With Alex Rodriguez, the Mets might have won a World Series or two.

"Can you imagine how different this might have turned out had Phillips marched into Fred Wilpon's office two months after the Mets were overwhelmed by the Yankees in the 2000 World Series and convinced his boss to sign A-Rod?"

Sure. I can imagine.

With a shortstop who regularly puts up 40 and 120, the Mets may have made the playoffs each of the past five seasons instead of missing the playoffs each of the past five seasons.

All the Rodriguez merch that filled Steinbrenner's coffers may have made Wilpon an even wealthier man.

The seemingly impoosible boost in attendance at Yankee Stadium may have been transferred to Shea.


"Wilpon's wallet would have tightened up like A-Rod with men on base had he committed to 10 years at $25 million per.

Consequently, no Glavine, no Pedro, neither of the Carloses and no Wagner."

Everyone knows that ARod wasn't demanding $25 mill per from the Mets.

But, as discussed above, it's an investment. You take a World Series team and you add another superstar player. You don't stop there. You get playoff money, World Series money, merch, ticket sales increase, etc.

All of this is money, money, money, money that Jeff Duncan was unable to generate.


Why no Pedro on the Mets? Over the past five years, the Mets just made more money, so they could have spent more money.

As a bonus, no Ty Wigginton at the hot corner.


Also, there's something seriously wrong with Matthews's math skills.

Let's just assume ARod was actually paid $25 million by the Mets and let's further assume that the Mets generated no additional revenue as a result of the investment. Both of these assumptions are wrong by a lot, but we'll give Matthews's attempt at an argument the benefit of the doubt.

According to USA Today's Baseball Salary database, the 2006 Mets mentioned by Matthews make the following salaries:

Glavine: $10 mill.
Pedro: $15 mill.
Beltran: $13.5 mill.
Delgado: $13.5 mill.
Wagner: $10.5 mill.

Total: $62.5 mill.

So, if the Mets had spent $25 mill on Alex Rodriguez, they wouldn't have been able to afford any of these players? What happened to the remaining $37.5 mill? Did Minaya spend the whole thing on ARod's Shea Stadium luxury box and Spring Training merchandise booth?

Do you feel lied to?

You should.


Oh, by the way, guess how well the Mets have done without Alex Rodriguez? They haven't done squat.

Was that seriously Wallace Matthews's grand plan? Stink for five years and then spend some money?

Good plan. It really worked out.


"As for Reyes and Wright? Well, because each of them plays a position also played by A-Rod, at least one, if not both of them, probably would be playing elsewhere."

Well, gee. I doubt that very much. Because even if one of them had to be moved to make room for a slouch like ARod, I doubt if both of them would have to be moved.

Because, as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he does not play two positions at the same time.


Or how about this disastrous scenario?

ARod at shortstop on his way to 800 homeruns, young Wright at 3b, Reyes and a few minor leaguers traded for Barry Zito and Nick Swisher.

That team might have two rings by now, instead of zero.