The Mets probably should've waited like 6 more days to do this. I mean, why not wait until the end of the season?! This team hands out contract extensions to everyone. Luis Castillo...here have a contract extension. Omar Minaya...here have a contract extension. Why don't they give Pedro, Wagner, and Heilman extensions while they're at it.
I have no problem with Manuel coming back (Although I hear there are some major sticking points in the two year contract that concerns Manuel's agents. Omar should have been left to swing in the wind for a while, he built that bullpen, he wants LC back.
I dont get how any met fan has a problem with this. I simply dont. This franchise was horrendous before he got there. Ill take choking the playoff spots away the last two years over being 68-94 every year and the season being over in June while acquiring Mo Vaughn and Robbie Alomar, giving mega deals to Kevin Appier types like we had in years past. Say what you will but he went out and got Pedro which got Beltran and Wagner to sign here. He went out and stole Maine, stole Duaner Sanchez (who was good before the taxi cab messed his shoulder), stole shawn green and EL Duque at the deadline when we needed an OF and an arm, he stole Ollie Perez for Nady (who at the time hadnt done squat and was extremely inconsistent), got Delgado for Mike Jacobs (who is basically a worse version who doesnt walk/carry any kind of respectable OBP), and rebuilt an entire farm system. For the first time in 20 years we have multiple prospects coming up and contributing at once; not just Wright and Reyes who preceded him but Evans, Murphy, Niese, Kunz, Parnell, and soon Fernando and Wilmer Flores. The last time the mets had a good farm system was the early and mid 80's..the last time we won anything. Its not a coincidence. Every GM makes mistakes, even the top guys out there like Theo Epstein. slapastillo's contract is bad but compared to the albatross that is Julio Lugo, its not terrible. There are no kazmir for Victor Zambrano deals, no cheap wilpons butting in constantly, no seasons ending in june or july, no ridiculous deals (aside from slapstillo)...i mean things could be a lot worse then winning 85+ games every year for the last 3 years. This franchise has never done that for 4 straight years. Plus we have zero hall of fame position players (Piazza may go in as a met but hes not a homegrown guy) but as long as wright and Reyes keep up what they have been doing, theres some hope there. There's a lot of ways you could argue the next 5 years could be some of the best, maybe the best 5 year run in met history. This team needs a tweaking not an overhaul. And by allowing Minaya to tweak we also lend credibility to what we have built already and stability to the franchise. Thats how you build a winner.
