since their season chances are scant, therefore not much attendance is expected to lead the Mets’ management to resort to inappropriate means for making up the cash deficit.
Higher management deliberately scheduled two games at the end of the Spring Training with the Yankees, taking these games as an opportunity to draw sell-out stadiums and thus to amass money. Anything bringing money to the club should be lauded, but the fact
these two games eliminated a chance for Mets to go through final pre-season work out day points to a dramatic change in the priorities of the club.
Manager Terry Collins expressed displeasure at not being consulted while these two games were being entered in the schedule.
Moving on, Mets’ fear of Niese’s invoking arbitration and then free agency at the end of contract rendered them bewildered as they immediately inked five year contract extension with him worth $25.5 million. Not accommodating his mediocre career record and
just going by an assumption of his becoming an improved pitcher over the next couple of years, they have left a lot at risk in the process.
An attempt to eschew financial mismanagement by this may back fire as funds stuck up like this on a single player for next half a decade can be distressing. Who knows with few more years down the line, better options sprout up and just the fact Mets will
have their funds fixated on existing deals, they will be bearing the brunt of an opportunity cost they overlooked at the start.
Even bloodier is an eventuality of not selling out their stadium in the 2012 regular season under an impact of the kind of stereotypes spreading about the club. In a worst case scenario, Mets will not collect enough funds during the season and Niese’s contract
becoming a financial burden with couple of more years down under.
Therefore, just to take fans to a newer taste club may have signed a new pitcher with relatively better record. At-least this will have tempted fans enough to fill up the stadium during the 2012 regular season.
Presumably, the newly signed pitcher becomes a hit among the fans and impresses them to an extent of sheer stimulation of his glimpse on the mound, at minimum Mets will have experienced an ice breaker from the current gloomy face of the club.
Just like Miami Marlins did this season. After years of low attendance and growing frustration among the fans, they stepped up this year by signing three all stars along with an opening of their new ballpark. No wonder they are witnessing a full house in
the games being played there.
Difference of approach between these two clubs is markedly visible. While Mets are trying to control happenings in an attempt to take structured decisions, Marlins have been aggressive. Miami invested first and then waited for results where as Mets are doing
the opposite.
Losing to the lessons of objectivity in any case should not be an option regardless of the gravity of crisis Mets are confronting. For this will only worsen their fate as opposed to becoming any silver lining.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: