It's time to start building

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com

I'm a patient person, but I'm starting to lose it.

Look, I acknowledge the challenge Sandy Alderson walked in to roughly two years ago. I knew then and know now that it would not be fixed overnight. But, two years later, not only do I see a lower payroll, I see less talent and more losses. The way things have been going, by the end of next month, they'll almost certainly be in last place and possibly ending their worst season since 2003. The thing is, while I can accept the losing, I'm furious about the poor fundamentals, lack of hitting and general sense of lethargy I'm seeing. Alderson and Terry Collins vowed that this type of baseball would end under their watch, and so far that hasn't happened.

Worse, I hear Collins essentially excusing this behavior in his post-game comments. I'm not saying he needs to go berserk every night, but (at this point in the season) considering they've lost 30 of their last 42 games) I'd like to hear and see him hold his players and himself more accountable. Because, right now, it looks like either he lost the team or he's lost a sense of himself.

There are players on this team who look too comfortable being in fourth place. They look like they're just happy to be here. I know people will say 'swagger,' and, 'grit,' and attitude are all a by-product of winning, and I think that's true. But, I also think you can tell a lot about a person by how they respond during tough times. And, right now, I see some players who look defeated, apathetic and uninspired. I'm not foolishly suggesting that with better attitudes or more hustle that the Mets would have a better record. Ultimately, talent rules. However, I am saying that by having less hustle ' and what seems to be a careless attitude now ' it doesn't bode well for the next time things get tough for these people, perhaps (someday) in the middle of a pennant race. In other words, if Alderson and Collins intended on changing the team culture, they probably need to take another look at the team'

The point is, as Alderson told WFAN earlier this week, the Mets need an infusion of productive players. The way I see it, looking at the current 25-man roster, only RA Dickey, Matt Harvey, David Wright and Ruben Tejada should be guaranteed spots on next year's team' the rest can all be debated. Alderson is also right when he says a new roster must be built in trades. There is lots and lots of talk in media and among fans about 'spending money,' but it's talked about in such a nebulous, idealistic way' as if dropping $150 million new dollars out the window will magically bring an All-Star Team to St. Lucie next Spring. It's not that easy, even if you print money and have no budget. You can only spend on what's available, and the free-agent market is average at best. Impact players will only be had by negotiating with other teams, and I have no idea what type of assets Alderson is working with these days (especially since I just said the majority of his roster is questionable).

I'm not the GM, though. I'm a fan. And, what I know is that it's time to make moves. It has to be. Mets fans are shockingly patient and tolerant, but only to a point. Alderson had two years to rip the house down, which he's done. He's had two years to evaluate and develop talent and take stock in what he has to work with. He's had two years to create a new infrastructure and shed bad contracts (with one, maybe two more to go). He's had two years to let it bleed, and let us anticipate, and imagine, and be patient, which I think we've done rather well considering the soap opera we were forced to root for in the four seasons prior to his arrival. He's done his due diligence and demolition, this off season it's time to start building.