MLB: Hibernating Mets Could be in Trouble in 2001

A disappointing end to a wonderful season left the New York Mets and their fans wondering what might have been. A familiar mantra was heard, one that fans from a long departed New York team used to say, “Wait ‘till next year.”

However, the sting of a World Series loss to the cross-town Yankees was tempered, albeit slightly, by the fact that the deepest and arguably the best free-agent pool lay ahead.

This offseason was slated to be a wonderful winter for the Amazin’s. Though they were the runners-up to the Yankees for the title as baseball’s, and New York’s best team, the Mets were still the 2000 National League Champions. Any negative remnants from the Mets teams of the early ‘90s was long gone, as the boys from Flushing returned to the World Series for the first time in 14 years.

Even more intriguing for Mets fans, arguably the greatest player in the game today wanted to help them do it again in 2001.

Alex Rodriguez, born in New York City and best friends with Yankees' superstar Derek Jeter, was candid about his future whenever answering questions regarding his free agency. Though he never directly said so, most people believed, and anonymous sources confirmed, that Rodriguez wanted to be a Met. For the past two years, rumors of Rodriguez manning the left side of the infield at Shea Stadium were rampant.

From the management on down to the fans, the excitement surrounding the day when A-Rod would become a Met reached a crescendo when he was seen at Game 4 of the World Series in Flushing, perhaps surveying his future home. However, somewhere between that October night and the middle of November, the marriage that had been seen as an almost foregone conclusion, disintegrated before the very eyes of the Mets and their faithful.

According to Mets general manager Steve Phillips, the outrageous demands made by Rodriguez’s agent, Scott Boras, were too much to consider. Not only was Rodriguez demanding an annual salary of over $20 million, but according to Phillips, Boras demanded other perks in the contract as well. A private jet, an office at Shea Stadium, a tent selling A-Rod collectibles at the Mets spring training site in Port St. Lucie, FL, and billboards across the city were a few of the items Phillips said were mentioned.

Phillips stated that, “The 24 plus one man structure really doesn’t work....I don’t think you can give different rules and separate one player from the rest of the team.”

Mets officials said Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon became extremely upset when informed of Rodriguez’s demands and ordered Phillips to stop the pursuit of the prized free agent right away. Boras vehemently denied Phillips’ allegations, yet the Mets front office had made their decision: no A-Rod, no matter what. In one day, the Mets took themselves out of the running for the most coveted player since free agency was instituted in 1975.

Bowing out of the A-Rod sweepstakes, the Mets turned their focus to pitching, namely trying to re-sign ace lefthander Mike Hampton. While attempts to land other free agents Mike Mussina, Denny Neagle, and Darren Dreifort failed, the Mets did solve several potential problems by coming to terms with three of their own free agent pitchers, John Franco, Turk Wendell, and Rick Reed. However, the one pitcher they wanted, and by most expert’s opinions needed the most, Mike Hampton, took his 15 wins and headed west to Denver, with a new eight-year, $121 million contract from the Colorado Rockies.

Fast forward to December 11, and the Mets, because of their failure to keep Hampton and their steadfast refusal to negotiate with Rodriguez, were forced to work quickly, and possibly foolishly. They rounded out their pitching rotation by overspending on 33 year-old Kevin Appier, formerly of the Oakland Athletics, signing him to a four-year, $42 million deal and by inking Steve Trachsel, a pitcher with a 68-84 career record with the Cubs, Devil Rays, and Blue Jays, to a $7 million, two year contract. Appier went 15-11 with a 4.52 ERA last year with the AL West Champion A’s while Trachsel split his season between Tampa Bay and Toronto, sporting an 8-15 record and an ERA of 4.80.

Perhaps Appier will benefit from a move to the National League, and with the Mets top-flight bullpen, he can be kept fresh over the entire season. If he duplicates the season he had last year, the contract given by the Mets will be a relative bargain. However, the Mets rotation is aging, and assuming pitchers like Leiter and Reed contiue to produce at the same level is getting riskier by the day. Because they lost a pitcher entering the prime of his career in Mike Hampton, who had the perfect mentality to succeed in New York, there will be many questions regarding the state of the 2001 New York Mets.

While legitimate rumors of a potential trade involving young superstar outfielder Johnny Damon of the Kansas City Royals exist, the expectations of a warm winter for the Mets and their fans is no longer a reality. The bottom line for the National League champs is that they have been shut out by every major free agent on the market.

The games of the 2001 season are played on the field, and no amount of predictions will determine what the final outcome will be. Based on paper, the Mets will most likely be competitive in the National League East and will vie for a playoff spot. However, for a team that was battling the Yankees for the World Series Championship less than two months ago, the excitement and euphoria of an exciting season and an intriguing offseason is all but gone. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that the Mets didn’t deliver $252 million to A-Rod, as it will free up money for other needs. However, the expectation for New York to make a big splash in the free agent market had been around since the start of the season. By not doing so, the Mets have guaranteed themselves an offseason of intense scrutiny and questioning.

It’s been cold in the New York City area for several weeks now, and for the Mets and their fans, the temperature won’t be rising anytime soon.