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New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson Wise To Avoid Blockbuster Trade This Offseason

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By @BZarp

Sandy Alderson

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Just as he has throughout his tenure with the team, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson took a lot of heat from fans this offseason for a lack moves leading up to the 2015 season. Aside from the signings of Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry Jr., the Mets have done little to improve themselves this offseason, as Alderson has declined to make a big splash via a trade in order to set the Mets up as sure-fire contenders in 2015.

The biggest gripe fans have with Alderson is his decision not to bring in a shortstop; instead, he’s leaving the job to Wilmer Flores, who may or may not be the answer the Mets need at that position. There were rumors during the offseason that the Mets may have been able to trade for the likes of Troy Tulowitzki or Ian Desmond, but Alderson declined to pull the trigger on any move involving a shortstop. Assuming those rumors were true, Alderson and the Mets would have had to significantly overpay to acquire a shortstop of the caliber of Tulowitzki or Desmond, in which case the GM is ultimately right not to have made such a trade.

Trading for either Tulowitzki or Desmond would have required giving up several of the Mets’ top prospects, including players the Mets are expecting to contribute to winning teams for many years to come. A blockbuster trade seems like a good idea if it were able to put the Mets over the top in 2015, but not at the risk of sacrificing players who can help the Mets win in 2015, 2016 and beyond. One trade for a marquee player would instantly set back a farm system that took years to build into one of the best in baseball, and a setback to the farm system would make it harder for the Mets to sustain a high level of success over several years.

At some point, Alderson will likely make a trade involving one or more of the Mets’ top prospects to help the team in the short run. But trading a slew of prospects in a blockbuster deal would essentially be mortgaging the team’s future in order to increase the odds of the Mets being a playoff team in 2015 in an effort to put six years worth of losing seasons behind them. But the Mets should be trying to compete in 2015, 2016 and beyond, and that kind of long-term success can be sustained with a top-notch farm system, such as the one the Mets currently have. Moreover, it’d be better for the Mets to make a big trade midseason when they know they’re legitimate playoff contenders, rather than during the offseason when they’re still hoping to be competitors.

It would certainly be tempting for Alderson to use his farm system as trade bait to go for it in 2015. However, Mets fans need to understand that despite years of suffering, the ultimate goal is long-term sustainable success so the team can avoid another eight-year playoff drought or another stint of six straight losing seasons.

Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com.  Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.

Related links:

Wilmer Flores Can’t Be Answer At Shortstop for New York Mets

Ranking New York Mets’ Top 10 Prospects Heading into 2015

Ian Desmond Could Be the Missing Piece for New York Mets 

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