In order to get the superstar they want, the Mets first have to find out what’s going on with the superstar they already have.
Mike Piazza and his agent, Dan Lozano, are set to meet with Mets brass within the next few days to discuss the All-Star catcher’s future. The meeting could occur as early as today.
But the extent of that meeting will go a long way toward determining whether the Mets are able to trade for Alex Rodriguez. To get A-Rod, the Mets will almost certainly have to trade Piazza, who is due $33.5 million over the next two years.
As The Post reported Tuesday, the Mets’ interest in Rodriguez is undeniable.
“Fred [Wilpon’s] enamored with A-Rod,” one source close to the Mets said yesterday.
In the meeting with the Mets, Piazza is expected to tell them that he isn’t looking to be traded and is ready to commit to the responsibility of playing first base in 2004. As reported by The Post Sunday, Vince Piazza, who spoke to his son about reports that he wanted out, said Mike “would love to stay with the Mets” and “doesn’t have a problem with [playing first base].”
But it is also very possible that Piazza, while saying that he doesn’t WANT to be traded, will present the Mets with several destinations to which he’d be WILLING to be traded, just as Rodriguez did with the Rangers. Texas is unlikely to be on that list (figure Boston, Baltimore, Anaheim and Los Angeles to start), meaning the Mets will have to get creative in order to meet Piazza’s accommodations.
They will have to examine three-team trades and explore every possible avenue if they’re serious about acquiring A-Rod, the newly minted AL MVP and the man who could go down as the greatest shortstop ever.
The advantages of having Rodriguez in New York cannot be overlooked. At just 28 years old and in the prime of his career, placing A-Rod in this town would be a marketing dream for the Mets.
Rodriguez may be averaging $25 million per year in salary, but Brandon Steiner, who runs Steiner Sports Marketing in New York, says that with A-Rod, the Mets would make up at least $10-12 million of that right away in annual “opportunity revenue.” That includes season ticket sales, merchandise increases, increased sponsorships, etc.
Steiner, who called the Mets’ decision to get A-Rod “a no-brainer,” believes A-Rod is immediately good for at least 2000 extra season tickets. “He’s automatic credibility,” Steiner said. “Regardless of how the team plays, he’s a guy who’s worth going to see. [For the Mets], this is like, when you have the flu, this is the chicken soup.”
The Mets also could use A-Rod as the momentum behind a new TV deal (their current package expires after 2005). A TV executive said you sell your advertising in the preseason, and according to the exec, “Because of having him on your team, your phone is going to ring.”
“The buzz around a player of that caliber is an absolute positive,” the TV executive added.
Of course, it would help for the Mets to put a winning team on the field. Will that team include A-Rod or Piazza? The Mets should find out soon.