Alomar Will Refuse Talks

[Baseball Guru]

David Lennon

February 19, 2003


Port St. Lucie, Fla. - Should the Mets have a change of heart and want to sign Roberto Alomar mid-season, his agent, Jaime Torres, says that is no longer an option.

"If they do, I'm not going to be listening to it," said Torres, who visited with Alomar yesterday at the Mets' spring-training site. "Once the season starts, Roberto can be hitting .450 or .250, we're not going to discuss [an extension]. Whether he's having a great season or below-average, we're not going to talk about it." General manager Steve Phillips said Monday that the Mets will not conduct negotiations with their pending free agents during this season.

It is not a new policy, Phillips said, though the club did make an exception for Al Leiter last July.

Alomar, who will earn $8 million this year, hoped to have an extension by Opening Day, but now does not want to be bothered by the distraction of contract talks during the season.

Despite Alomar's affection for New York, Torres agreed that the Mets are taking a risk on re-signing him and he will advise his client to file for free agency following the World Series. But Torres did commend principal owner Fred Wilpon for meeting with Alomar after last season.

"He has high regards for Mr. Wilpon," Torres said. "Sitting down and taking the time to talk with Robbie, that was a smart move because that made Roberto feel like he's appreciated here."

Extra Bases

Not only is Roberto Alomar happier with Rey Ordonez gone, the addition of shortstop Rey Sanchez could be a good omen for the upcoming season. Twice before, in 1986 and 1996, the two were double-play partners on the Puerto Rican team that won the Caribbean Series ... Fred Wilpon's overhaul of the Mets organization continued yesterday as workers refurbished the players' weight room, adding $100,000 worth of new equipment. The same is being done to the weight room at Shea ... The Mets signed pitchers Jason Middlebrook and P.J. Bevis.

[Baseball Guru]

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February 18, 2003 -- PORT ST. LUCIE - Camp Chaos it's not, but life around here isn't as innocent as the Mets would have you believe.
No, this is not Yankeeland where every day is a soap opera, but the Mets are making a mistake in their treatment of 12-time All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar.

Alomar, who is in the last year of his contract, should be signed to an extension, even though he is coming off the most disappointing season of his career.

Alomar, who has deep respect for owner Fred Wilpon, said yesterday that he is "sad" the Mets have told him they would not offer an extension. Because Alomar was traded during a multi-year contract, he could have demanded a trade after the 2002 season to force the Mets hand, but didn't. "I want to be here," Alomar said. "It's disappointing."

Asked if that decision would change his mind about remaining a Met, Alomar said: "I don't know. I did want to stay here because that's why my agent talked to them. I wanted to be a Met until the day I retire, but sometimes you don't know what's going to happen."

Picture this, snow-bound Met fans. Alomar has a bounce-back year, then the free agent signs with the Yankees, who can move Alfonso Soriano to the outfield.

Alomar insists he is not going to allow the Mets' decision to affect his play, but the Mets are playing with fire here. They've made a blanket decision not to offer any of their seven final-year contract players extensions, citing the need for flexibility.

Flexibility is one thing, but having faith in a proven star is another and the 35-year-old Alomar, who will make $8 million this season, appears poised to regain his All-Star form. "Mentally and physically, Robbie's in the best shape of his career," said Ray Negron, who is a consultant to a number of players, including Alomar.

Alomar's agent Jaime Torres insisted that Alomar will not let the Mets' decision cloud his season, noting, "Robbie really likes New York. He's not closing the door on the Mets at all."

No he's not, but this decision allows other teams to open the door to Alomar. The always-honest Alomar knows that playing in the last year of a contract can become a distraction.

Sometimes the best time to show faith in a player is when he is coming off a down year, unless, of course, Mets management has little faith that Alomar can rebound. If that's the case, the Mets have already painted themselves into a second-base corner and that is a dangerous decision.

The Mets are putting some good pieces of the puzzle together and cannot afford to lose a star like Alomar, who needs only 454 more hits to reach 3,000. "I want the fans in New York to see what Robbie can do," Art Howe told me. "He's a team player. Robbie is a professional, he's been around a long time and he is going to get himself ready."

Alomar's .266 average last season was his worst in 15 years and 70 points lower than 2001, while his RBI total plummeted from 100 to 53. But there were plenty of reasons why he slumped. Some are the same reasons Mike Piazza's average dipped.

It was a year of combined failure for the Mets. The last time Alomar had a dramatic dip from .333 in 1997 in Baltimore to .282 in 1998, the following season in Cleveland he hit .323 with 40 doubles, 24 home runs and 120 RBI.

There were other reasons for Alomar's woes last season. He was playing in a league he had not played in since 1990. It took time to adjust to the bigger dimensions of spacious Shea and he never felt at home in the shifting lineup.

Alomar will make the necessary adjustments this season, you can be sure of that. The Mets figure to get Alomar at his best this year ... and then he can just walk away if he wants.

If that happens, the Mets will be looking for a new second baseman and that would be real chaos.

[rockin500]

not a superwise move not to have signed him to a one or 2 year extension beyond this year.

[Baseball Guru]

I agree, but who knws which Alomar we are going to see...Are we going to see the Aolmar everyone expects to see from the past are are we seeing his decline at 36.....
He commands a great deal of money and I dont think it would be fair to the Mets to try and work out a muti year deal based on what they saw last year..
I for one think he will bounce back but you never know....

[Cyberlibrarian]

I agree with James. Alomar spent all of last year sulking. Why should we reward him for that?

[Liter22]

I wonder if Alomar rembers last year. did he see he batting average? or any other offensive OR defensive stat????? :banghead :thumbdown :sigh: :Puter:

[Obri]

Alomar is acting like someone who just had an MVP type year, when in fact he fell down both offensively and defensively, as Liter pointed out.

[Liter22]

Originally posted by Obri
Alomar is acting like someone who just had an MVP type year, when in fact he fell down both offensively and defensively, as Liter pointed out.

Well I guess an ego that big just will never die no matter how bad of a season. The guys probably asking for 25+ mil anyway. Guys like Stanton and Glavine are the kinda guys who have proven they can play over in the city Alomar has played in the most fan friendly places in the world. MY GOD SOMEONE PROVE ME WORNG!!!!!! I HAVENT MADE AN ASS OUT OF MYSELF IN A WHILE AND IT'S GETTIN TO ME :banghead :banghead

[Obri]

Sorry, but you're absolutely right.:D

[Liter22]

Originally posted by Obri
Sorry, but you're absolutely right.:D

LOL :D thanks