Fred Expects The Best

Jeremy Cothran at The Star Ledger writes about Fred Wilpon and what he expects from the Mets this season:

Fred Wilpon not only applauds Carlos Beltran's recent boast, he echoes it.

The Mets principal owner, flanked by his son, senior vice president Jeff Wilpon, had his annual spring chat with reporters yesterday and declared the upcoming season had better be defined by success in October.

"It's a championship season," Wilpon said, measuring his words carefully. "We expect to be in the playoffs, and deep into the playoffs. That's our expectation. That's everyone around here, players, manager, Jeff, myself, and everyone that's around the club."

While expectations have been heightened, the Wilpons pointed out that it's not a make-or-break season for manager Willie Randolph should the Mets fail to reach the postseason.

"We're all accountable," Fred Wilpon said. "But no, I don't think people's jobs are on the line. I think that we're going to assess, with them, at the end of the year, 'How did we do? How did we perform?' They can't perform for the players."