In 2012, the New York Mets are celebrating their 50th anniversary in Major League Baseball. In 2013, the Mets will host another celebration.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Major League Baseball is set to announce that the 2013 MLB All-Star Game will take place at Citi Field in Queens. The Times report cited a "person familiar with the decision," with the announcement due to take place on Wednesday at City Hall. It would be the second All-Star Game in New York City in six seasons after the Yankees hosted the Midsummer Classic in 2008, the final year for both the old Yankee Stadium and the Mets' former home at Shea Stadium, which hosted one All-Star game, in 1964.
There hasn't been much good news for the Mets in recent years, with late-season collapses in 2007 and 2008 followed by three consecutive sub-.500 finishes as the team played under the shadow of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, which saw multimillion-dollar losses for team owners Saul Katz and Fred Wilpon and a lawsuit against the ownership group that was settled for $162 million earlier this year. In the midst of that financial peril, the Mets lost shortstop Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins during free agency this past winter.
Meanwhile, when the Mets have opened the checkbook in recent years, it generally hasn't worked out. Left fielder Jason Bay hit .245 with 12 home runs in 2011 while making more than $18 million, after hitting .259 with six homers the year before. Frankie Rodriguez saw his blown saves skyrocket after signing with the Mets for more than $30 million in 2008. Johan Santana has pitched well when healthy since coming to the Mets, going 41-27 with a 2.85 ERA, but he has struggled with injuries and missed the entire 2011 season. General manager Sandy Alderson has had his work cut out for him since he came to the Mets in 2010, and it would be easy to joke that an All-Star game is the only way to generate any kind of star power at Citi Field.
This season, though, the Mets have shown improvement despite the loss of Reyes. Entering Tuesday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets were 20-15, good for third in the NL East. The Mets are just two games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals, and with MLB's newly-expanded playoffs, the Mets would earn a wild card spot if the season ended today.
f course, it doesn't, and the Mets have a long way to go before they can speak of the postseason. In the meantime, they can plan for midseason festivities in 2013.