On January 13, 1964, Bob Dylan released an album, “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Dylan wrote this 51 years ago, but it perfectly describes the New York Mets this offseason. Coming into 2016, every Mets fan had high hopes. With a World Series appearance in 2015 and a young, talented pitching staff, the “Amazins” were primed to make a run at the NL East title for the next 3-5 years. Obviously, that has not happened.
Going into Sunday’s game with the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets had a record of 61-62 and were 5.5 games behind in the Wild Card race. To be frank, this season has been a huge disappointment. With that in mind, all hope is not lost. Here are 5 changes the Mets need to make so they can turn things around before the start of Spring Training.
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1) Fire Terry Collins and the entire coaching staff. I thought the Mets should have let Collins go last year. The team carried their manager to the World Series, not the other way around. We have seen this before in sports; LeBron James got to the finals despite playing for incompetent coaches like David Blatt and Mike Brown. Peyton Manning went to the Super Bowl despite having Jim Caldwell as his coach. In 12 years as a manager, the Mets skipper has a career record of 898-912. (He has only had a winning record 4 times). Collins appears to be a good man and players really like him, but it is time for a new voice. His game-to-game decisions have been atrocious and the team plays uninspired, undisciplined baseball. My first choice would be AAA Manager Wally Backman. If they don’t go with their minor league coach, they should get someone off the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians staff. Any member of the Joe Maddon or Terry Francona coaching tree would be an absolute upgrade.
2) Move away from David Wright. The New York Mets owe David Wright about $17.5 million per year. He becomes a free agent in 2021. This might be one of the worst contracts in baseball history. Over the past 4 seasons, Wright has played in 112, 134, 38, and 37 games. After having two major surgeries, his playing career is just about over. He can’t play the field and the National League doesn’t have a designated hitter. There is no room for Wright to be an every day player on a championship team.
3) Re-sign Bartolo Colon. At 43-years-old, Colon is an absolute workhorse for the Mets. He is the perfect 4th or 5th starter. Over the past three seasons, he has started 31, 32 and 26 games. The man they call “Big Sexy” deserves one more contract.
4) Trade Matt Harvey. “The Dark Knight” has been anything but intimidating on the mound. He struggled big time this year, compiling a record of 4-10 with a 4.86 ERA. If the Mets shop him around, they can get a draft pick or a veteran hitter.
5) Re-sign Yoenis Cespedes at the right price. Cespedes will opt out of his contract this year. The Mets should offer him a 3-year deal worth about $70 million. At 30-years-old, he is in his prime and can be the cleanup hitter for years to come. After losing Daniel Murphy last year, the Mets can’t afford to let another slugger get away.
“The Times They Are A-Changin,” Mets fans, and that is very good news for 2017.
For more from Monte Perez, follow The Sports Whisperer on Twitter @Montetjwitter11.
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