This past Saturday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said that a Mets official had told him the team would entertain trade offers for David Wright. He quotes an un-named team official as saying “We will listen on Wright for sure” and “We know we are not going to win it all in 2012. We have to hope the Phillies get old and we are in position to take advantage of that in 2013-14, and we have to figure out ways to speed the process to get there.”
As a diehard Mets fan these statements are almost disturbing to hear. Wright and Jose Reyes have been the two star faces of the franchise since their Major League beginnings. “Reyes” and “Wright” jerseys have consistently been the hottest sellers due to the players’ success, youth, work ethics, and their being homegrown by the Mets from the farm system all the way to “the show”.
Mets fans have no need to worry about Wright just yet however, as the team would need to see a big offer to even consider unloading the star third-baseman. As a National League executive, who has spoken with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, said, the Mets would need to be “bowled over” by an offer in order to seriously ponder a Wright trade.
Mets fans have no need to worry about Wright just yet however, as the team would need to see a big offer to even consider unloading the star third-baseman. As a National League executive, who has spoken with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, said, the Mets would need to be “bowled over” by an offer in order to seriously ponder a Wright trade.
In terms of possible suitors for Wright, two teams have come up in conversation: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (say that 5 times fast) and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Angels look like the most serious possibility in terms of a deal due to their plethora of young outfielders. The rumor of a possible deal with the Phillies, however, is quite humorous. The Phillies have apparently expressed some interest in Wright before, but the Mets would never trade him to their bitter rivals. Plus, the Phillies do not have much to offer for David at the moment.
One of the only downsides to Wright has been his decrease in power since his Shea Stadium days. Many have blamed his homerun drought on the dimensions of city field, and they definitely have a point. Wright and the entire Mets team did much better offensively and posted a better record this year in away games. They posted an away record of (43-38), and a Citi Field record of (34-47). Wright’s individual stats also showed an alarming difference at home—he batted .238 during home games, and .268 outside of Citi Field.
For once, the Mets made the right move and nipped the issue in the bud: the club recently announced shorter dimensions for Citi Field, effective at the beginning of this coming season.
These changes will benefit the entire team, not just Wright. Alderson expressed his thoughts after the announcement: "It used to be, let's say, that pitchers would just pitch outside at this ballpark -- stay away, stay away, stay away," he said. "Now, that may not be as good a strategy as it was before. So a lot of things could change. The pitching strategy could change. The attitude of the hitters and their approach could change. And so, as a result, a lot of this static information that we evaluated isn't necessarily going to predict the outcome."
These changes will benefit the entire team, not just Wright. Alderson expressed his thoughts after the announcement: "It used to be, let's say, that pitchers would just pitch outside at this ballpark -- stay away, stay away, stay away," he said. "Now, that may not be as good a strategy as it was before. So a lot of things could change. The pitching strategy could change. The attitude of the hitters and their approach could change. And so, as a result, a lot of this static information that we evaluated isn't necessarily going to predict the outcome."
The bottom line is that the Mets successfully turned discouraging rumors into good news about the team—a great fan base-saving technique and an overall step in the “Wright” direction.
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