Omar To Mets: Now It's Your Turn

By Stefi Kaplan
Posted Monday, February 4, 2008

So here we are. With pitchers and catchers reporting in just ten short days, 2008 is ready to begin. And the emotions of Mets fans right now bear no resemblance those at the start of the 2007 season. Absolutely none.

2007. At this time last year, the Mets were still riding high from what was a largely successful season. Yes, they failed to reach the ultimate goal, but most people were willing to look past that because the season was so dominant, so impressive and so out of nowhere (compare 2006 to 2005). The fans were excited about 2007 because they felt that the Mets were good enough to get there again and while most fans wanted the team to improve over the offseason, there was an overwhelming sense that the team was “good enough” to get there again. (Of course, “good enough” is a relative term, as no Mets team will ever be “good enough” in New York terms.)

2008. This year, we as fans are still reeling from The Collapse, an event that may take years for us to get over, if we ever do. We can’t erase history, no matter how good the Mets are going forward. Unfortunately, the 25 men on the major league roster last year will forever be linked to The Collapse. If Shawn Green retires, his last memory of playing baseball will be in September 2007. And even for those players who are young and will continue to play for the next 10+ years, until they win a World Series championship, The Collapse is their legacy. Sad but true.

2007: Actually, the 2007 season as a whole was not that different from 2006, but fan expectations were entirely different. In 2006, the fans expected 2005 and instead got a magical team that was exciting to watch and did everything right. A lot of players came out of nowhere to spark the team to success. In 2007, the fans expected 2006 and I think the team did as well. Expecting magic like that will almost certainly lead to disappointment. And disappointment there was. So now, this offseason, the fans were looking for something big, huge, mammoth to forget about the past.

Omar followed suit last offseason by adding only a few small but necessary pieces to the team. While he certainly sought after the big piece (Barry Zito), he eventually scoffed at the ridiculous price tag and served more as a means of increasing the price for the Giants than as a serious contender. Of course, Omar was chastised for letting Barry go because we are in New York, but in reality, that was exactly what he should have done. The Mets were close enough to demonstrating sheer NL dominance in 2006 and there was little reason to think they needed someone like Barry Zito to get there again.

Instead, Omar added guys like Moises Alou, a solid hitter in the middle of the lineup, and Damion Easley, an excellent bench player. Unfortunately, both were injured midway through the season and neither contributed for a full season, but both added a lot while healthy. Meanwhile, Moises Alou tried to singlehandedly will the Mets out of the slump in September with an incredible hitting streak. Imagine what September would have been without him. There were a few that predicted the Phillies to win the East last year because the Mets didn't do enough last offseason, so arguably the pressure was on them, especially after Rollins ran his mouth.

2008: This offseason, Omar had much, much more work to do. Fan confidence was at an all-time low and ticket prices increased. This will be the last season at Shea, a perfect time for some magic to return to the Mets, but few believe that this team can bounce back from The Collapse in such a meaningful way. Fans everywhere were calling for a complete overhaul from top to bottom, organization to the players.

Omar somehow remained calm. He vouched for his manager and put his own job on the line by linking his and his manager’s success. And then he went out and executed his private plan – a plan which to the fans seemed all random – but we know Omar is smarter than that.

Omar’s plan started and ended with Johan Santana, and now that Omar has landed his man, his offseason is a complete success. But let’s not downplay his other moves as well. Taking care of the offense in advance was crucial so that he could focus on the big pitcher. Had he not make all of his November deals at that time, he would have had to pull out of the Santana sweepstakes to make sure that he did not lose out on some other players. As it stood, Omar played his cards perfectly: he wrapped up second base, catcher, outfield, bullpen and bench players so that he could focus his attention to Johan. And if the Johan plan fell through, Omar still would have left his team in a good position, because many starting pitchers were still waiting on Johan’s fate.

It’s tough to argue Omar did anything wrong this offseason. He has improved the team exponentially and sacrificed fairly little. Even if you are still bitter about losing Lastings Milledge, in the wake of the Mitchell Report and Lo Duca’s injury, it is tough to argue you would rather have had LoDuca than Brian Schneider. The more I think about that trade, the more I like it, especially for what Schneider can bring to guys like Maine, Perez and Pelfrey. I like Milledge, but I have to admit he made me incredibly nervous in the outfield and on the basepaths. And once he started getting only breaking balls, it was clear he was not quite ready. Unfortunately, the Mets did not have the luxury of waiting on him and his stock was plummeting.

Omar must have done something right. Even though New Yorkers still have a bad taste in their mouths from The Collapse, Johan wanted to be a New York Met. Somehow, Omar argued his way from a position of desperation to one of strength, parting with comparatively little to gain the Best Pitcher in Baseball. Omar is a smart GM, there is no doubt about it. And if there is one guy who can get this franchise back on track after The Collapse, I do believe he is that guy.

Omar has done his job. Now it’s all on the players. By having a successful offseason, Omar has put all the pressure back on his team. He has made them the favorites on paper even though they won nothing this year. I think the division is going to be very close this year, but it will be interesting to see how the team handles the pressure this time around. Something tells me they won’t be getting too comfortable even if they are in first place in September. And that could be exactly what leads them to a World Series Championship.