At 3:15 AM this morning, the New York Mets fired manager Willie Randolph. The Mets are currently underachieving with a record of 34-35, though the firing may have had more to do with the team’s monumental collapse at the end of 2007’s regular season. The Mets have posted winning numbers in each of Randolph’s three complete seasons, but with a payroll of $138 million, Randolph has apparently come up short—at least in the eyes of general manager Omar Minaya.

My take: The Mets are a classic example of a team built too much around free agency, much like the Yankees. Bulking up their roster with big names on year to year basis, they lack the chemistry necessary to make a World Series drive.