PORT ST. LUCIE — A longer runway must be built.
In a week when the Phillies made Bryce Harper the centerpiece of their organization for the next 13 years, the Mets made some news with the hiring of advisers Jessica Mendoza, Al Leiter and John Franco, giving general manager Brodie Van Wagenen more eyes and ears in the stacked NL East.
Quietly, other hires have been made in an attempt to beef up an area that needs to be improved. Omar Minaya, with Van Wagenen’s blessing, has expanded the Mets’ international scouting department in an attempt to give the organization a leg up in Latin America.