Mets’ Front Office Victory Trumps Even a 2006 Title

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The New York Sun

In 1977, the Mets were in complete disarray. Not only were they losing badly after enjoying a long run of respectable finishes, but key players were angry with ownership. Dave Kingman, the team’s main power source, was angling for a new contract and the Mets’ offers were too low. Tom Seaver, the face of the franchise, was unhappy with ownership, the New York press, and the contract he signed in 1976, the value of which had since been dwarfed by lesser pitchers who had signed big contracts on the open market.

Unwilling or unable to satisfy either player, the Mets purged them. On June 15, 1977, the team traded Seaver to the Reds and Kingman to the Padres. Together, the two moves became known as “The Midnight Massacre.” Not only did the moves destroy the franchise’s credibility with fans for years, but they probably ruined the day, year, and decade for Joe Torre, who had taken over as Mets manager just two weeks before. Torre, just 36, figured he had a chance to rebuild the team around the best pitcher in baseball. Sorry, Joe. Have you met Pat Zachry?

Willie Randolph won’t be facing any massacres not of his own making. With two moves in the last five days, the Mets secured the most promising part of their team — the left side of the infield — into the next decade. On Thursday, Jose Reyes signed a four-year contract extension with a club option that could extend the deal to 2011. Three days later, David Wright was given a six-year deal that should keep him in blue and orange through 2012, with an option for 2013.

The two deals give the Mets certainty both on the field and in the bankbook with very little risk. The club gets to avoid arbitration with both players, a process guaranteed to increase their salaries exponentially. (There is no holding the line in arbitration, only the option of a big raise or a really big raise. Worse, in order to justify the lower figure to the arbitrator, the club must make a presentation in front of the player explaining in detail all the things that are wrong with him. It makes for a shaky foundation for continuing the relationship, and there is a risk that the player comes away permanently disillusioned if not disgruntled, and that’s if he wins.)

The Mets also removed the possibility of Reyes and Wright testing free agency, and if both options are picked up, the open market won’t be a cause for concern until they are ages 29 and 31, respectively.

By tying both players’ hands in this way, the Mets have also protected themselves from the kind of salary inflation that results when the salaries of comparable players go up (GM Omar Minaya himself triggered such a spiral two years ago when he gave Kris Benson a contract that was overly generous by the standards of mediocre righties who never strike anyone out). If someone gives Florida’s Miguel Cabrera $20 million a year, Wright can’t hold the Mets up for similar money claiming that Cabrera’s deal set the market for third basemen.

For the Mets, this makes long-term planning that much easier. With these salaries written in stone, they can project this segment of their budget for years to come. That in turn will make them feel more comfortable in making commitments to other players, be they new free agents or a Lastings Milledge (should he prove himself worthy), because they can be sure they won’t be sandbagged by arbitration.

Still, the best part of these contracts is that they assure the Mets the prime of each player’s career. Most ballplayers peak around age 27, then slowly decline, with perhaps another, lower peak in their early 30s (though that’s not guaranteed). Again, the Mets know they will have those years and what they will be paying for them.

The only real danger in these deals is that the two players won’t continue to develop. In 2004 and 2005, Reyes seemed to retreat from the promise he showed as a rookie in 2003, batting .269/.294/.383 with just nine home runs and 32 walks in the two seasons combined.Reyes opened this year in similar fashion, batting only .250 in April and May. But something seemed to click in June, and since then Reyes has finally lived up to his advance billing.With one more home run he will match his career total entering the season. He’s also close to establishing career bests in walks and doubles.

Much improved plate judgment has paid dividends for Reyes. Whether he continues on his present path will depend on his remembering that this was the reason for his improvement. Last season, Reyes drew a walk once every 27 plate appearances. This season he began the year drawing one in every nine PAs.The number then rose, settling in at about one every 13, which is still twice as good as the 2005 pace.The bet here is that he won’t regress, but it is something of a gamble for the Mets.

Wright’s case is simpler.This year’s results have been almost identical to last year’s (in context they are down slightly, but the decline is small enough to be attributable to random chance, weather, or the tides) and if he develops on a normal curve, he can, at worst, be depended on to produce numbers in this range for the next several years.

The concept of buying young players out of their arbitration and early freeagent years with long-term contracts was pioneered by the Indians back in the early 1990s. Since then, the Mets really haven’t had a reason to try it out — until now. Whatever the outcome of the 2006 campaign, the Mets can build for the future knowing that the only irreplaceable parts of the 2006 team will be theirs for years to come.

Mr. Goldman writes the Pinstriped Bible for www.yesnetwork.com and is the author of “Forging Genius,” a biography of Casey Stengel.


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