by Chad Morgan

Created on: July 27, 2008   Last Updated: September 04, 2010

If I ran the New York Mets, the very first thing that I would do or better yet have done a long time ago, would be to build a new stadium. With that said, I commend the organization for doing just that as the new Citi Field will open in 2009 just next door to the old Shea Stadium. Shea is an antiquated stadium and just this season there were two instances in which people fell down the escalators, resulting in a death back in April. Shea has just as much history as Yankee Stadium but just like the Bronx Bombers are doing in building their new park, let bygones be bygones and carry on.

Obviously, If I were to run the New York Mets the first thing I would do is fire General Manager Omar Minaya. Minaya has brought in some quality talent and has done a good job in drafting some of the players that will be cornerstones of the organization, but he has done a crappy job as far as keeping quality pitching on the club. Tom Glavine is washed up. Pedro Martinez is in the twilight of his career and fighting constant injuries. The accquistion of Johann Santans from the Twins is by far the best move that Minaya has made in New York. John Maine and Oliver Perez were Minaya deals. You can't mention the Mets and pitching without mentioning the fireballing lefthanded closer, Billy Wagner, another Minaya grab.

I come from the old school of baseball and I believe that defense and pitching win you championships. If I had control of the Mets, the first thing that I would do is try to trade or look at getting another high quality pitcher in the realm of Santana. The Mets do have good setup men and one of the best closers in the league but I would go after a power right-handed pitcher. One that I think would do good in New York would be somebody like a Daniel Cabrerra from Baltimore or Tim Linecum from the Giants. A power one-two punch is what wins you series and the more series you win, the more your wins will pile up in the win column.

Fielding wise, I think the Mets have one of the most underrated teams in the National League. The Mets infield is by far one of the best in all of the Majors. Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and David Wright are All Stars. Carlos Beltran is the leader of the outfield but is really the big threat out there. Therefore, the next thing that I would look for in the offseason or right before the trade deadline is to look for a high caliber outfielder or possibly two. Another big bat in the lineup will push the Mets over the top in the National League East.

The New York Mets by far have some of the most loyal fans in all of baseball. Putting people in the seats is really no problem in the Big Apple. I know that I could put more people in the seats by bringing the best players to the Mets and therefore rewarding the fans with the quality play that they yearn for.

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