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Thank you for a great post that highlights something I also saw as a major problem for the Mets this season. While most of the discussion of the Mets' failure this season will focus on the torrid time had by the bullpen after Billy Wagner went down with an injury, I think the offense kept too many games close enough for the bullpen to be put under pressure and blow the game. When you look at their lineup, the Mets look like a time that should rarely struggle to score runs. Yet, throughout the course of the season the fact that the Mets never overcame a four-run deficit shows that the offense might be prone to just give up or disappear some games. I agree that David Wright's struggles with runners in scoring position were a huge part of this. In the last week of the season alone, it seemed like every time Wright had the chance to make an impact he was a non-factor at the plate. This was hugely disappointing after he put up numbers through the season that could have gained him a few votes in the MVP race.
I like your idea about the sports psychologist. Look at Wright when he is happy and relaxed: he's all smiles, flashy handshakes with Jose Reyes (pictured to the left), huge numbers and Met wins. What concerns me most is that next year, with two consecutive September collapses on their minds, will Wright and the Mets offense disappear entirely? Also, do you see the Mets entering the Sabathia race? Do you think they will make a strong attempt to sign K-Rod? Do you think Minaya deserves his extension?
Thank you Buster this is a very interesting post for those of us without teams playing ball in October. As a Mets fan, the only things I have to look forward to is a new stadium and potential free-agent signings. As I maintain a blog about contracts, trades and statistics, your post served me very well. I think your first thought is very interesting because it shows how baseball's economy works in relation to the nation's. In recent years
contracts have skyrocketed in value and an economic recession could play a large part in reducing the number of overpaid players. With Sabathia (pictured to the right), do you see him making whatever team he decides to play for favorites to reach the World Series? With seemingly only contenders vying for his services and seeing what he has done for Milwaukee in the past nine days let alone the past few months, he seems like he could be a real difference maker in '09. Since "the market for starting pitching, in general, is going to be better than expected" do you see a decline in $10 million contracts being given to mediocre starters? Something else I was hoping to find in your post was a discussion of young players that may be ready to make some sort of an impact, the Soto's and the Longoria's of next year and also, who you feel the biggest impact bat will be this offseason. As a resident of Los Angeles, I am curious as to what the future of Manny Ramirez will be.
