Mets fans apparently love their star players, including ace Matt Harvey, captain David Wright and rookie Jacob deGrom. They have no major problem with GM Sandy Alderson or manager Terry Collins, either. But they would prefer if the Wilpon family would just go away.
In the most recent tally from our Take 'Em or Trash 'Em? poll, a whopping 92 percent of voters would like to see Fred and Jeff Wilpon replaced as the team's owners.
The Mets went about their light-spending ways in free agency last offseason. Their major acquisitions included outfielder Chris Young, who was cut in August, along with starting pitcher Bartolo Colon and outfielder Curtis Granderson. They signed Colon to a two-year deal worth $20 million, while they picked up Granderson from the crosstown Yankees for four years and $60 million. Now, voters would love to get rid of one of them, but keep the other.
Filling in for injured ace Harvey, Colon pitched effectively, finishing with a 15-13 record and a 4.09 ERA. However, the Mets have Harvey coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2015 and fellow young starters Zack Wheeler and deGrom joining him atop the rotation. With young guns Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard waiting in the wings, the Mets will likely seek to trade Colon, Dillon Gee or Jonathon Niese.
With Colon turning 42 midway through next season, fans unsurprisingly want him gone. Just 36 percent of voters want Colon to return next season. After a disappointing year in which he posted a 5.10 ERA in the second half, only 53 percent of voters would like to see Gee, the Mets’ Opening Day starter this year, back in 2015, while 64 percent would welcome Niese next season in Flushing.
Signed to bat cleanup behind franchise player Wright, Granderson underwhelmed in 2014, batting just .227 with 20 home runs, and he was moved down in the batting order. However, fans may be counting on the reduced dimensions of Citi Field to help Granderson get back on track. Fifty-nine percent of voters want him to return in 2015.