NOT MUCH TO SAY
Questions abound, but Mets keep David mum
Everyone wants to know about Wright’s future, but Mets tell him to keep quiet
PORT ST. LUCIE — On the morning after the Mets' signed his full-time replacement at third base, David Wright rolled into the Mets' springtraining complex in his black pickup truck around 8:45 a.m. to continue his rehabilitation work from a couple of years of career-threatening back and neck injuries.
He departed nearly four hours later, but in one of those silly micromanaging arrangements that only the Mets seemingly back themselves into regularly, Wright claimed multiple times on Tuesday that the team essentially told him not to talk to the media until training camp officially starts a week from now.
“They said I can’t talk until everyone gets here next week,” Wright offered in the parking lot upon arriving in the morning. “They asked me again not to talk until they get down here,” Wright added from his front seat before departing First Data Field around 12:30 p.m.
I get it, believe me, that some fans will say they don’t care about the players’ interactions with the media, but one day after the signing of Jersey boy Todd Frazier, there are legitimate questions and concerns Mets fans have about Wright, and they should get to hear from him.
He’s still a beloved figure and the captain of this team. His voice on these issues matters.
But once again, this goes back to the warranted criticism the organization always faces — from the Wilpons down — about needing to micromanage any messages the team wants to portray publicly.
What does the hobbled captain think about the Mets adding Frazier to man his position for the next two years? When, if at all, does he expect to even resume routine baseball activities? Is he any closer to announcing his retirement than he was in vowing prior to the end of last season that he fully intended to be back?
Those answers will have to wait, for now, as well as what Wright believes the Frazier signing means for his immediate future with the only organization he’s ever known in pro ball.
All of that, of course, clearly is Wright’s prerogative to divulge, except that the always-affable former All-Star made it clear to two New York reporters that he gladly would have spoken about Frazier and his own health on Tuesday if not requested to remain mum by the Mets.
Wright’s a 35-year-old grown man, and he always has been more than accommodating, handling and comporting himself with the media as well as any athlete in this town in recent memory. He clearly could have ignored the Mets’ request and granted a brief, innocuous, interview, but that’s not really the point.
According to a Mets spokesman, “We had a plan and we’re sticking to it,” which is why Michael Conforto — also here already in his comeback bid from major shoulder surgery — and possibly a few starting pitchers similarly won’t be taking questions until camp opens.
That was reasonable in Wright’s case, at first, since he spoke expansively to MLB.com a couple of weeks ago about his concerns for the future, saying “everything is a concern for me.” But Frazier’s signing clearly is a game-changer for both the Mets and for Wright.
One of Wright’s most admirable traits through the years has been his loyalty, of course, and the Mets stubbornly have reciprocated in keeping third base warm for him through all of the injuries the past three seasons.
Frazier’s arrival from the Bronx — for two years and $17 million — clearly signals that the Mets finally have come to the realization that Wright no longer can be counted on to resume his playing career.
“David’s a great guy, David’s a great player. I don’t really know how to answer that question because from what I’ve seen, he’s moving around great, looks really athletic and he’s looking good,” teammate Travis d’Arnaud said. “It’s tough. He’s always been the leader of the clubhouse.
“I think the biggest loss has just been having him not in the clubhouse. He keeps everyone accountable and just picks everyone up when they’re down, too. It’s such a big loss not having him there. But he looks great, like I said, he looks really athletic and he’s moving around really good.”
Wright allowed only that he feels “good,” aside from a cold he’s currently battling. As of last week, however, the Mets’ $138 million captain — with three years and $47 million remaining on that contract — hadn’t even been cleared to engage in simple baseball tasks.
“David’s such a great guy. I think he’s gonna be great with (the Frazier signing),” d'Arnaud added. It would have been nice to hear that — or anything at all — from Wright. The micromanaging Mets made sure that didn’t happen.