 Sixxteen years ago, Bob Klapisch penned a book called "The Worst Team Money Can Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets". Ironically, that title still fits the flippant fumblers in Flushing. Back then, the team was chided for finishing in fifth, despite the
dubious distinction of the highest payroll in baseball ($45M, at the
time an exorbitant amount). The team was littered with overpaid,
underperforming has-beens in the twilight of their careers (sound
familiar?). For example, they had a quiet and moody, media-evading,
Cooperstown-bound first baseman who had lost his bat speed and was clearly in the last years of his career -- Eddie Murray (again, sound familiar?). Murray, though, was hardly the problem quite the opposite in fact. Compared to the rest of this miscast collection of characters, Murray's 16 homers and 93 RBI were a shining light.
That was the team that put their eggs in the basket of Bobby Bonilla. The Mets brought the Bronx-born Bonilla "home" from Pittsburgh, lavishing the free agent with an extraordinary salary to play at Shea (rumor has it, the Mets are still paying off the remnants of his contract). Speaking of locals, the Mets also welcomed Willie Randolph back to New York for a swan song at second base. They capped off the winter by sending away part of their future for a 28-year-old, two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher they deemed would win now Bret Saberhagen. The free-spending Mets had opened their wallet the previous winter for speed demon Vince Coleman and the aforementioned Murray, and both were expected to play big parts in the Mets' return to the postseason. As it turned out, Saberhagen would pitch less than 100 innings due to an arm injury, Coleman appeared in only 77 games, Randolph was unspectacular in his final season, and Bonilla's homecoming resembled a cocktail party on the Titanic.
But it wasn't only the free agent busts that burst the Mets' bubble. After leading the NL in home runs and RBIs in 1991, longtime fan favorite Howard Johnson suddenly stopped hitting. He batted .223 in 100 games before his season mercifully ended due to a wrist fracture. Rookie catcher Todd Hundley hit only .209 as the regular backstop, with no punch (this was before he discovered "nutritional supplements"). That would have been OK, except the Mets also slotted slick-fielding, no-hitting shortstop Dick Schofield (.205) in the lineup, and auditioned a parade of weak-hitting left fielders (Daryl Boston, Chico Walker, Kevin Bass, etc.) in the once-again injured Coleman's place. In brief, the lineup fell off drastically after the cleanup spot (once again, familiar?).
Fast-forward to June 2003. As if they hadn't learned from their past mistakes, the club was again a collection of overpaid players already out of their prime. Big deals for the bats of Jeromy Burnitz and Roberto Alomar were busts. Mo Vaughn was busting out of his uniform. Roger Cedeno could neither hit nor field. Mike Piazza was out for the year. The crown jewel of the offseason free agent market, Tom Glavine, did not reach double-digits in wins for the first time in 15 years. Mets owner Fred Wilpon had seen and spent enough. He fired GM Steve Phillips and vowed ''We're going to get younger and more athletic.'' A New York Times article reported Wilpon's frustration this way:
This ship has been off course for three seasons, not because of a lack of resources, but because of a lack of judgment. The Mets began the year with a payroll of about $120 million, which is second only to the Yankees' roughly $180 million. They have nothing to show for it but a clubhouse of aging stars with big names, big contracts and big injuries. It's all Steve Phillips' fault.
He sold Wilpon on the notion that you had to win with big names in New York, that the fans weren't patient enough to wait for rebuilding, that you had to do it now. Forget the farm system.
But Wilpon apparently came to the conclusion that the Mets' salvation was not exclusively found in high-priced stars. Yesterday, he made an intriguing observation. He said he knows now that a hefty payroll does not ensure success. ''We've learned that painfully.''
Funny how history repeats itself, eh?
Because here we are, five years later (almost to the day), and the Mets are:
1.Second only to the Yankees in payroll;
2.Full of aging stars with big names, big contracts, and big injuries
3.Without a farm system
The albatross known as Carlos Delgado continues to drag this team down, wielding a slow bat at the plate, iron hands in the field, and no leadership skills to speak of. The Mets had put the eggs of their offense into the basket of Delgado and Moises Alou, who has disappeared for all but 15 games. Speaking of disappearances, Orlando Hernandez was last seen on a milk carton. Luis Castillo, who was signed to an extraordinary four-year contract, has two bad knees and may be a part-time player. Pedro Martinez is a shadow of his former self after shoulder surgery. And we haven't even gotten to the biggest disappointments yet.
From a financial standpoint, the worst players for the money thus far are Johan Santana and Carlos Beltran. Yes, it's difficult to criticize Beltran when he's on pace to drive in 110 runs. But look at it from the accountant's perspective: Beltran is making $18.6M this year. That's the fifth-highest salary in all of MLB, just a few thousand behind Manny Ramirez. I'll say that again: Manny Ramirez. If I am running a business any business and one of my employees is being paid one of the highest salaries in the industry, you better believe I want him to be performing like a superstar. Hitting around .275 with 25 homers and 110 RBI is not a superstar. It's very good, but far from a superstar. Mike Cameron put up numbers like that, back when he was considered a better fielder than a hitter. Don't get me wrong I think Beltran is a very good all-around player. But he's not a superstar.
Similarly, there is Johan Santana and his $16.98M salary (which bulges to $20M next year), which places him #7 in all of MLB, and tops among pitchers. Santana is being paid to be the best pitcher in baseball. The Mets mortgaged most of their future to obtain him. The thought was that the two-time Cy Young Award winner would DOMINATE the weak-swinging National League. He would go deep into games. He would be the Mets' "stopper" his presence would be a roadblock to prolonged losing streaks.
Unfortunately, he's delivered on none of these expectations. And to boot, he's already thrown a teammate under the bus for a loss, calling out David Wright for a miscue on a "routine play" previous to a grand slam home run. Note to Johan: the routineness of a ground ball is equal to that of retiring the opposing pitcher particularly when it is an American League pitcher with nine career at-bats. Shame on you for not "picking up" your teammate, and shame again for blaming him for your distress. When you squeeze $137.5M out of a team and play on the biggest stage in the world, you take responsibility. It's part of the deal.
The Mets currently carry a $137.8M payroll. Of the top eleven player salaries in MLB, the Mets have three representatives: Beltran, Santana, and Delgado. Lost soldiers Alou and El Duque account for a combined $15M. The ghost of Pedro Martinez collects an $11M paycheck. Oliver Perez / Mr. Hyde makes $6.5M and may be making that in New Orleans before too long. Castillo will take on the role of albatross upon Delgado's exit next year he's owed $25M between now and 2011. Brian Schneider will be paid a shade under $5M to be a no-hit, no-field catcher. Scott Schoeneweiss is having a pretty good year, but he's being paid $7.2M over the next two years to face one batter a game. The accountants cannot be happy with that ROI.
As I write this, the Mets remain a sub-.500 team, fighting to stay in third place in the NL East and only a half-game from fourth. Saddled by bad contracts, players with little trade value, and a decimated farm system, there isn't much hope of acquiring an impact player at the deadline who can turn the team around. This team "is what it is", and has to hope and pray that many things that haven't gone right as yet, begin to go right immediately.
The Mets' demise wouldn't be such a big deal, really, if it weren't for the impending opening of Citi Field. The last thing the Wilpons want is a second-rate team occupying their first-rate park. Unfortunately, sometimes when you want so badly for something NOT to happen, that's exactly what happens. In the past three years, the Mets did everything they could do to avoid having a poor team open the doors of their proudest project. In the process, they "didn't see the forest for the trees", as they say, and forgot the long-term, crippling errors of their past.
In short, they remain "the worst team money can buy".
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