Breaking up is hard to do - Part 1

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The realist in me tells me that the season is over (although I'd be lying if I said I don't check the Braves score every night to see if the Mets gained or lost any ground in the wildcard.)  While I enjoy watching this Mets team battle every night despite the fact that they probably aren't going to make the playoffs, I still like to think about the next year or two and what the team will look like then.  After all, phase one of this new regime is undoing the Omar mess.  Once Castillo, Perez, and K-Rod officially come off the books (and assuming Beltran doesn't get resigned), then Sandy and the rest need to shape this team into a contender.  So that leaves us to wonder:

Who exactly is going to be on this Mets team?


Well, there are definitely two that I can think of that shouldn't be on this team next year.

1) Mike Pelfrey 

Listen, I like Pelfrey, I really do.  For years it was that he was young and had to mature.  Then last year he started the year off to a ridiculous 10-1 start, and everyone was hopeful that he had arrived.  But since then it's been the same old Pelfrey.  He's not built to pitch for the Mets, and I can break it down into 2 major points:

1) John Maine Syndrome
Remember when John Maine was going to be a 20 game winner?  He had a rising fastball that topped off at 95 MPH and the future looked bright?

And then all he did was look like a deer caught in the headlights?

I know Maine got hurt and Pelfrey hasn't yet, but towards the tail end of Maine's career it would take 30 pitches just to get out of an inning.  He lost that velocity and power to put hitters away.  But Pelfrey didn't get hurt, at least not physically, and it still takes him 30 pitches to get through an inning.  This brings me to point #2.

2) Pelfrey is pitching like a little bitch.  Still.
I write this understanding that he's 6'7" and enormous, but that's the point.  He should be nasty, but he pitches like he's suffering with some kind of anemia (which let's face it, on the Mets it's a significant possibility.)

But everything he does just says pansy.  It's in his disposition on the mound, in his early days with the fumbling of the mouthguard, and I swear to God this should be the music that plays when he hits the mound:

It's not quite Enter Sandman or Hells Bells, but I think it's equally as appropriate given how Pelf pitches these days.

But let's be real.  Santana is coming back, and even with his fastball topping off at 90mph, he's clearly getting a spot in the rotation.  And next year?  Matt Harvey and Jenrry Mejia are going to be fighting for a spot.  Capuano, Dickey, and Niese have been basically consistent all year and clearly pitched with more dominance than Pelfrey.  I just don't see a future for him with this club.  I was kind of hoping that when Wright came back things would get better for him.  Here, put this on and then read the dialogue I saw happening in my head:

David: I've missed you, Pelfy-Bear
Pelf: I've missed you more, David
David: We need you to man up and pitch like we know you can Pelfy
Pelf: (tears come gushing down) I know!  Just with you gone and not traveling with me day to day I felt like a piece of me was just dead on the inside.  But now that you're back I know that I can get my velocity back!
Cue 5 minutes of hugging, cuddling, and intermittent slaps on the rear.


***Fin***


I think Pelf can be successful in the Major Leagues, just not in New York.  Trade him to Kansas City, Milwaukee, or a smaller market team and I think he'll thrive.  The pressure of this city just isn't for everyone.

2) Jason Bay

Dude, it's over.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but let's be real.  It's over.

What always amazes me is when people refer to Bay's tenure with the Mets as a "slump."  It's not a slump when it's ALL he does.  If you meet someone who is 450lbs and they tell you that he or she is cheating on their diet today, would you call them a dieter?

Not likely.

If Jason Bay has a week where he hits over .300, but the rest of the time bats .230, which one doesn't seem normal?

And I know that it sucks that this is costing 66 million dollars.  It could have cost 200 million dollars and my left testicle but it wouldn't change the fact that it's over!

It's called "sunk cost" my friends:
In economics and business decision-making, sunk costs are retrospective (past) costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered. Sunk costs are sometimes contrasted with prospective costs, which are future costs that may be incurred or changed if an action is taken. Both retrospective and prospective costs may be either fixed (that is, they are not dependent on the volume of economic activity, however measured) or variable (dependent on volume).


That's wiki-speak for IT'S FUCKING OVER SO LET HIM GO.  If after two years it's not getting any better, than you need to put a young kid in there whether it's Duda, or Pridie, or F-Mart and let them grow.  Or you need to use the $$ you're getting at the end of the year to pick up an outfielder.  It's just that simple.  He is a black hole in this line up, and while it sucks, that's why breaking up is hard to do.

Stay tuned for part 2, my predictions on the Mets players that people think should go, but I think should stay.

In the meantime, Let's Go Mets!!!