Baseball is very different than every other major sporting league in that multiple season rebuilding really takes multiple seasons. It is very rare for draft picks to come up and play immediately like in the NFL and since rosters are large, it is very difficult to buy a few players for a long term impact, like in the NBA. Compounding with the length of time it takes players to enter the league, baseball is the sport where players stay the longest. Long term success is generally built around a few strong players that can stick with a team and enter their prime together.
The Phillies showed that a complete build around strong players can lead to long term success as they have run the league from 2007 and probably through at least this coming season. If you remember, they started to show life at the end of 2006, and will development, were able to break the Mets chance of forming back to back championships in 2007. Before the Phillies, the Braves used a strong system to take care of the division for a record setting time.
The Phillies are still a powerhouse, but there time will be ending soon as they start to age and be held back by long term contracts. For the Mets, right now, this is acceptable. There is not a strong possibility of the Mets making a run at the division for the next two seasons, but 2014 could be promising.
The next hurdle for the Mets would be the Braves, who are developing a strong core, but there is another, more impressive team developing a really strong core, that could lead to a power shift in the division, and that team would be the Washington Nationals. Their rotation has three strong pitchers in Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmermann. The bullpen is anchored by Clippard and Storen. On top of the pitching, are the strong position players, that are also young: Zimmerman, Espinosa, Rasmos and the eventual promotion of Harper. Plus, Morse had a surprising season and they still have Jason Werth on the roster.
Here’s the difference between the Nationals and a team like the Marlins. The Marlins were a good team, that added pieces and became a strong team this offseason. The pieces they added though have injury, age and monetary risk attached. Taking one chance is one thing, but three is a lot of chances (look at the Mets for an example of that). The Nationals are in a position right now that they could add only one piece, and they will be ok, that person could be Prince Fielder.
If the Nationals added Fielder, or even if they don’t, they are a team that I’m afraid about, especially in 2014 when the Mets look to be competitive again. One player that is very intriguing is Espinosa, who smacked 21 homers last season. The Nationals have the potential to develop into a very strong team and because they are doing it with youth, with very few players yet to enter their prime. They could do this for the long haul.
If there is a silver lining in this. The Mets could follow the same formula with the crop of stars that are deep in the farm system. However putting a guarantee to that statement would be immature.
