CITI BANKING:Giving a contract extension to David Wright (above) would be a shrewd use of the money the Mets did not spend on departed free agent Jose Reyes, a move in the pattern of the depth-building spending the Cardinals did after Albert Pujols. (Reuters (inset); Neil Miller)
I was chatting with a general manager recently who, unsolicited, said, “The Cardinals are a good organization.”
And Jose Reyes returned to Citi Field last night.
Let’s see if I can connect those dots.
The Cardinals won the World Series last year without a pitch from ace Adam Wainwright, who underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the season. This season they are arguably the best team in the NL despite losing their iconic player, Albert Pujols, manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan; plus Chris Carpenter — Wainwright’s ace fill-in last year — has been out since the start of the year with a shoulder ailment.
But, as the GM said, “the Cardinals are a good organization.” St. Louis has a winning culture that has survived the exits of La Russa and Pujols. And the front office has found answers. They used money not spent on Pujols — so much more vital to Cardinal history than Reyes is to the Mets’ lore — to extend catcher Yadier Molina, re-up first baseman Lance Berkman and shortstop Rafael Furcal and import right fielder Carlos Beltran. Their farm system has delivered, among others, David Freese, Jon Jay, Jason Motte and Lance Lynn, whose spectacular transition from the pen to the rotation has helped the Cardinals compensate for Carpenter’s absence and Wainwright’s early struggles.
“To have sustained success, it is about being deep in all areas,” St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said by phone yesterday. “So you are not reliant on any one person or one area of strength.”
The Mets, for too long, have had tunnel vision in addressing needs while ignoring overall organizational depth, a philosophy that hurts them more today than the absence of Reyes.
They determined their 2007 collapse was due to lack of starting pitching and added Johan Santana. It was the bullpen’s fault in 2008, so Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz were obtained. It was lack of power in 2009, and that is how Jason Bay became a Met.
Yes, Omar Minaya’s farm system has proven more fertile than initially thought. Still, the Mets have been woefully under-supplied to weather a 162-game season. This is how Miguel Batista ends up the sixth starter and the losses of Bay and Mike Pelfrey feel more gut-wrenching then they should.
That is not just Minaya’s fault any more. Sandy Alderson, in Year 2 as GM, used what little funds were allocated to concentrate on healing the bullpen. Sound familiar?
But Alderson’s administration is still in its infancy. This front office is going to be judged if — like the Cardinals — it can build something strong and diverse enough to withstand any absence. A huge part of that is what happens post-Reyes.
Remember, the Mets quietly floated a five-year, $90 million “concept” to Reyes, who instead took six years at $106 million from the Marlins. Thus, the Mets were willing to pay Reyes roughly $18 million annually through 2016. Will the still-strapped ownership allow baseball operations to spend that dough?
Look, the Mets might not have $140 million-ish payrolls again in the near future. But they should at least be in the Cardinals’ $110 million range — and soon.
One immediate gift left over from Minaya regime is Ruben Tejada looks like a cost-effective shortstop. He is not Reyes, but he seems capable of a .350-plus on-base percentage, 45-plus extra-base hits, heady overall play and something just shy of Gold Glove defense. So they don’t have to spend there.
Could they use the money saved on Reyes to extend David Wright, especially since most of a new pact would coincide with the dollar-freeing departures of Santana and Bay (who was signed by the Mets the same winter the Cardinals signed Matt Holliday)? Can the Mets diversify on multiple pieces so as to truly — finally — address their depth problems?
“It might be premature to say we are managing this [Pujols’ departure, particularly] flawlessly,” Mozeliak said. “But the essence of any successful organization is that they are not reliant on one particular person to be successful.”
GM: Phil not dire like Jair
Last July, Jair Jurrjens led the NL in wins and ERA and made his first All-Star Game. Since then he has been steadily sliding to the point where the Braves demoted him to the minors yesterday with a 9.37 ERA.
Francisco Liriano has the worst ERA (11.02) in the majors (minimum three starts), and the Twins announced they are skipping a start by the pitcher they hoped would be their ace.
Both are in their 20s, just like the struggling Clay Buchholz and Ubaldo Jimenez. And just like Phil Hughes, who starts tonight in Texas for the Yankees. One moment you are a future ace who could be used as the key to acquire a star and the next — still in what should be your prime — the magic and your value seem all but gone.
But when I asked if Hughes’ poor start (6.75 ERA) has him contemplating demoting him like Jurrjens or skipping him like Liriano, Brian Cashman remained the righty’s staunchest ally. Instead, the Yankees general manager read a list of starters with horrible ERAs, such as Tim Lincecum, Adam Wainwright, Mat Latos and Jon Lester. He also noted Hughes was sandwiched in ERA between Justin Masterson (6.65) and Ervin Santana (6.75). His point was it is early. Good pitchers will rise, and he still believes Hughes is good.
“Based on the list, he is in pretty good company,” Cashman said. “I think his stuff has been better than the results. The bottom line is he has to pitch better over time, and I think he will. What we have seen so far, I don’t think means [jack]. I’m not going to overreact to it.”
Melk-man has delivered
You Know who has become a pretty darn good player over the past two years?
Melky Cabrera.
The former Yankee, now the Giants’ left fielder, had 220 hits since the beginning of the 2011 season, which was fifth-most in the majors behind Michael Young, Starlin Castro, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp. Or, to show how impressive 220 hits is, it is 15 more than his pal, hit machine Robinson Cano.