Addition By Subtraction

Sorry this took so long; I would've written it earlier but I was trying to decide whether to jump off a bridge or just hang myself. Seriously, based on the responses I've been reading on social media and from the so-called football experts, you'd have thought the world came to an end yesterday. "The Giants got fleeced." "Worst trade since Ruth."

Let's be very clear here. Dave Gettleman did not break up the '79 Steelers. Yes, Odell Beckham, Jr. is a world-class receiver who now has a chance to turn the Cleveland Browns into a legitimate playoff contender - MAYBE - but the fact is that in the five years he played for the Giants, they had exactly one winning season - 11-5 with a wildcard berth in 2016 - and that was owed almost exclusively to one of the best overall defenses in the league.

His receptions were the stuff of legend, I get it. In fact, I can still remember that one-handed catch he made against the Cowboys at Met Life stadium on a Sunday night. Al Michaels to this day hasn't stopped hyperventilating over it. By the way, in case you were wondering, the Giants lost that game, along with so many of the games in which Beckham made otherworldly grabs. And that was the problem. He may have played as though he were descended from Mount Olympus, but his teammates never benefited from all that greatness.

And then there were the headaches. When you live among the gods, it's hard relating to mere mortals, and Beckham had more than his fair share of moments when the wrong thing would come out of his mouth. Last season's interview with ESPN in which he criticized the offensive play calling as well as his own quarterback may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Yes, some of his concerns were valid, but the point is you don't throw your fellow players under the bus.

And who can forget the game against Carolina three years ago where Beckham got into a physical altercation with Panthers' cornerback Josh Norman. It was a disgraceful performance that earned Beckham a one-game suspension, and may very well have been responsible for accelerating the end of Tom Coughlin's coaching career. The Browns will now have the "pleasure" of dealing with his nonsense.

Face it, despite his talent, Beckham had become a distraction for this organization. For a team looking to rebuild, this was the best and only move they could've made. Frankly, given what the Steelers got for Antonio Brown - a third and fifth round pick - I’m kinda surprised Gettleman got the haul he did. In return for a troubled receiver that never got his team over the hump, the Giants landed the Browns' first and third round picks, plus a very good safety. The only downside to the trade is that because of the way his contract was structured, the Giants are saddled with $16 million in dead cap space. Ouch!

But apart from that bit of bad news, they can now go after Haskins with the 6th overall pick, assuming he’s still on the board by the time their turn comes up, and with the 17th pick they can choose a premium pass rusher. And if they still elect to trade for Josh Rosen, they can package a third and fourth round pick to get him without touching their top picks. In other words, Gettleman has a lot of leverage. If he doesn't trade any of them, he will have a total of 12 picks at his disposal to retool this team: both number ones, two picks in both the fourth and seventh round, three picks in the fifth, as well as single picks in the second, third and sixth.

Naturally, all this assumes that Gettleman has a good draft, but given his results from last year, I'm not that worried. With the exception of fourth rounder Kyle Lauletta, I thought the Giants had a pretty good draft. Second rounder Will Hernandez is a solid offensive lineman and both third rounders - Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill  - have been two of the few bright spots on an otherwise dreary defense. If anything, Gettleman has more picks to work with this year than he did last year.

Look, I'm not defending every move Gettleman has made. Why he didn't trade Landon Collins last season when he might've gotten a third rounder in return is baffling to say the least. And he did overpay for Nate Solder. But the first trade he made with Cleveland in which he got offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler in return for under-achieving linebacker Olivier Vernon sorely addressed a team need and saved $1.5 million in cap space, to boot.

In fact, the only major decision Gettleman has to make - apart from who he picks in the draft - is whether to bring back Eli Manning for what will likely be his last year in big blue. The 38 year old is set to make $23 million this season, but $5 million of that is from a bonus that's due to be paid March 17. If Gettleman decides to release Manning now, he would save that money and the dead cap hit would only be $6 million, but then that would mean turning over the reigns to a rookie quarterback on day one. I'm not sure Gettleman wants to put that much pressure on Haskins or Lock or whomever he picks as his next signal caller.

Bottom line, I think the Giants are in a better position now than they were 24 hours ago. No they aren't going to the playoffs, much less win a Super Bowl. But then only an incurable optimist would've thought they were a contender prior to the Beckham trade. When it comes to running a sports organization, I subscribe to the Bill Parcells theory: if you can't win with what you have, tear it down and start over.

If we know anything about the NFL, it's that, with the exception of the Patriots, a team's fortunes can turn on a dime. This year's rebuild can become next year's playoff team. Want proof? Take a look at the '83 and '84 Giants teams. The former finished in last place; the latter made the postseason.

Exploring the Options for Giants on Draft Day

There's one thing everyone can agree with. There's no Saquon Barkley in this year's NFL draft. That's not to say there aren't a lot of talented players who could make a difference, but generational players like Barkley don't grow on trees. The Giants were indeed fortunate to land him with the overall number two pick last year.

This year, however, the Giants have the sixth pick in the draft and there are several options available to them. Do they finally pick a quarterback to take over for Eli Manning? If so, which one? Do they trade for a quarterback and use their number one to shore up one of the weakest front seven of any defense unit in the league? Or do they use it to draft an offensive lineman to protect Eli for what will likely be his last year in blue?

A lot depends on what the Arizona Cardinals do with the overall number one pick. Rumors continue to persist that despite drafting UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen with the tenth pick in last year's draft, the Cardinals are seriously contemplating drafting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Viewed by many as the best QB in this class, Murray would instantly become the starter, thus relegating Rosen either to the bench or to some other team's roster via a trade.

If that scenario does indeed play out, where would Rosen land? The Jacksonville Jaguars could certainly use a quarterback, but reports indicate that they are almost certain to sign former Eagle and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. If that happens, that would be sweet music to Giants' GM Dave Gettleman, because it would mean that the Jags would not leapfrog in front of him to draft a QB, and it would also mean that there's one less team that Rosen could be traded to, thus keeping open to option to trade for him.

Why would Gettleman trade for Rosen? Two reasons. One, he made a very good impression with the Giants at last year's combine, particularly ownership, who were quite taken with his maturity. His passing skills were rated as the best among that year's class, and despite a rough rookie year, there are a lot of knowledgeable people around the league who still believe he has what it takes to be a number one quarterback.

Secondly, if Gettleman can get Eli's heir apparent without having to part with either of his top two picks, that would give him the chips he so desperately needs to address the biggest problem staring down this franchise: the defense. Put succinctly, this is one the best drafts for defensive linemen we've seen in quite some time. Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Alabama's Quinnen Williams and Kentucky's Josh Allen are clearly the best of a deep lot, and all three could well be gone by the time the Giants pick. But that leaves a lot of excellent players, such as Houston's Ed Oliver, Mississippi State's Montez Sweat, Clemson's Christian Wilkins, Michigan's Rashan Gary and Ohio State's Dre' Mont Jones still on the board.

In fact, if that is where Gettleman is going, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he trades down - not up - and winds up with not just an excellent pass rusher but an outstanding offensive lineman. Imagine a scenario in which the Giants swap number one picks with the Dolphins - currently 13th - and end up getting a second and third round pick. They could still get an outstanding defensive lineman, plus use one of the second round picks to shore up the offensive line. Perhaps Cody Ford falls into his lap. And with the other second round pick, plus the third they picked up, they could address the secondary. Talk about retooling on the fly.

But if that's too rich for your blood, there's always the possibility that Gettleman will stand pat and hope that Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins is still available by the time they pick sixth. There's no doubt that this New Jersey native has what it takes to be a star in the NFL. The kid threw 50 touchdowns! And what better storyline for the Giants than to have a homegrown player take the reigns of his child-hood team.

But given how highly rated Haskins is, that's quite a gamble. The Raiders - currently at number 4 - could decide at the last minute they don't think Derek Carr has what it takes to lead them back to the promised land and pick Haskins. With three number one picks in this draft, they could use the other two to fill holes on their defensive and offensive lines. Hell, they just acquired Antonio Brown from the Steelers for a song and a prayer. And then there's the Redskins sitting at number 15. What if they don't feel like waiting for Alex Smith's broken leg to heal and decide to trade up? Yes, they acquired Case Keenum from the Broncos. So what? If Keenum is your idea of a starting quarterback get used to finishing no better than 8-8.

So what do I think will happen? Well, I don't think Gettleman will trade up to get Haskins, so that's out. If Arizona picks Murray, and they're reasonable as to the asking price for Rosen - say a 4th and 7th rounder - the Giants have their quarterback for the future. They will then take a defensive lineman with their first round pick and perhaps an offensive lineman with their second.

One thing I can predict. There will be a lot more wheelin' and dealin' at this year's draft than last year's, and don't be too surprised if the Giants are one of the teams doing the wheelin' and dealin'.

The Biggest Winners and Losers in the 2018 NFL Draft

So now that the 2018 NFL draft is over, it's time to see who the biggest winners and losers were. Keep in mind, you can never really know how these players will pan out, so all this is conjecture on my part.

First, the winners:

The Giants. They pick up the best talented player in the draft in the first round; then they pick up the 4th best offensive lineman in the second round; then they use both their third round picks to beef up their defensive front seven. Oh, and by the way, they landed a quality quarterback in the 4th round to possibly take over for Ei in two or three years. Dave Gettleman had himself one helluva good draft.

The Broncos. How's this for a scenario: your kid was hoping for a brand new bike for Christmas, but you couldn't afford to get him one. Then, miraculously, the bike shop owner calls you up and tells you that a customer who put a deposit on one couldn't come up with the balance and if you still want it, the bike is available at a lower price. You say thank you, rush down and swoop it up. That's what the Broncos did when the Browns, for some unknown reason, decided to pass on the best defensive player in the draft, Bradley Chubb. So now the Broncos will have Chubb AND Von Miller on the same defensive line. Just imagine what's going through the mind of every quarterback in the AFC West right now. Yum, yum, eat 'em up!

The Cardinals. Assuming they can squeeze Josh Rosen's ego back into his body, Arizona did pretty well in this draft. That's because in addition to picking Captain America in the 1st round, they got one of the better receivers in the draft in Christian Kirk in the 2nd round along with running back Chase Edmonds in the 4th.

The Patriots. Eschewing the best talent on the board rule, Bill Belichick decided to address needs and address them he did. Two cornerbacks, a running back, a linebacker and a potential replacement for Tom Brady. And all, except for the QB, are expected to battle for starting jobs this season. The rich do indeed get richer.

The Steelers. They snagged what many believe will be Ben Roethlisberger's replacement in Mason Rudolph in the 3rd round, when many thought he was a low 1st rounder; then landed a replacement for Martavis Bryant in James Washington. That's called taking care of business.

The Colts. If the mission was to keep Andrew Luck upright, mission accomplished. They got Quenton Nelson - the best offensive lineman available - in the 1st round; then added guard Braden Smith in the 2nd. They then used the two 2nd round picks they got from the Jets to address defensive needs, drafting a linebacker and a lineman. That's how you work the draft, not by trading up but by trading down. Nice job.

The Packers. They had one of the worst pass defenses in the league last year, so they used their first two picks in the draft to go after cornerbacks. Clearly somebody in the front office figured out that having to win games 38 to 35 was not a good recipe for success.

The Jaguars. They bolstered what was already one of the league's best defenses by adding defensive lineman Taven Bryan and safety Ronnie Harrison. Then they addressed a need by drafting receiver D.J. Clark. Tom Coughlin is turning out to be an even better talent evaluator than he was a head coach.


The Losers:

The Browns. Picture this: you have the two of the first four picks in the first round and not only don't you end up with the best offensive player, you don't even get the best defensive one. Okay, so maybe Baker Mayfield will turn out to be the next Drew Breese; or maybe he ends up being the next Todd Blackledge. Bottom line, if you're going to pass on Barkley for a QB, you should at least wind up with the best one, Sam Darnold. But even if you give John Dorsey the benefit of the doubt with Mayfield - maybe he knows something we don't - there's simply no excuse in the known universe for passing on Chubb. Now you know why Cleveland fans have a persecution complex. Well, at least they partially redeemed themselves by nabbing the second best running back in the draft whose last name, ironically, also happens to be Chubb.

The Jets. Yeah, I know Manish Mehta of the Daily Booze thinks the Giants "blew it" when they passed on Darnold, thus allowing the USC quarterback to fall into the Jets' lap. But here's the thing, Sparky, Gang Green could've had their guy with the 6th pick without having to sacrifice both their 2nd round picks to move up. Here's how. It was obvious the Browns were going to go for a quarterback with the number one pick. And the Giants were dead set on taking Barkley at number two. No way the Colts were going to take a QB at three and the Browns were going defense with the fourth pick. That means the only team that might've gone for a QB would've been the Broncos and we know what they did. So Darnold would've been sitting pretty at number six. And even if the Browns chose Darnold number one, the Jets would've landed Mayfield with the 6th pick. Either way they would've gotten a quality quarterback and still had both their 2nd round picks on the board. Trading up was totally unnecessary and cost the Jets a chance to fill some badly needed holes.

The Seahawks. Yes, it was touching that they drafted the one-handed twin brother of Shaquill Griffin in the 5th round, but most of their other picks had people scratching their heads.

Why the Giants Had To Pick Barkley

In the end it was a no brainer. The New York Giants, sitting with the number two pick in the first round of the NFL draft, had an opportunity to grab what they, and every football expert, thought was the best player on the board. That player was Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. So when the Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, all that was left for Dave Gettleman to do was wait the obligatory ten minutes before informing Roger Goodell of his decision; a decision, as it turns out, he had made from the moment he became the Giants GM.

To those who say Gettleman should've chosen a quarterback with his pick, I would respectfully disagree. Yes, I know Eli Manning is 37 and, yes, I also know it's been several seasons since he displayed the kind of traits that earned him elite status among NFL quarterbacks. And I'm also painfully aware that teams seldom find themselves in the position the Giants were in to lock in a franchise quarterback. Logic dictates that when you have that kind of opportunity, you cash in on it.

But here's the thing: not one of these four so-called franchise quarterbacks that were talked about as first rounders stood out. All had their good points and all had areas of concern.

For instance, UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was considered the best pure passer of the four, but there were concerns about his health - he had sustained two concussions and missed part of his junior year with a shoulder injury. Then there was his personal makeup - he thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. After he was chosen 10th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Rosen, clearly with a chip on his shoulder, bemoaned that the nine teams before the Cardinals had made a huge mistake that he would make them pay for. Even in a city like New York, that's too much attitude. Can you imagine him with Odell Beckham, Jr on the same field? There wouldn't be enough oxygen left in Met Life Stadium.

Next up was Sam Darnold, the USC quarterback chosen by the Jets with the number three pick. I thought he was the best of the four, but his propensity for turning the ball over was a huge problem. During his two years at USC - did I forget to tell you he's only 20? - Darnold would often force the ball into coverage leading to interceptions. He also would hold onto it way too long leading to fumbles. Sound familiar Giants fans?

As for Baker Mayfield and Wyoming's Josh Allen, neither of them in my opinion was worth such a lofty pick. Mayfield is only six feet tall and lacks the mental discipline needed for an NFL quarterback.  I still can't figure out the Cleveland Browns. They have two of the first four picks in the draft and they end up with the third rated quarterback and the fourth rated defensive player. Go figure. As for Allen, he may have a canon for an arm, but his 56 percent completion rate ranks among the lowest in this class. Well, at least he won't mind the weather in Buffalo.

Put simply there wasn't one Peyton Manning or John Elway among this lot. Hell, I doubt there was even an Eli Manning available. And that's the reason you don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Picking a quarterback this high that doesn't pan out can set your franchise back a decade. Just look at how many years the Miami Dolphins have been trying to find another Dan Marino.

Like it or not, star quarterbacks don't grow on trees, but transformational running backs like Barkley can turn a losing team around just like that. Just look at the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is a talented quarterback who will likely have a long career ahead of him. But make no mistake about it: it's running back Ezekiel Elliott that makes that team go. In his rookie year, the Cowboys went 13-3; prior to his arrival, the team went 4-12. Don't think for a moment Gettleman wasn't aware of that before the draft. Manning might be in the twilight of his career, but with Barkley touching the ball, say 20 or 30 times, it could be one helluva twilight.

Whether you're picking second or twenty-second, the rule is the same: you pick the best talented player on the board. Period. That's what Gettleman did when he chose Barkley. It's why the Giants are a much better team today than they were yesterday.

Rangers Finally Call It A Night

Give Jeff Gorton this much: when the Rangers' GM made the announcement on February 8 that the team was going to be sellers at the trade deadline, he wasn't joking. Sellers? The last time we saw a selloff like this, Charlie Finley was the owner of the Oakland A's.

Consider the moves Gorton made over the last week: Defenseman Nick Holden to the Bruins for defenseman Rob O'Gara and a 2018 third-round pick; forward Michael Grabner to the Devils for a 2018 second-round pick and defensive prospect Yegor Rykov; forward Rick Nash to the Bruins for a 2018 first-round pick, forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey, defenseman Ryan Lindgren and a 2019 seventh-round pick; and last but not least, defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Lightning for a 2018 first-round pick, forward Vladislav Namestnikov, prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek, as well as a conditional 2019 pick that could be a number one if Tampa wins the Stanley Cup this year.

Throw in the waiving of defenseman Brendan Smith the day after Gorton's decree and the buyout of defenseman Dan Girardi and the trading of center Derek Stepan and goalie Anti Raanta over the summer for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and a 2017 first-round pick and you have an almost one-third turnover in personnel in less than a year. If you happen to own a 2016-17 yearbook, put it someplace special. It'll be worth something one day.

Let's get a couple of things straight here. First, Gorton didn't dismantle the '79 Canadiens. This core, while talented, never delivered on its promise. Two trips to the conference finals and one cup final appearance in six years is nice, but it's hardly what I would call a run. Compare what the Blackhawks did during a similar stretch: three Stanley Cups and a conference final loss to the Kings. Now that's a run.

Secondly, while this "fire sale" might seem extreme, quite frankly it's two years overdue. Since their unceremonious exit in the conference finals in 2015 against the Lightning, the Rangers have endured two consecutive seasons in which they underachieved: a first-round humiliation at the hands of the Penguins in 2016 and a second-round upset to the Senators last year. Any reasonably objective observer of this team would've concluded that its window had closed. To allow the decline to go any further would've been gross negligence.

Given that the Rangers telegraphed their intentions - never a good idea - I'm surprised at the haul Gorton got back for his players. Holden, Grabner and Nash were due to be unrestricted free agents over the summer. Rentals rarely fetch such high returns. As for McDonagh and Miller, well let's just say that the former hasn't come close to his near Norris trophy play since 2015, and was, even at the age of 28, showing signs of wear and tear. And so far as Miller is concerned, he was a bit of an enigma: there were games where he played like the best forward on the team, and others where he wound up in what John Davidson used to refer to as Chateau Bow Wow (the dog house).

Now comes the hard part. Tearing down a team is easy; all you need is a phone. Putting one together is where it gets interesting. Gorton has a shitload of draft picks at his disposal this Spring: three number ones, two number twos and two number threes. What he does with them will determine whether this rebuild is successful or ends up being his Waterloo. He also has at least two NHL caliber forwards in Spooner and Namestnikov, as well as some interesting, if untested, prospects. Spooner contributed two assists in a loss to the Red Wings in his first game as a Ranger and Namestnikov was having a career year playing alongside Stephen Stamkos.

The first objective for Gorton will be to draft a number one center to replace the departed Stepan. It's clear that Mika Zibanejad, though competent, was never going to fill that void. And while Kevin Hayes has talent, that talent is better suited on the wing. Gorton doesn't need to get a Mark Messier or Sidney Crosby, but he'd better not wind up with another Pavel Brendl. At the rate the blue shirts are plummeting in the standings, their own number one pick could well turn out to be THE number one. So the pressure will be on him not to screw up.

Next up for Gorton will be to add some size to this team. It was no secret that the Rangers lacked the physical presence to go toe to toe with the bigger teams in the league. All throughout the 2015 playoffs their opponents – first the Caps, then the Lightning – bottled up the middle on them, forcing them to the perimeter. That, more than anything else, was the reason they didn’t make it back to the finals. Apart from Chris Kreider, there isn’t a single forward on this team that can drive to the net with authority. Gorton must address this weakness.

Last but not least comes the coach. The brain trust will have to decide over the summer whether Alain Vigneault should be retained behind the bench. If he stays, he will have to agree to some changes. There’s little argument that the key to winning in the NHL is a strong transition game. Getting the puck up ice as quickly as possible has now become standard operating procedure. But speed is but one component of a successful team. Dumping the puck into the corner and grinding it out is another. And while Vigneault can’t be faulted for his team’s lack of size, he can be faulted for not adjusting his philosophy of coaching, especially during the playoffs where the Rangers’ transition game was often stymied by bigger and brawnier opponents. Also, Vigneault’s style of coaching tends to favor older, more established teams that have a veteran presence. Apart from Henrik Lundqvist, Mats Zuccarello and Marc Staal, there isn’t a single player on this team who comes close to 30 and who has more than six years in the league.

If Gorton and Glen Sather feel Vigneault is not the right man for this rebuild, they have a suitable replacement already behind the bench. Lindy Ruff has done a good job with the young crop of defensemen he has inherited and with a couple of exceptions – the blowout to the Bruins that precipitated the selloff being one of them – the overall play in their end has been credible. Plus, he’s a former blue shirt and the franchise has a history of staying in the family whenever possible. He’s been to the finals twice; once as an assistant coach with Florida in 1996, the other as head coach of Buffalo in ’99. If he has one flaw, it’s that he tends to be a little too outspoken with respect to the media, a trait John Tortorella exhibited on numerous occasions. The league has fined him twice for remarks he made towards officials.

I'm actually encouraged by what's happened here. This is a franchise that historically has had a hard time letting go. It takes a lot of courage to admit defeat, but it's an important step in any recovery process.

Reese's Pieces

So now that Tom Coughlin has "resigned" as Giants' head coach, the sixty-four thousand question that begs to be answered is why didn't Jerry Reese "resign" as well. Because if it's fair game to hold Coughlin accountable for how the wheels came off this season, it's only reasonable to hold Reese accountable for providing the wheels in the first place.

Look, Coughlin did a poor job this year. That's fairly obvious, but he didn't exactly have the '72 Dolphins to work with. It is the G.M.'s job to give his coach the tools to win and Reese has done a lousy job. The offense, save for Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr, is paper thin, and the once vaunted defense is the worst in the NFL. That wasn't Coughlin's fault. Indeed, the two-time Superbowl-winning coach had almost no support from his front office. Jerry Reese took the reigns from Ernie Accorsi who had carefully built two championship teams.

In addition to drafting Manning, the list of players Accorsi either drafted or signed includes Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Antonio Pierce, Chris Snee, Plaxico Burress, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. He also hired Coughlin. By comparison, Reese brought in Victor Cruz, Jason Pierre Paul and Beckham and little more. While all three were considerable additions, they weren't nearly enough to propel the team by themselves. As Accorsi's players either retired or departed for other teams, Reese's replacements couldn't cut it.

Whoever the Giants pick to coach the team in 2016, this much is certain: if Reese doesn't do a considerably better job at bringing in talent, the results will be the same. Another disappointing season and another year in which Eli Manning will not have a shot at winning a Superbowl. The Mara family has a long history of being patient, sometimes to a fault, with their employees. They certainly showed that patience with Coughlin. Virtually any other coach would've been fired a year or two ago. Just look at what happened to Chip Kelly after just one losing season in Philadelphia. But their reluctance to fire Reese might well come back to haunt them. While Reese may be only the third general manager since 1979, he is by far the least effective.

And now he is tasked with rebuilding a team he had a huge role in dismembering.

Ya Gotta Bereave

In a word, it was brutal. How brutal? This one statistic, more than any other, summed it up best.  Of the 53 innings in the 2015 World Series, the Royals led in only 13 of them. And keep in mind, five of those 13 innings came in game two.

Going into the fall classic, the Mets had one advantage over the Royals: their starting pitching. And with the exception of game two, the starters certainly did their job. So why was this series so lopsided? Why did a team which led for 40 out of 53 innings and had late-inning leads in four of the five games in the series come up short? Three reasons: a lack of clutch hitting, a porous bullpen and shoddy defense. In every measurable metric, sans the starting pitching, the Royals were by far the superior team.

Sadly, you could see this day coming. Since the trade deadline deals that Sandy Alderson pulled off, the Mets were a streaky team offensively, led by Yoenis Cespedes. There's no denying he carried the team from the dog days of August through mid September, when he began to cool off. Indeed, this team feasted off of some of the worst pitching in the National League. The Mets went from one of the worst scoring teams in the majors to one of the best virtually overnight.

But they lived primarily on the long ball, more so than any other contending team. Coupled with their starting pitching, they had a huge advantage over both the Dodgers and the Cubs. So much so, that their two biggest flaws - the bullpen and shaky defense - never played a factor. Terry Collins was able to ride his starters deep into games, even using his closer to get the final six outs in the deciding game against the Dodgers.

But the Royals were successfully able to expose the Mets' flaws. Their ability to put the ball in play severely tested a defense that was in over its head. And the bullpen was, for all intents and purposes, a total failure. From Jeurys Familia's blown saves in games one, four and five, to Tyler Clippard's inability to get crucial outs as a set-up man, it was painful to watch. Small wonder why Collins elected to allow Matt Harvey to start the 9th inning in game five. He was about as close to perfection as any pitcher had been for the Amazin's in the entire series.

And then there were the errors committed by David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda, all of them costly. Wright's poor throw in game one set up the eventual game-winning run; Murphy's inability to field a ground ball opened up the flood gates in game four; and Duda's wide throw to the plate in game five allowed the tying run to score. Marv Throneberry would've been proud.

But it was their lack of clutch hitting that really did the Mets in. The bottom of the 6th inning in game five was a textbook example of how not to win a series. The Mets loaded the bases with no outs and the most they were able to score was one run. One stinking run! Conversely, whenever the Royals got runners in scoring position, as they tended to do in the later innings, they usually plated them. They put on a clinic in every game except game three.

So now that it's over, where do the Mets go from here? Clearly, Alderson has some decisions to make. He's already put to bed one question: whether to bring back Collins. The organization signed him to a two-year extension. While I'm not a huge Collins' fan, I have to admit, there weren't a lot of options. He may not be the best, but he's far from the worst this team could do and, unlike the meltdown that occurred with the Washington Nationals, his players seem to love him. Go figure.

Next up will be deciding whether to tender offers to both Cespedes and Murphy. Both played integral parts in getting the Mets to both the postseason and the World Series. Murphy had himself one of the great runs in baseball, smacking a home run in six consecutive games. But both players did virtually nothing in the Series. Not only that, both made huge errors. Cespedes got doubled off first base when a liner by Duda was caught, ending game four and let's not forget the aforementioned flub by Murphy earlier in the game.

If I had to guess, I'd say the Mets let Cespedes walk without an offer. No way they're going to give him the $200 million he's looking for, and for once, I'm on their side in this. The problem with Cespedes is that he's vulnerable against top-notch pitching. He either drives the ball to Pluto or he grounds out. Murphy, however, is another story. For the right price, I'd bring him back. Yes he's a liability in the field, but his ability to play multiple positions, coupled by a low strikeout ratio, will make him a good fit.

That leaves the bullpen as Alderson's next and most essential project. Clippard has pitched his last game in a Mets' uniform. Good riddance. That means a replacement for him is essential. Addison Reed could fill his shoes. Or Alderson could look outside the system and acquire someone either through trade or free agency. He will also have to find a lefty. Every good team in baseball has one in the pen that can get valuable outs, except the Mets. And if Bartolo Colon can be enticed to accept a relief role, he could be that bridge that Collins has been looking for.

The loss of Cespedes means that we will find out what Juan Lagaris is made of. If Alderson isn't comfortable with him in center, a replacement will have to be found. That won't be easy. Good center fielders don't grow on trees. Michael Conforto should come into his own as the permanent left fielder. He has good power and can hit for average. And while Duda will never win a gold glove at first, he's still better than anybody else in the system.

Come July, the Mets will have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball with the return of Zach Wheeler from Tommy John surgery. If they can hold their own offensively, they will be contenders for the eastern division of the National League. They may have gotten shellacked by the Royals, but brighter days are ahead for this franchise.