Taking a page from the 1985 classic movie The Breakfast Club, Sandy Alderson continued his “Don’t You Forget About Me” media tour yesterday, this time appearing with WFAN’s Mike Francesa.
Essentially, Alderson rehashed his SNY talking points from the previous day regarding the Citi Field walls, the young arms and the 2012 closer, but he also added tidbits about Jose Reyes and next year’s payroll.
Alderson called Reyes his top priority and expressed optimism that the Mets will keep their shortstop. He did however expect that Reyes will at least test the market by filing for free agency. “If he’s come this far, he will file,” Alderson said.
He also told Francesa that he has already been given the parameters for the 2012 payroll and they are “in line with what’s been discussed.” Francesa probed a bit on this one and gained agreement from Sandy that the payroll is more in the $110 million range than in the $70 million range. “That’s good news,” was Francesa’s reply, as he then gave an updated Yankees score.
Dan’s Take: I remain confident that the Mets have the right man in Alderson to lead them back to contention. I agree that those ridiculous dimensions at Citi Field must be changed, that the Mets need a better closer and that they must keep Reyes. I’d like to hear more on finding a left handed platoon for Jason Bay and getting a defensively skilled catcher, but it does sound like they have their priorities in the proper order as the offseason looms.
Joe’s Take:: As you might guess, I’m skeptical. To me this is Alderson acting as the talking head of the organization with the job of smoothing things over with the fan base, and to set the stage for the offseason stories. For example, he’s setting no expectations re: Reyes, but, he’s offering the possibility of changing the dimensions — it’s like a bargain.
YOUR take?
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