The New York Mets announced today that they have dropped ties with their Gulf Coast League affiliate (link). This leaves the Mets with eight minor league affiliates, which is standard for a Major League Baseball club.
Now I did a bit of research and tallied the number of affiliates for each MLB team, here’s the breakdown:
- 2 MLB teams have 9 affiliates (Mariners and Rays)
- 12 MLB teams have 8 affiliates (now including the Mets)
- 16 MLB teams have 7 affiliates
As you can see, the Mets are right smack in the middle, and actually have more minor league affiliates than most clubs. Clearly this was a cost-cutting measure and another sign of the Mets’ poor financing, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good move. Trimming the fat may be the first step to financial recovery, if the Wilpons can ever fully climb their way out of the hole they’ve dug for the team.
23 comments
Anonymous
12/21/2011-12:23am at 12:23 am (UTC -4)
I agree with you. Not saying it was a good (or bad) move, but while yes it obviously saves money, it does NOT mean that was the only reason for it (and that it isn’t a good idea otherwise).
2 of the mets are foreign rookie teams (not all teams have that) but they still have a normal amount of teams. And plenty (most?) teams only have 1 rookie level team.
of course, some other sites known for histrionics are all over this move as another sign of the apocalypse, a horrible concept solely done to save a few bucks, etc.
And God forbid you post anything putting it in context (like this post!). You just get ‘screamed” at, called an idiot, a sandy ass licker, etc.
that goodness there is at least 1 (probably 2 with FFF) of rational thought left on the blogsosphere.
Ceetar
12/21/2011-2:52pm at 2:52 pm (UTC -4)
Simply put, the Mets would not have done this if they needed that team. They wouldn’t have culled the ‘part-time employee’ that Rubin was championing if he was providing something useful.
Being broke has made them more cognizant of some money-sinks.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-4:24pm at 4:24 pm (UTC -4)
LOL!
Can you tell us more about how speculation on Johan’s current health is also unfounded?
Will he win 25 this year?
I am sure you have VERY valuable insight as to how valuable that employee was Ceetar.
If nonsense was gold, you’d be the richest little boy in the world.
Ceetar
12/21/2011-7:05pm at 7:05 pm (UTC -4)
Speculation is fine, just don’t treat it as a medical update. But nothing’s changed with Johan since early October, and nothing will change (barring him falling down the stairs or something) until he picks up a baseball.
MetsFan4Decades
12/21/2011-3:52pm at 3:52 pm (UTC -4)
LOL…..Some of those rants over there are highly entertaining.
But you’re right……different day, same moaning and groaning.
MFS71
12/21/2011-12:53am at 12:53 am (UTC -4)
I agree also.
Mr North Jersey
12/21/2011-2:08am at 2:08 am (UTC -4)
Like the avatar!
Anonymous
12/21/2011-1:08am at 1:08 am (UTC -4)
OF COURSE it is being done 100% to save money, without even a remotely rational debate. And whether or not it is a good move, it is being done to save relative pocket change, while putting more people out of work. And a move like this has zero chance of doing anything to save Wilpon control or finances—it’s a simple time-saving, desperation-driven move.
Even when the Mets DID spend a lot in recent years, people often complained about them not spending enough on the draft, internationally, etc.
So, MLB payroll has hugely shrunk, and now they are cutting a low minor league team? Wouldn’t a rebuilding team focusing on developing kids want MORE low minor league teams?
Guys, this is yet another clear, indelible sign of an organization that is literally reaching in the couch cushions for change.
Borrowing millions more when the last loan cannot be paid off, laying off office workers to save relative peanuts, eliminating a low minor league team, doing absolutely zero to replace Reyes and Beltran and very little to replace KRod, and actually thinking of beginning the season with Mike Nickeas on the roster?
This team is in amazingly dire straits, and the Wilpons are showing their myopia and greed at every turn—lay off workers in NY, lay off workers in the Gulf Coast, put a dreadful team on the field, and destroy an organization in the game’s biggest market with every magnifying glass trained on you.
Never did I imagine the Wilpons could sink as low and be as disgusting as they have shown themselves to be this offseason.
Yes, the Wilpons will beautifully repeat history by utterly obliterating the village in order to save it.
Davidlaur9889356
12/21/2011-5:25am at 5:25 am (UTC -4)
Ownership needs to sell the team. They are not baseball minded people. They happen to own a team in a huge market and they can’t find a winning formula. Over the years, the one constant that has defined the Met’s is losing. No matter what ownership does. They can spend a ton of money or hire a new manager every 3 – 4 years it wouldn’t make a difference, the team will always lose. A Met fan knows this. The one connection to all this losing is ownership. They need to realize this and sell the team, for the sake of the franchise and it’s fan base. I for one am sick it.
MetsFan4Decades
12/21/2011-3:50pm at 3:50 pm (UTC -4)
Hard to argue with any of these points – they’re all valid.
Here’s the way I see it: The Wilpons had no problem owning this team as long as all the money for said team was invested with Madoff. On paper, it was a great investment. Probably one of the reasons the Wilpons felt they had enough to buy out Doubleday.
Reality has set in though. That money is gone. Couple that with the Wilpons sole ownership regime sticking with Omar for 6 years and well….you have what we’re seeing right now.
If the Mets had been in post season most of these 6 years, the revenues would probably have been there and they might have weathered the Madoff debacle.
If Madoff was for real and they still had that money they might have been able to weather the Omar-as-GM-and-one-post-season-only era.
But combine the two? The reality now is the Wilpons Sterling Mets are flat broke.
I just see no way they’re able to hold onto this team.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-4:30pm at 4:30 pm (UTC -4)
Absolutely. And as bad as the Madoff thing was, it is very much also overall revenues.
I have gone to one game each year, on a Saturday. Citi is beautiful, and the clubs are HUGE. Each year I have gone to Acela or Delta and they are EMPTY. Citi was built with a much lower capacity than Shea as they were counting on an amazing influx of revenue from those giant clubs being full and basically having rivers of dough cascading from them every game.
At Shea in the 1980s and the Valentine era, the two clubs there were overflowing every game, and folks who go there spend a LOT.
The overall attendance, the resulting shrinkage in parking/hot dogs/beer, etc., is one thing, but those beautiful, giant, empty clubs are definitely also causing them a massive shortfall from expected revenue.
Mr North Jersey
12/21/2011-2:09am at 2:09 am (UTC -4)
Nice choice in graphic Prismo.
Bryan
12/21/2011-2:10am at 2:10 am (UTC -4)
It’s sad that this has happened, but it’s not too big a deal. Instead of busing players all over Florida during the summer, those players can stay in PSL (where they’re based anyway) and play against each other. There isn’t much difference in competition level between GCL teams and the guys who stay for extended spring training all summer.
The only real difference is there will be a little less space for guys from the Dominican Summer League to get promoted and some draft picks to play in a league right away. We also will not have stats for a couple dozen low level minor leaguers, but that’s all.
It’s not like the Mets will be the only team without a GCL level farm team, and if they save a few bucks along the way, then it will likely be worth it.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-12:48pm at 12:48 pm (UTC -4)
that was one of my points (questions?). Putting aside the $ drama (say for instance they were flush, or a team like the Phils did this).
Isn’t it possible that from a development standpoint, they feel players would be better served staying in the complex, under stricter control (with more dedicated coaching available without the long road trips)?
Bryan
12/22/2011-7:47pm at 7:47 pm (UTC -4)
They won’t get official game reps, which can be important. But the GCL most of the time is just glorified scrimmages. You can stay at the complex, see live pitching, and scrimmage one another in a more controlled setting, so there’s not necessarily a huge drop off in development.
Besides, the best international players and the top high school draft picks will be sent to Kingsport anyway, so it’s not like the better young prospects with more promise will be affected too much.
Mr North Jersey
12/22/2011-8:11pm at 8:11 pm (UTC -4)
Bryan I forget where I saw this but there was mention that this would probably just eliminate some of what may be considered as lesser prospects in turn basically mixing the best of the rookie prospects among the remaining 3 teams.
What is your take on that?
Anonymous
12/21/2011-3:50pm at 3:50 pm (UTC -4)
Cry me a river on the laying off the part time minimum wage guy. That happens every day in every city of this country. Spinning that into the “Wipons are so poor” Geraldo story is not good reporting. It’s just upping one’s hit count on twitter or ESPN…
Yes, the Wilpons are broke. It’s like calling water ‘wet’ or fire ‘hot’ at this point.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-4:33pm at 4:33 pm (UTC -4)
Sorry, but laying off a few folks here and there to save relative dashboard change is really, really bad, whether it is the Wilpons or Bank of America.
It’s just another black eye for them—and seriously, how much will they save?
At this point, could they really not have afforded to keep on the 12–15 Citi employees they laid off?
When do Fred and Jeff begin to suffer for their incredible run of terrible decisions dating back to keeping Omar too long?
Anonymous
12/21/2011-4:55pm at 4:55 pm (UTC -4)
How come it couldn’t be there wasn’t enough work for the dude to do? Or he didn’t do the work he should have been doing?
I’ve no problem with them laying off/firing anyone. If you had 10 employees but the revenue didn’t justify having the 10th, you’d let that guy go. Or if they really weren’t needed, you’d let them go just the same. It’s good business. May suck for that 10th guy, but it is what it is. Maybe Alderson is righting the ship to be sold. Maybe the Wilpons had big hearts and keep people on when they shouldn’t have. Whatever the situation may be, which is most likely dire, somehow lumping a part time minimum wager into trying to last grasp hold onto the Mets is misguided. It may be a part of the overall overhaul o’ the system, but saying they should have kept that guy on due to some moral stance of “that’s not right” is silly.
When Steinbrenner cut the Medical Beni’s for his (part time) employees, it caused a stir, but he was well within his right. It’s that way everywhere. And people will blast the Wilpons/Steinbrenners/Home Depots/Lowes/etc, but it is their right to do it.
I feel where you are coming from, but I’m not agreeing with it.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
Well, we have agreed to disagree on politics before and still respect each other I hope.
Anonymous
12/21/2011-5:55pm at 5:55 pm (UTC -4)
Never was a moment that respect wasn’t there! Agreed, aand if I’m not on before the Christmas holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Traveling to Nebraska of all places. The odds they have internet will be slim…
Anonymous
12/21/2011-6:25pm at 6:25 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed sir, and happiest of holidays to you and yours!
And while they may not have the Internet, they sure have excellent beef in Nebraska!
wanny
12/21/2011-5:53pm at 5:53 pm (UTC -4)
hopefully wayne hagin is being dropped because he stinks and not because they don’t want to pay him!