The Mets on Saturday morning held a Q&A session with 350 season ticket-holders at Citi Field, and GM Sandy Alderson said that the team will be "capable of adding substantial pieces soon, and the need for patience is almost over," according to Mark Hale of the N.Y. POST. Alderson said, "I believe in the next six months or so, we’ll be in position to make some significant acquisitions, either by free agency or trade." He added, "Problem is, that at some point the best thing you can do is have a little patience. I’ve been preaching that for the past couple of years and I know it’s wearing thin" (N.Y. POST, 6/16). Alderson said of the fans, "If they're unhappy, believe me, I am even more unhappy." He added, "The reality of our situation is that we owe [Mariners LF Jason] Bay and [Mets P Johan Santana] a total of around $52 million, out of a payroll of about $107 million. One of them is hurt and one of them is gone. But we're still paying them. When you take away that money, you are talking about a payroll that is in the bottom three or four. For now. That's not an excuse, that's the fact of our situation." Alderson continued, "I know people don't want to hear this, but we are approaching the end of the cleanup. I'm not using that as an excuse. I'm not writing off this season. But there are reasons why we are where we are" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/16).
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS: In N.Y., Anthony McCarron noted Alderson "commiserated" with the season-ticket holders, "assuring them that the Mets themselves feel the same pain fans do over the club's awful start." But what else "do you tell a bunch of your most loyal supporters?" Alderson also "reminded fans of the glee they felt last month when the Mets swept the Yankees in the Subway Series" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/16). ESPN N.Y.'s Matt Ehalt noted Alderson is in his third year as Mets GM and the team "has not been active in acquiring talent during his tenure." Fans have "questioned whether Alderson's plan is paying dividends" (ESPNNY.com, 6/15). Alderson said that his "master plan in reshaping the team is about to come into focus in the coming months." He will "benefit from having roughly $50 million come off the books for next season" (NJ.com, 6/15). On Long Island, David Lennon wrote the Mets are "unwatchable." Even with the "promises of better days ahead -- supposedly in 2014 -- it's becoming increasingly difficult to stomach what's left of this season." Alderson is asking fans for "more time to produce something palatable" (NEWSDAY, 6/16).
ROCK THE VOTE: In N.Y., Scott Cacciola noted the Mets' All-Star campaign for 3B David Wright includes ads "on buses and billboards, each more bold and breathless than the last." The Mets have "gone to extreme lengths for an elusive goal: securing enough votes from fans so that Wright can start at third base in next month's All-Star Game at Citi Field and give the club something to feel proud about." But the club's "attendance has sagged, and the many ballot boxes that are scattered about Citi Field have gone largely undisturbed by the intrepid fans who do show up." In recent days, with the team "again slipping to familiar depths, Wright has told the Mets to tone down their get-out-the-vote operation." He said, "I feel very uncomfortable being singled out for All-Star-Game type stuff when the team is struggling the way it is" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/15).
