N.Y. Mets: Ownership's Action Will Speak Louder Than Brodie's Word

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

PETE ALONSO

Only the Business of Baseball Can Delay His MLB Debut Now

New York Mets: When Fantasy and Reality Collide ...

In a blizzard of front office appointments and player transactions during his first off-season as general manager of the Mets, Brodie Van Wagenen has boldly transformed both the face and narrative of the organization.  But the change in seasons is now upon him.  As Citi Field's axis begins leaning towards the sun and Opening Day nears, his winter wonder land comes under threat of spring's thaw.

Through his ultra positive posturing Brodie may just have painted himself into a corner in a number of ways as the realities of ownership's past practice and propensity for business as usual potentially (hypothetically) come into play.

Despite his assurances regarding the team's 25 best players heading north to Queens, if ownership lets business get in the way by exercising their collectively bargained right to manipulate Pete Alonso's service time, BVW will then be thrust into the role of hypocritical team apologist - a media/PR maelstrom waiting to happen.  In the meantime, Pete Alonso continues to astound.  As of Saturday, he was slashing .375/.403/.641/1.044, with five doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI, through 20 Grapefruit League games and 64 at-bats.  On Sunday he tripled off the right/center field wall in his first at-bat.  Therefore, only the business side of baseball can delay his MLB debut now.

Then there's Brodie's insistence about the Mets being committed to winning; winning now; next year; and for years to come.  Truth be told, teams throughout major league baseball are in the midst of signing and securing their young controllable talent to multi-year representative market contract extensions.  The Mets on the other hand have yet to extend a single one of their core players.  Considerations for Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Michael Conforto, and perhaps even Amed Rosario and Brandon Nimmo, at the present time appear nonexistent.  Moreover, for all his off-season transactions BVW has raised payroll only marginally, if at all.  And so the onus remains on ownership to prove fans (me) wrong.  Unfortunately for him, it's Brodie's reputation at stake; it is he who risks becoming ownership's latest fall guy.