But I also loved Lee Mazzilli. Maz was the face of the organization during its darkest period, its lone star power, with the ability and looks that would warrant placement on billboards…and that’s where he was…plastered all over town on buildings…in subways…everywhere you went. “Hi I’m Lee Mazzilli Come see what a kid from Brooklyn can do in Queens. Come see me at Shea.” And then it said, “The Magic is Back.”
Well…truth be told…the magic didn’t come back until after Maz was traded away. How do you trade away the face of the organization? Well…sometimes you do what you have to do before it’s too late. As Mets fans know, the trade of Mazzilli brought back two guys named Ron Darling and Walt Terrell. And the next year they flipped Terrell for Howard Johnson. So, in essence, Mazzilli was traded for Ron Darling and Howard Johnson. How would fans rate that trade? Mind you, Mazzilli never performed on the level he had prior to his departure.
Looking at Alonso…offensively he is currently having probably the worst season of his career. And given that he is, as most power hitters are, a streaky hitter, what he has done thus far doesn’t matter because it is what he can do moving on from here that really matters. Let’s face it, the Mets have staged a magnificent, and unexpected, comeback after being 11 gamed under the .500 mark early on. And that comeback has been with Alonso hardly being a force. So imagine what might happen if he comes out of the doldrums.
But maybe the Mets missed their chance…missed their chance to maximize their return? True, if they traded him, they lose a bat in the lineup. But they’ve done so much without him already, would it really matter? And they could re-sign him in the off-season regardless if they really wanted him.
The other question is if the Mets…even with this recent run…are really a team capable of getting through the regular season and then deep into the playoffs. It’s one thing to run over teams in the regular season that are, themselves, bad or teams going through a rough patch. But once you get to the playoffs, you are facing the opponents’ best pitchers and best lineups. Are the Mets really capable, are they really built to take that on this season?
To some, trading Alonso would be blasphemy, and more reason to chastise Steve Cohen and the current regime. It would be like a sign of giving up, acting like a small market team, or intentionally not going after the big win. To others, perhaps it would be using your most marketable item to make you stronger for the future and possibly make your team better built to withstand the competition enroute to a pennant?
Twenty years ago the Boston Red Sox did the unthinkable, trading away All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at the trade deadline. Nomah…as he was called in Boston…was a two-time batting champion and had a .323 career batting average with the Red Sox. In the six full seasons he played for the Sox, he averaged well over 100 RBI. Why in the world would the he be going anywhere?
But on July 31, 2004, as part of a four-team trade, Garciaparra ended up with the Chicago Cubs while Montreal Expos shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Minnesota Twins first baseman Doug Mientkeiwicz were sent to Boston. And what happened? The Red Sox won their first World Championship since 1918…86 years. They did it after trading the face of the franchise.
Trading the face of the franchise is not the end of the world. Sometimes it turns into something good…something better. With everything Alonso has done, he deserves all of the praise heaped upon him, and adoration of the fans. He has been a great player, teammate, and representative of the organization. But is the best output of Pete Alonso in the past? Will he produce at the same pace that he has historically?
For now, some of those questions can be put on the back burner. And if the Mets fall short, then essentially Alonso has been no different than a rental player unless the Mets re-sign him after the dust settles.
