Last week, Roy Oswalt spoke publicly about wanting to be traded. He did not want to waste his final years playing for a terrible Astros team.
He wanted a shot to win a championship.
In New York, we get excited when a team ponders about trading a star player or when a player demands to be traded. We assume the Yankees and the Mets will get involved.
Fans get excited. Sportswriters write those names to fill space in the papers.
It’s good to dream. Of course, reality sinks in. The Astros will want a lot in return. The Mets have to think long and hard about whether it’s worth giving up everything for Oswalt. The Astros ace has to waive his no-trade clause.
There are too many hurdles to overcome. It’s a good bet Oswalt will not be a Met. While we’re at it, let’s stop fantasizing about Cliff Lee. He’s not coming here either.
Let’s face it, even if the Mets acquire an ace, they are not going to win the division or make the playoffs. Their bullpen is alright, but not enough to keep up from now until September. Their starting rotation has been up and down.
It’s hard to think what will scare off the other teams in the division, especially the Phillies.
The Mets have to stop being like the Yankees. They can’t buy players or acquire mercenaries. They tried it, and it didn’t work.
Winning teams build from within. The Twins, Rays, Red Sox, Phillies, Angels, Cardinals, and the Marlins win with homegrown players.
Only the Yankees can get away with buying players. The best players know they can win a championship with the Yankees. With teams like the Mets, that’s not the case.
Guys are coming to the Mets for the money. Are those the players the Mets want to help build a winning team?
Often times, most mercenaries are miserable about their Mets experience.
Who needs that?
There’s something special about winning with homegrown players. Fans relate to the players better. There is a sense of pride when fans talk about how a player grew up in the Mets system. Teams love to brag about how great their farm system is.
When guys grow up together from the minors, they play for each other. They take care of each other. They know what it takes to win. The journey offers appreciation on how they got to be successful.
Everyone loved the 1986 Mets. Not only because they won the championship, but because they won with homegrown players. There was a special chemistry shared by the players that went unnoticed. Players bonded together and they stood up for each other.
If someone messed with a Met, every Met ganged up on them. Just look at the brawls the Mets took part in that season.
Those lads loved being in the ballpark. They knew they were going to win every game.
That team was the best team a baseball fan ever watched.
The same can be said about the Phillies in recent years. That team features grinders who know what to do to win ballgames. They have guys who help one another.
Teams like that are hard to build. Still, the chances of winning championship with homegrown players are better than winning with outsiders.
The Mets are not in a position to trade any of these guys. Why trade them for a guy who is about to finish his career? It does not make sense.
This team can win a championship if they do it right. This team has some young players to build around.
Ike Davis can play. Jenrry Mejia can be an ace in the making. Fernando Martinez can be a nice hitter. Josh Thole may not be Mike Piazza, but he can be the catcher the team can build around for years to come.
If they trade those guys, their farm system will be barren again.
The organization worked hard to get the system back on track. They would risk damaging their credibility by changing directions. In a division where most teams are building with youth, the last thing the Mets need is to fall behind.
The Phillies’ farm system continues to flourish year after year. They will lose their star players at one point, but they will reload. They’re not going to be pegged down in the standings.
The Marlins rely on their farm system to win games. They can’t afford to spend money on free agents. Their market does not provide them the revenue.
The Braves won with a great farm system for forever, it seems.
The Nationals are building their team with homegrown players.
That’s not going to change with those teams. The Mets have to keep up if they want to play with those teams for the next few years.
The organization wants to make money. They need to see Citi Field be filled. Winning does that. If they trade for Oswalt and Lee, they think it will send a message to fans that they’re serious about winning.
It’s good for a few months, but this is about the next few years.
Stores spew out the cliché about the customer always being right, but in sports, if teams listen to what the fans say in running a sports business, that franchise will be left behind.
Making a trade at this juncture is not worth it.
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