This is the world Mets fans are now living in, a place where they root for a mid-market team playing in one of the greatest cities in the world. It makes no sense. Poor decisions and organizational mismanagement has led to this, and true fans are sickened but resigned to dealing with this, because we love our team. But if someone needed a symbol of exactly how far this franchise has fallen, how about this?
#bbpBox_148977539929473024 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_148977539929473024 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }The Texas Rangers have won the posting auction of Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish with a record $51.7M bid, sources tell Yahoo! Sports.
48 minutes ago via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@JeffPassanJeff Passan
#bbpBox_148966351556456448 a { text-decoration:none; color:#db0f23; }#bbpBox_148966351556456448 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }Mets interested in catcher Luis Martinez, who was DFA by the Padres.
about 1 hour ago via Mobile WebReplyRetweetFavorite
@NYPost_MetsMike Puma
So there you have it, on a night where the Texas Rangers put up a record high bid to secure negotiation rights with the ever-tantalizingly talented Yu Darvish, the New York Mets are rumored to have interest in a recently DFA’d catcher, Luis Martinez.
And while I’m sure Martinez is talented and could help the Mets, I still see a Mets organization that is a shell of what it once was.
It’s not like the Mets put in a bid on Darvish, and came up short, and it’s not like the Mets rotation is stacked to the point where Darvish wouldn’t help. They could have tried, because he could have helped. Yes, I know $51 million is A TON of money to pay for the rights to sign a player. And yes, I know he may not end up being worth all of the money the Rangers will end up spending on him in the end. And even if Darvish turns out to be a bust that’s not the point…
The point is on a day like this we remember where this organization is at, and where it came from. Remember when the Mets were in a position TO MAKE A RUN IF THEY WANTED. This New York Mets team cannot afford it. They can’t even try. So, did the team not put in an offer because of a fear of the unknown? Maybe. Was it because they’re more than one player away from competing? Probably. Maybe it was because, like Jose Reyes, they knew they had no shot? Most likely. All of those may be right, but that doesn’t make the status of this franchise easier to swallow.
I love this team, as do many other Mets fans, but one thing has become painfully clear this off season: This is no longer a big market franchise. Maybe I’ve been in denial about this team’s financial issues, but after today, I’m not in denial anymore.
Original Story:
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December 19, 2011
