Reading the Smoke Signals

For a team as pained as the Mets to reduce ticket prices for next season, you know there have to be some major concerns about who's going to be paying to keep the lights on. But you've really got to wonder how to read between the lines when they follow that up with an email stating we plan to improve the ball club through a combination of player signings, trades, enhanced player development and continued commitment to one of the highest player payrolls in Major League Baseball.Given the Mets history regarding honesty, doublespeak, communication faux pas, and public relations nightmares, you'll have to forgive me if I'm less than enthusiastic about what any of this means.

On face value you'd believe the Mets plans to sign big names, trade dead wood, and build a minor league system that it can grow from, while keeping its salary commitment at #2 in the Majors. But you can almost hear the finagling going on in the back office, as to what management might be planning and how you really should decipher their words:

A - We will try to sign players from a thin free agent pool, but - just like you can't blame us for a bad year because of all the injuries - you can't blame us if there's no one to pick from, or if prices are simply not what we're going to pay.

B - This year proved that our depth is sorely lacking, and a bunch of the guys you saw on the field this year need to go away. To that end, we're going to trade them off to anyone who'll take them, and in return we're sure to get back from them just as much talentless mediocrity as we're peddling.

C - Our player development has been horrendous, so we're not really starting with the bar being set too high. We are committed to enhancing player development, and at this stage we could probably fulfill that commitment by looking for pointers from a couple of those kids from the Little League team in Staten Island.

D. We are committed to one of the highest payrolls in the MLB. This year we were #2. There are 30 teams in the league. If we drop to #6 next year, that still puts us in the top 20%. So even if we lower payroll, we could still say that's one of the highest payrolls in the Majors, right?

Am I jaded? You betcha. The truth of the matter is that the ticket price reduction should have simply be presented as "we stunk up our new field this season, and we want to do something for our fans to show our appreciation for sticking with us." That would be layman's honesty. Instead, they packaged that bit of news as a sensitivity to the economy. If they really were sensitive to the economy, wouldn't they have reduced prices this season, long before all hope was lost? Yes, they did end with a small note about loyalty and support, but the bigger spin was that they're reacting to next year's economy. There's a crystal ball I wish I had...

Speaking of crystal balls, my prediction of July 8 has come true: The Mets will end the season in 4th place in the NLE. Right now the only prediction I can make for next season is that when it comes to the Mets, you'd better listen to what's being said out of both sides of the mouth.

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