Most Mets fans think our team is a few shrewd moves away from being a "contender." I’m going to give you the bad news first:  the Mets haven’t won 80 games in three seasons. The worst news is that only company they keep includes four teams associated with mediocrity (Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City, Pittsburgh.)

Wait, what was the good news again? Sandy Alderson.

I have the utmost faith in Sandy and his superpowers.

The truth is that this team isn’t as far off as the four teams previously mentioned. We have solid players in their prime and guys who we hope aren’t too far from that coveted break-out season. My plan is to fill holes with cheap, undervalued players and spend as little money as possible. It'll take good years from a lot of guys, and that's not usually going to happen, but ya gotta believe!

Before I start, it’s time for some goal-setting! I’ll cover individual players later, but this is pretty simple: I want a team that will win 85 games. That’s what I consider a "contender" for this team. I want the Mets to be in the race in September. Once we get to that part of the season, any number of events could shake up the league and allow us to sneak into the playoffs.

Continue reading this post »