Blogging Mets

After nearly a month of handwringing, Jason Bay has reportedly accepted the Mets offer, and will be in left field in Flushing when the season opens in April. The contract is said to be 4-years, $66 million, with an easily reachable vesting option for a fifth year at about $14 million.

The deal is not yet official — the Mets won’t make any announcement until Bay takes a physical. And according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the physical may be more than just a formality. He writes:

There has been a lot of talk in the sport that the Red Sox were hesitant to do a long-term deal with Bay because they were concerned about the health of his shoulders.

Assuming everything goes well with the physical, except for whomever they sign to catch, the Mets lineup is pretty much set. I would still like to see one more bat in that lineup, but that seems unlikely unless Omar Minaya is working on my Brandon Phillips/Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Castillo/Pelfrey/Parnell/prospects trade. Boy, that trade would address so many of the Mets problems.

So now the focus turns to pitching. Minaya has been busy signing mid-level relievers all winter when he should have been concentrating on the starting rotation. The Mets need two reliable starters, one of them preferably a true number two. With John Lackey off the market, there are no number twos available in free agency. Ben Sheets (left) would fit that bill if he’s healthy — a big if. I would take a chance on him, but not for the $12 million he is reportedly demanding. I’d offer him the same type of contract Andy Pettitte signed last year — $5.5 million guaranteed, plus incentives based on innings pitched and time on the roster.

Otherwise the Mets would have to trade for a big name starter, and that is not likely to happen. Not many are available, and the Mets don’t have much to offer. Carlos Zambrano can reportedly be had, but he makes around $18 million a year. As well as he pitches, he also brings a lot of baggage with him to the mound. And the Mets have had bad luck with pitchers named Zambrano.

As far as free agency, the Mets are said to be interested in Joel Piniero, but not for three years. Jon Garland (left) is still available. He’s a solid if unspectacular pitcher, but he’ll give you 200 innings every year, virtually guaranteed. Who else in the rotation can you say that about? I was hoping the Mets would have signed him last year, and I hope they finally do it this time around.

My guess is Minaya will only sign one more pitcher, and go into 2010 with Johan Santana, the mystery pitcher, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez. That rotation looks all-too-familiar for my liking. There are way too many question marks in that rotation (three, not including Santana coming back from injury) for comfort. But hey, at least Tim Redding won’t be on the team.

I’ll start this column by saying this is an exercise in futility. The Mets have no interest in trading Carlos Beltran. He has a no-trade clause. Hardly any other team can afford him.  I’m wasting my time by writing it, and you’re wasting your time by reading it. Yet I feel the need to write it, and hopefully you’ll indulge me by reading it.

I’ve never been a big fan of Beltran. He certainly is a superb fielder, and he’s a fine hitter. But I don’t like the brand of baseball he plays. He plays it safe. There’s a reason he has the highest stolen base percentage in baseball history — he doesn’t run unless he’s absolutely sure he’s going to make it safely. Otherwise he doesn’t take a chance. A guy with Beltran’s speed should have 40 stolen bases every season. Instead, he’s averaged fewer than 20 per year since joining the Mets.

Remember how he used to sacrifice bunt in the first inning in his first couple of seasons in New York (an annoying, unnecessary habit taken over by Luis Castillo)? He still does it every so often. It got so bad, Willie Randolph was quoted as saying, “I’ve told him not to do that.” A guy with Beltran’s power should be driving in runs, not bunting runners over. Again, a very safe way to play.

Beltran is also reportedly a very quiet guy who doesn’t add much to clubhouse chemistry. He’s not  detrimental, he’s just, well, nothing. A guy getting paid like Beltran should be a leader on a team, although you can’t force a player to be someone he’s not.

Beltran is part of the Mets’ heralded “core” that has won exactly nothing. It’s time to change that core. Carlos Delgado is likely done with the team, but that’s not enough. The Mets need to change their personnel, and Beltran is a good place to start. He’s still a superstar player, and would bring in some decent talent who could help the Mets finally achieve something.

There are two ways to go on this — trade him for another high-priced superstar, or get several good major league-ready young players. A trade for prospects would not work because the Mets still want to win right now.

A straight-up trade that could work is for Miguel Cabrera (left). Why would Detroit do this? One word, as always — money. Cabrera is due $126 million over the next six years. Beltran does not come cheaply — he earns $18.5 million per season, but he only has two years left on his contract. That’s an $89 million savings for the small market Tigers. The Mets can afford that without blinking. And since they’ll have a first baseman locked up for the next six years, they’ll have a pretty good trade chip in highly regarded first base prospect Ike Davis, who could be dealt at some point for some much needed pitching. Beltran would replace Curtis Granderson in center for the Tigers.

As far as major league-ready talent, there’s always the Red Sox. There were reports Boston had inquired about Beltran. But that was before they signed Mike Cameron to play right, and spent big bucks on free agent pitcher John Lackey. Boston reportedly does not want to go over the luxury tax threshold, but perhaps they would in order to get Beltran. The Mets would demand Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz and one or two other players. Perhaps they could even pry Jon Lester away. Ellsbury would replace Beltran in center, and hitting behind — or maybe in front of — Jose Reyes would form the fastest one-two punch in the game. Buchholz or Lester would give the Mets the young starter they desperately need. In Boston, Beltran and Cameron would be playing side-by-side in the outfield again. Their last appearance on the field together didn’t go so well (left, ouch).

As I said, none of this is going to happen. Beltran isn’t going anywhere. And I’m afraid neither are the Mets, not because of Beltran specifically, but because of the make-up of the team. Things need to change, and making change calls for some tough decisions. Trading Beltran would be one of those tough decisions — one that I think the Mets should make. But they won’t. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.

This decade with no name was an interesting one for the New York Mets. They started high, then quickly went down to the depths, only to rise again, and then another steep decline in a shocking fashion. Let’s take a look at the top 10 stories for the Mets this decade:

2000 Subway Series

The first year of the decade turned out to be the best for the Mets. They faced the Yankees in the World Seres — the team’s first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1986. Even though they lost, it was a sign that the rest of the decade was going to be a good one. A championship was assured. Sadly, it never happened.

2001 Off Season

The Mets followed the 2000 season with a disappointing 2001 campaign. So GM Steve Phillips moved agressively to fix what ailed the team. He traded for Roberto Alomar, Mo Vaughn and Jeromy Burnitz, and signed free agent Roger Cedeno. What were the odds all four moves would fail? Whatever they were, they did, and it sealed Phillips’ fate as GM.

Emergence of Jose Reyes and David Wright

Midway through the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Mets called Jose Reyes and David Wright, respectively, up from the minors. They were both instant sensations, and have gone on to be the faces of the franchise. Reyes has battled injuries, and Wright had a very strange 2009, but it’s nice to see a couple of homegrown players starring for the team.

Scott Kazmir/Victor Zambrano Trade

The Mets were on the fringe of the wild card race in July 2004 when GM Jim Duquette sent highly regarded prospect Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for less-than-highly regarded pitcher Victor Zambrano. The trade was lambasted by everyone, except of course Tampa. Kazmir went on to be an All Star, Zambrano went on to nothing. The trade sealed Duquette’s fate as GM.

Omar Minaya Hired

Since being hired in the closing days of the 2004 season, Omar Minaya has shaped the franchise for the second half of the decade, for better or for worse. While he has many, many critics, don’t forget Minaya took over a terrible team and quickly built it into a winner, thanks in part to the Wilpons finally loosening the purse strings.

2005 Off Season

Minaya made a splash in his first off season, signing Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran to big bucks contracts. Martinez turned out to a very fun disappointment, while Beltran, after a horrible first year, has earned his sizable paychecks.

2006 East Division Champs

The Mets won 97 games in 2006, and easily won the National League East for their first division title since 1988. The loss to the Cardinals in the NLCS was like a punch in the face. But still, it was a great year. 

2007 and 2008 Collapses

2007 and 2008 were also good years, that is, until the last couple of weeks of September. The 2007 collapse was historic — they lost a 7 game lead with 17 games left to play. In 2008, the collapse was less dramatic (a 3 game lead with 17 play), but just as painful.

Johan Santana Trade

The Mets are probably still wondering how they were able to land Johan Santana, arguably the best pitcher in the game, for next to nothing, prior to the 2008 season. Whatever the circumstances, Santana is a Met in perhaps the best trade in franchise history. His performance on the mound in his 2 seasons has not disappointed.

Shea Hello to Citi Field

Shea Stadium dilapidated right before our eyes. Before it had a chance to collapse around us, the Mets came up with the cash to build Citi Field. The shiny new ballpark  has its issues, but the team is addressing them by adding much needed Mets history to the building. Let’s hope Citi Field is kinder to the Mets in the teens than Shea was in the 00s, or whatever the decade ends up being called.

Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php

In a previous column about the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot, I said I would write something about accused steroid users and the Hall of Fame. Never let it be said I don’t follow through on my promises, regardless of what a series of ex-girlfriends and former employers have said. My opinion on this is simple — let them all in, with one exception, hence the asterisk in the headline.

A little history first — baseball has banned the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, but there was never any testing. That kicked in for the 2004 season, when the infamous anonymous testing (which, as it turned out, wasn’t very anonymous at all) of 2003 nabbed 104 players, or 7%  of the league, using steroids. That was more than the 5% specified in the union contract, so testing begun.

So while it was against the rules to use steroids from 1991-2003, there was no testing, which means there was no way to tell who was on the juice and who wasn’t. And let’s face it, there were plenty of articles written as well as warning signs all over the place that steroid use was running rampant throughout the league. But the great Bud Selig — who should be charged with perjury for telling Congress he had no idea players were using steroids — did nothing. Everybody was making too much money.

So you can’t blame the players for saying, “if baseball is looking the other way, I might as well use it like everybody else.” And more than 104 players were using steroids, you can be sure of that. Those were just the stupid ones who kept using despite the testing.

This is why I feel players accused of steroids should be let into the Hall of Fame. They were just playing by the rules of baseball, which basically said, “Steroids are banned, but we won’t test you for them. So you have to promise you won’t use them to hit more home runs and throw 100 mph , thus making millions of dollars. Wink wink.”

Mark McGwire has been the first test case. In his three years on the ballot, he received about 25% of the vote each time. Now, let’s look more closely at McGwire. Before he told the world “I’m not here to talk about the past,” he admitted using Androstenedione, or Andro, which is a steroid precursor. It has since been banned by baseball, but was not when reporters found it in clear view in his locker during the Great Home Run Chase of 1998. And except for Jose Canseco’s claims (which have mostly been confirmed, actually), there is no other evidence McGwire used steroids.

McGwire is being penalized for his performance before Congress (left), where his oft-repeated mantra was seen as a virtual admission of steroid use. Conventional wisdom was that McGwire didn’t want to lie and face perjury charges, and he didn’t want to admit to anything, so he just refused to talk about the past. So basically McGwire is being kept out of the Hall for what people think he did, even though they have no evidence. How many other players were using steroids, but were not called before Congress, and thus did not have to come up with a response that would open themselves up to second guessing?

The fact is, we don’t know who was using steroids and who wasn’t. So we either leave everyone out from the Steroid Era, or put everyone in. I choose putting everyone in. And that includes guys like McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and anyone mentioned in the Mitchell Report. Don’t get me wrong, they probably did use steroids or other PEDs, but we don’t know for sure because there was no testing. And there were dozens of other guys who were able to keep lower profiles who escaped suspicion. Why do they get in, and the others don’t?

Now to that asterisk. Anyone who failed a drug test should be banned from the Hall of Fame. It’s that simple. That is the only way to know for sure who cheated and who didn’t. Also, it shows that those players are stupid. We should try to keep stupid people out of the Hall as well. So that means Rafael Palmiero and Manny Ramirez are out. Sorry.

What about Alex Rodriguez, who admitted being on the list of 104 who tested positive?  I say let him in. All his forced admission (left) means is that he used steroids prior to 2004, just like the dozens of other players. That testing was supposed to be anonymous, and A-Rod should not suffer because of the union’s failure to destroy the list of names, and the government’s incompetence to keep the names from leaking out.

So I think McGwire should be voted in this time around. But he won’t — he’ll probably get his usual 25%. What I think will happen is eventually one of the alleged users — probably Bonds or Clemens — will be voted in, and that will open the floodgates to all of the accused, but not proven, steroid users.

I started out my previous column by admitting how wrong I was about where John Lackey would end up and how much money he would get. I noted that I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again. Well, I’m about to make another prediction that I hope turns out to be right — Omar Minaya is working on something big. And I don’t mean just Jason Bay.

Let me point out I have no knowledge of anything (wait, that didn’t come out right). What I mean is, I have not read any reports about a blockbuster involving the Mets, and of course I have no inside information. But I just get the feeling something is happening.

Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Minaya is not only trying to make the Mets better, he’s trying to save his job. He knows (or at least I hope he knows) that he can’t go into the season with this roster. It’s the same roster that lost 92 games last year. Hell, it’s virtually the same roster that collapsed in 2007 and 2008.  He’s got to do something, and it’s got to be big, to counteract the Phillies acquisition of Roy Halladay, as well as the perception that the Mets are cheap and won’t do what it takes to win.

Just signing Bay, Bengie Molina, and two of those increasingly unappealing second-tier free agent pitchers is not enough. They need to make a splash. And I have a proposal. How about sending Luis Castillo, Mike Pelfrey, Bobby Parnell and a couple of high-level prospects to the Reds for Brandon Phillips and Bronson Arroyo?

Why would the Reds trade perhaps their best player and a solid 2nd starter? One word — money. The Reds had a $73 million dollar payroll last season, and reports are that they want to stay steady or reduce it. The Reds have ten players under contract for 2010 at $67 million. That means the remaining 15 would have to total $6 million. It’s not going to happen. Plus, they have some good young players who will be making big bucks over the next few years — Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce — and the Reds need to save for the future.

Arroyo (left) will make $12.25 milion in 2010, with an $11 million team option or a $2 million buyout for 2011. Phillips will earn nearly $7 million next year, $11 million the next, then a $12 option or a $1 million buyout for 2012. That a guaranteed $33.25 million for the two players.  It’s money the Reds would like to save, and money the Mets can afford to spend.

The Reds would have to take back at least one lousy contract — that’s where Castillo and his $12 million come in. Combined with the small salaries they would take on from the other players,  that still leaves the Reds with a $20 million savings.  As far as those other players, Pelfrey is a proven starter (although he took a big step backwards last season) who would do well in Cincinnati. Pelfrey keeps his sinkerball down, just what the bandbox that is Great American Ballpark calls for. Arroyo, in contrast, is a flyball pitcher who would fare very well in cavernous Citi Field (by the way, I also like Aaron Harang, who makes around the same amount of money as Arroyo, but I prefer Arroyo). The Reds would want at least one more major leaguer in return, hence Parnell, who is one of the few desirable young guys the Mets have, and a couple of high level prospects.

So that’s the trade. It’s not one of those deals fans propose on message boards where the Mets trade their crap for other team’s gold (how many times have I read “Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and low level prospects for Adrian Gonzalez?”). The Mets are actually giving up quality in Pelfrey, Parnell and good prospects. In return, the Mets get two very good players their current team can no longer afford. It’s win-win for both teams. I doubt Minaya is working on this exact deal, but he’s got to be working on something big. Doesn’t he?

Well, I’ve been wrong before, and I’ll be wrong again. Let’s review. On November 6th I wrote of John Lackey:

I think there is a chance the bidding will not get as high as expected, because the Yankees and Red Sox will likely sit this one out, and with those two teams out of the bidding, the price may stay reasonable.

Then on November 16th:

I don’t think the bidding will get out-of-control. Despite media reports, I don’t think the Yankees or Red Sox will spend big for starting pitching this off-season. Both teams have enough pitching and other areas to address.

And on December 12th:

I only put $13 million for Lackey because that’s where I think he’ll end up.

Well, my ex-wife was right — I’m an idiot. Not only did the Red Sox reportedly sign Lackey on Monday, the contract is said to be 5-years, $85 million. That’s $17 million per year, a whole lot more than I thought he’d get.

If this indeed turns out to be the deal, I say the Mets made the right move not pursuing Lackey. A $17 million dollar a year pitcher should be a true ace — a Johan Santana, a C.C. Sabathia, a Roy Halladay (more on him in a moment). Lackey is a fine pitcher, and I’m not saying he won’t continue to enjoy some level of success, but he’s not in their class. In addition, Lackey has only managed to make 24 and 27 starts in 2008 and 2009 respectively because of minor injuries. The Mets don’t need that aggravation. This feels a lot like the smart decisions the Mets made when they passed on overpriced pitchers Barry Zito and Derek Lowe.

Back to Halladay, who is reportedly on his way to the Phillies. That’s bad news for the Mets, as their chief rival now has one of the best pitchers in the game. It’s not clear yet whom the Phillies will trade for Halladay, but reportedly they will send Cliff Lee to the Mariners for prospects, and then ship those prospects to the Blue Jays for Halladay. If they don’t have to send any of their own top prospects to Toronto, then Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. is brilliant. He wanted Halladay at the trading deadline, couldn’t get him, then turned to Lee, whom he got from Cleveland for lesser prospects. And now he’s turning Lee into Halladay. An excellent move.

Another Monday move that could have an impact on the Mets is that the Red Sox have reportedly signed Mike Cameron. That would seem to signal the end of the Jason Bay era in Boston. The Mets have reportedly offered Bay 4-years, $65 million. A supposed “mystery team” has offered 5 years. It’s believed the Mets could win Bay if they go to 5 years. I say shoot for the moon (now the photo makes sense) and go for it. Just like they had to overpay and go longer for Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Billy Wagner, they’ll have to do the same for Bay. He’s certainly not the best slugger in the game, and his numbers will suffer in Citi Field as opposed to Fenway Park, but he’s very good, the best player the Mets can hope to get. Matt Holliday would be better, but they Mets will not spend the money it would take to get him.

Just sign Bay, and then concentrate on the starting rotation, which is still 2 pitchers short of respectability.

Many Mets fans are sitting on Santa’s lap this Christmas season (left, just an excuse to use the photo in all of its full-sized glory), asking for a power hitting left fielder, and two new starting pitchers, one of them a true number 2. I don’t know how much pull Mr. Claus has with the Wilpons and Omar Minaya, but it says here the Mets can deliver on this Christmas wish without busting their budget.

We keep hearing the Mets don’t want to go above last year’s $145 million payroll. And we keep hearing the Mets can only sign one of the big three free agents — Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and John Lackey. But here’s a possible 2010 roster with two of them, as well as one of the second-tier free agent pitchers. I estimated on some of the salaries, but I think they will pretty much be in line with the final number:

Johan Santana–$21 million
John Lackey–$13 million (estimate)
Jason Marquis/Joel Pineiro/Jon Garland–$5 million (est.)
Mike Pelfrey–$500,000
John Maine–$2.5 million (est.)

Francisco Rodriguez–$11.5 million
Pedro Feliciano–$2 million (est.)
Bobby Parnell–$500,000 (est.)
Brian Stokes–$500,000 (est.)
Sean Green–$500,000 (est.)
Pat Misch–$500,000 (est.)
Oliver Perez–$12 million

Bengie Molina–$6 million (est.)
Henry Blanco–$750,000

Daniel Murphy–$500,000 (est.)
Luis Castillo–$6 million
Jose Reyes–$9 million
David Wright–$10 million
Joey Cora–$2 million
Backup infielder–$500,000 (est.)

Carlos Beltran–$18.5 million
Jeff Francoeur–$4 million (est.)
Jason Bay–$16 million (est.)
Angel Pagan–$1 million (est.)
Backup outfielder–$1 million (est.)
Total: $144.750 million

A few notes about my estimates:
 – I only put $13 million for Lackey because that’s where I think he’ll end up. He’s not a true ace, and I think this is appropriate.
– Even though they’re asking for more right now, I think the Mets will nab one of the second-tier starters for around $5 million.
– The Mets will have an open competition for the 5th starter spot, and I predict Maine will win it. That leaves Perez a $12 million long man out of the bullpen.
– The final infield and outfield spots, and a couple of bullpen guys, are up for grabs, but that’s how I see their payroll slots.

So for pretty much the same payroll as last year, the Mets have a much better pitching staff, and more pop in the lineup. With a healthy Beltran and Reyes, and a hopeful return of David Wright’s power, the Mets could have a lineup that stacks up with any other team in baseball. And, if they can somehow deal Luis Castillo and not take on a huge contract in return, they can sign Orlando Hudson for around $8 million per year and still keep the payroll in line. This is not a dream team by any means, but it is realistic and doable. This roster could easily compete and win in 2010 — not a bad Christmas gift for us long suffering Mets fans.

So the winter meetings were not a total loss. The Mets signed Mike Hessman and Clint Evers. I’ll give you a moment to catch your breath…

…has your excitement died down yet? But seriously, was that the quietest winter meetings for the Mets ever? Not only didn’t they do anything except signing two career minor leaguers, they weren’t even linked to any interesting rumors. The Mets inquired about pitcher Edwin Jackson before the Tigers sent him to the Diamondbacks in the three-team trade that netted the Yankees Curtis Granderson, but Omar Minaya admitted Detroit didn’t like any of the Mets prospects. And that’s about it, at least that we know about.

But word came out Thursday afternoon that the Mets had made offers to Jason Bay and Bengie Molina. The Mets hope to get Molina for 2 years at around $12 million. That seems doable. But before you get excited about the Bay offer, it was reported it was at or a little above the  4-year, $60 million deal Bay turned down from the Red Sox. So is this a starting point for the Mets, or just a way of saying, “hey fans, we made the guy an offer and he turned us down, so don’t be made at us. We tried?”

In his story on the offers in the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes:

The Mets currently find the second-level of talent both unappetizing and overpriced. So they figure why not make sure they cannot land one of the holy trinity of free agents from this tepid class – Bay, Matt Holliday or John Lackey – before accepting an inferior product?…

If the Mets landed Bay they would then try to make the best deal with a second-tier free agent starter from among Doug Davis, Jon Garland, Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro. If Bay goes elsewhere, the Mets will turn strongly toward Lackey for the same reason they like Bay: He is far superior to that second tier.

And this, in a nutshell, is the problem with the Mets — if they can’t sign Bay (left), they’ll go after Lackey. Why not both? If the Yankees can sign C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira in the same winter, why can’t the Mets sign Bay/Holliday and Lackey? The Mets are not a small market team, but they have a small market mentality. They have money — lots of it, according to Scott Boras, the agent for Holliday and many others. “Their revenues are in the top three or four in baseball. The New York Mets have a lot of choices, and the Wilpon family is very successful. Sure, the Mets can sign any player they want to sign if they so choose to.”

Now, Boras is not the most unbiased person in the world, and his comments, as always, are designed to drive up the prices of his clients. But what he said is true — the Mets can sign whomever they want. They only have to decide if they want to spend the money.

It’s easy to forget the Mets had the second highest payroll last season at a whopping $145 million. So the Mets clearly are not cheap. But why does it seem that way? Maybe it’s because they lowball the players they should be paying, and overpay the ones with whom they shouldn’t bother. In short, they don’t spend their money wisely.

Let’s look at last season’s payroll. $10 million of it wasn’t their fault — that money went to an injured Billy Wagner. But they paid J.J. Putz nearly $7 million to be a set-up guy. That’s a lot of money for the 8th inning. But Omar Minaya identified the bullpen as the main culprit of the 2008 collapse, and he set out to improve it. He took a chance on Putz, overpaying for a year in which he thought the team would be a contender. The move didn’t work, but Minaya can hardly be blamed.

Of course, he can be blamed for giving Oliver Perez $12 million, Luis Castillo $6 million, $2 million or so each for Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez, and $5 million for Brian Schneider. Carlos Delgado’s $12 million was also questionable, the classic example of getting rid of a player one year too late instead of one year too early.

That’s a whole lot of wasted money that could have been better spent. You can look at so many other teams with more talent than the Mets and much lower payrolls, and ask, “how do they do it?”  They do it by spending intelligently. Even the Yankees, accused for decades of wild, irresponsible ways, almost always spend their money on the right players.

This can’t be blamed on Minaya — it’s been going on before he got here, and will probably be going on after he leaves, which could be very soon if the Mets get off to a slow start. The blame has to go to the Wilpons. As owners, Fred, and now son Jeff, have the final say on all matters. And their final say has not produced much in the way of winning.

This is the the first of what I hope will be a series of interviews with current and former Mets.

Ron Swoboda came up with the Mets in 1965, and endured four losing seasons before they put it all together to become the Miracle Mets of 1969. Swoboda, of course, will always hold a special place in Mets history, and in the hearts of fans, for his defensive heroics in Game 4 of that World Series. In an exchange of emails, Swoboda talks about his famous catch, what it was like to play for Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges, as well as a session with an unlikely “coach” that led to one of the greatest offensive games of his career.

Blogging Mets: You are of course beloved by Mets fans for “The Catch” in the 1969 World Series. What are you doing to mark the 40h anniversary of The Catch?
Ron Swoboda: On the 40th anniversary of THE CATCH I helped organize a memorabilia piece. It’s a limited edition photo of the full layout shot from the Daily News, signed by me and Brooks Robinson and accessible at www.nydailynews.com/catch.

It’s been called one of the greatest catches in Mets and baseball history. How do you think it ranks up?
As far as where it ranks amongst all the great World Series plays? I wouldn’t hazard a guess.  I know that full layout on the backhand with the ball nuzzling into the web of my glove is about all the play I could make on that particular ball. 

You are also part of Mets lore for hitting two two-run homers against Steve Carlton in a game in which he struck out 19 Mets, but lost 4-3, during the amazing 1969 run. What are your recollections of that game?
I know that I didn’t hit Carlton particularly well.  And I was struggling, as happened often in my career.  But St. Louis had one of the few batting cages out beyond the leftfield wall and I asked Ralph Kiner, the Hall of Famer and Met broadcaster if he would come out there before a game and feed me some balls through the pitching machine and simply look at me and see if he could fix something.  And that’s what we did.  It was just a good session and I came away feeling much better about myself, at least in the short term. 

And that’s how I faced Carlton — with him striking me out the first time while the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead.  The second time up, I had two strikes on me when I hit a fastball into the upper stands in left with Tommie Agee on to give us a 2-1 lead.  The Cards went up 3-2 and Carlton K’ed me again as part of what would be a major league record 19 strikeouts.  But I hit a slider in with two strikes on me just over the leftfield wall with Agee aboard again and we won it 4-3.

I think I had three base hits off Carlton in my entire career.  And yet we beat him in this most important game in one of the best starts of his career with the Cards.  I think later when Steve started practicing Taikwondo while with the Phillies, he didn’t let guys like me, who shouldn’t really be a problem, beat him.

You played for and with some legends of the game — Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan. What are your memories of them?
Of all the people I’ve been around in baseball, Casey Stengel was the most amazing.  He was a living legend.  His mind was incredible. He could quote numbers and situations from 50 years ago that were right on the money.  He seemed to hold all of baseball within his brain.  He gave me my first opportunity to go out and play.  He always said, “You can’t learn how to hit those guys sitting on the bench.”  He knew because he was a rightfielder who just needed a chance when he came up in 1912. 

Gil Hodges should be in the Hall of Fame.  It does seem that his playing stats and his managerial stats each fall a bit short of what people thing are Hall of Fame quality, but together — and that’s important to understand — as a player/ manager he’s a no brainer for the Hall.  He had the most interesting mind — sharp, fast and sure.  He would do novel things that you understood immediately.  As good a manager as there was, ever.

Tom Seaver came into the majors with Hall of Fame stuff and just needed to accumulate Hall of Fame stats.  He had it all — velocity, movement, command and a real solid idea how to use all his stuff.  Look it up — the man did not have an ERA over 3.00 for the first ten years of his career and never missed a start. 

Nolan Ryan had the kind of big stuff, monster fastball and heart breaking curve that were eventually going to win for him.  I think moving to the AL helped him because the strike zone was higher there back then because the umps still used the outside blowup chest protector and worked looking straight over the catchers head.  So their perspective on the zone was higher and so were their strikes.  Nolan was better early on with a higher zone as a high fastball pitcher.  Later, he could pitch to any zone. 

You played at Shea Stadium when it was brand new, when it was a far cry from the building it aged into 40+ years later. What was it like back then, and were you sorry to see it torn down?
I will always miss Shea Stadium for lots of reasons.  But architecture is not one of them.  The architecture of Shea was the fans.  And if I need to revisit the place I have games 4 and 5 of the 69 World Series on DVD and can crank them up when I want to see Shea as it was in the old days before every visible surface was used for advertising.  Plus, I knew Bill Shea, who it was named for.  He was a very powerful attorney who was a prime mover in helping NL baseball get back to NY.  He was also a wonderful guy and a great baseball fan and fun to sit at a game with, which I was privileged to do a couple of times.

Do you get to many Mets games nowadays?
I get to NY as often as possible and love the new Citi Field.  But it’s dimensions are way too large and they need to shorten the outfield fences a bit.  The rest of it is incredible. 

What kind of fan reaction do you get?
When fans recognize me they are generally pretty kind.  If you notice behind the “right field” sign for that entrance to Citi Field (left) is the black silhouette of someone diving to their left, in full layout position.  It is THE CATCH.  I am deeply proud of that. 

You finished off your career with the Yankees. Did you have mixed feelings about playing with the crosstown rivals?
I played for the Yankees two and a half seasons and today have no real connection to the team.  My history is as a Met and always will be.  I was with the Yanks at one of their low points and did nothing to change that.  I loved playing in old Yankee Stadium.  It reeked of memory with the monuments in center field.  But I added nothing to their glorious history.

Other than “The Catch” (presumably), what is your favorite Mets memory?
The cumulative memories of coming to the Mets and playing for Casey Stengel and losing many games and lasting long enough to walk away knowing that I had contributed something useful to a World Series Championship is the journey I would wish to every young kid good enough to get their shot as a professional player.  Period, end of story.

Visit the official Ron Swoboda website for more information and memorabilia.

According to reports, the Mets have signed catcher Henry Blanco to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. This signing puzzles me.  The Mets have made it clear Blanco would be a back-up, and that they are still pursuing a starting catcher. Bengie Molina is the name most prominently mentioned. But why spend a million and a half bucks on Blanco when Omir Santos proved himself to be a competent back-up, and would come at a third of the price?

The Mets are alleged to be cash-strapped because of Bernie Madoff, yet they sign Blanco (left), and re-sign Alex Cora to a $2 million contract when a cheaper back-up infielder could easily have been had. This leads me to believe the Mets are doing just fine financially. Maybe reports that they pulled their original invesment (and then some) from their Madoff account may be true after all.

Or maybe Omar Minaya is working on something big, and Santos or Josh Thole will be part of a major trade, thus the need for Blanco and Chris Coste.

Or maybe, just maybe, Minaya is using his failed formula from last year. In case you forgot, he spent a couple of million dollars here, a couple of million dollars there, on retread pitchers like Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding, when he could have pooled that money and spent it on one good pitcher like Jon Garland or Randy Wolf.

So assuming the Mets have money to spend, it will be very disappointing if they can’t land at least one of the top free agents, like John Lackey or Matt Holliday, or trade for a big-ticket player like Adrian Gonzalez. It’s going to be an interesting couple of months.