Daily Archives: November 7, 2006
…from what i can gather, the mets continue to value defense at second base, much like they did last off-season…
…essentially, they are looking for Willie Randolph, circa 1983, i.e., a scrappy, young, reliable, tough, fundamentally sound defender, who, though he may not be the best hitter in the lineup, is not a liability at the plate…
…in other words, Alfonso Soriano is not the answer…he may or may not be an option for left-field, but he’s certainly not an option at second…
…also, free-agent 2B Julio Lugo does not seem to fit this description…for years we have been hearing about Omar Minaya’s infatuation with lugo, who has told friends he will play second for the right team…however, he’s not built in the mold of willie and people around baseball will tell you his defense has slipped in recent years – regardless of what position he is playing…
…besides, the buzz around lugo points to a serious push for his services to come from boston, who see him slotting in to play shortstop, his natural position…also, the early-word out of boston suggests that lugo will seek a deal similar to the four-years, $40 million given to Edgar Renteria in 2004 – and i just don’t get the sense that the mets intend to spend this type of money on a second baseman…
…regardless, i suspect we’ll hear lugo’s name a lot, since he grew up in brooklyn, and no player gets rich without baiting the new york market…
…meanwhile, the buzz from cleveland suggests that the indians and the mets have serious interest in free-agent 2B Mark Loretta, in fact the New York Post recently wrote that loretta’s agent has acknowledged such interest from both parties…
…loretta is 34 years old, will command a less-expensive deal than lugo, and has willie-esque qualities, in that he draws walks, can bunt, doesn’t strike out often, puts the ball in play, plays a reliable second base and he stays in on double plays, which is important to willie…
…free-agent 2B Adam Kennedy is quite similar to loretta, and has also played in a ton of post-season games…in fact, he won the ALCS MVP in 2002… he may not be the greatest defensive second baseman in the league, but he plays hard, which you know willie will appreciate…the buzz from anaheim suggests kennedy is open to playing for the mets…he is said to be seeking roughly $3 million per season…
…my sense is that the team will address their outfield situation and acquire a starting pitcher before they decide on how best to proceed at second base…at that point, i expect they will end up with a guy like kennedy or loretta, or, depending on the caliber bat they end of putting in left field, they could once again role the dice on Anderson Hernandez, who is the best defensive player in the group…
As of now, the following Mets are set to be free agents this off-season:
RHP Chad Bradford
RHP Orlando Hernandez
RHP Roberto Hernandez
RHP Guillermo Mota
LHP Darren Oliver
RHP Steve Trachsel
OF Cliff Floyd
OF Ricky Ledee
OF Michael Tucker
2B Jose Valentin
IF-OF Chris Woodward
…the buzz from shea points to the mets making a serious effort to re-sign bradford and el duque…it sounds as though they wanted to retain mota, but his recent 50–game suspension puts his status in jeopardy…
…i sense they would bring back roberto hernandez, woodward and tucker on a minor-league deal should the price be right…however, i would not expect to see oliver, trachsel, floyd, ledee and valentin with this club next season, regardless of cost…
…i do think they’d welcome back oliver and bert, but the word around baseball points to these two commanding more money than the mets are comfortable spending, seeing as they have internal options that are just as good and a lot less expensive…
…with valentin, i just don’t sense the mets feel he can duplicate his production from last season – at the same time, valentin is said to see himself as a starter, and has no interest in going through a similar situation to what he was put through last spring…
…this is my first day back swapping e-mails and making phone calls to people around the league, and, while i am admittedly a bit out of the loop, the vibe i am getting is that people are pretty hyped up…no names are being talked about, as much as i keep hearing about how there is a lot of money ready to get dumped on the market…
…the thing is, people do not seem very enthused about the overall caliber of talent that is available…my sense is that, as 
usual, we’ll most likely see a few big name players immediatly re-signed, like Tom Glavine, while the market goes quiet through the winter meetings as teams talk with players, and players talk with teams…in short, i’m sensing that a lot of dancing is set to occur…
…this will make things interesting for us, mets fans, since Omar Minaya is notorious for being ansty, and abiding by the early-bird-gets-the-worm rule…the thing is, it doesn’t sound like the early worm will be out and about for him to pounce on, at least in novmeber…
…in other words, unless a team is going to seriously overpay, i get the sense things will take a while to pan out…be it the free-agent market or the trade market, if for no other reason then teams will wait to see what happens with a guy like Daisuke Matsuzaka or Gary Sheffield, since the market appears to hinge on starting pitchers and outfielders this season…
The Top Prospect Report has released its list of the Top 10 Mets Prospects following the 2006 season.
…the list does not include Lastings Milledge, so i assume TPR views him as a major-leaguer at this point…they do, however, list Carlos Gomez second…
…now, i never bother with making these type of lists, because i have only seen a few of these guys in action…however, i will say this, of all these players, gomez’s stock rose the most since the start of the season, while i sense that milledge’s has done down…
For more on the Gyro-Ball, the infamous pitch thrown by free-agent Japanese RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, check out Popular Mechanics.
According to the article, the pitch is essentially a counter-clockwise slider.
For a diagram of the pitch, created by Popular Mechanics, click here.
…i don’t know what to make of this guy…i want to buy in to the hype…however, my experience as a mets fan is telling me to settle down…
…the thing is, he’s a pitcher…and he’s young…i’m thinking Hideo Nomo, i’m thinking Chan-Ho Park…remember, they both dominated when they came to baseball…those who have failed have all been a bit older…not that this is a single reason to sign matsuzaka or not sign him, it’s just a reason for me to be less skeptical…
…here’s the thing, if the mets re-sign Tom Glavine, which most people expect them to do, and they pay $30 million, as a fee, and another $50 million, for a contract, to land matsuzaka, why not just spend that same $80 million and possible less on Barry Zito, who already has a proven track record in america, is also young and is a lefty…
…on the other hand, if matsuzaka is the real deal, and most american reporters and experts who are in japan seem to think that he is, the mets could have a unique, 26–year-old pitcher who they can market alongside Jose Reyes, David Wright and Lastings Milledge, giving them a melting-pot promotional campaign that could be beyond valuable…
…tough call…
If you’ve yet to do so, be sure and vote in this week’s MetsBlog Fan Confidence Rating by using the poll to the left…
…thanks…
In a conference call yesterday, Mets GM Omar Minaya informed reporters that the situation with Tom Glavine remains unchanged.
According to Minaya, at this point, the decision is up to Glavine, who has until Friday to accept a $7.5-million player option on his contract for next season.
…from what has been reported over the last week or so, since the mets want glavine back, the mutual option is theoretically a player option at this point…therefore, the decision facing glavine is whether to accept his option, which will give him $12.5 million for just 2007, or he can negotiate a new deal with the mets, which could be worth as much as $25 million for two years guaranteed, or he decline his option for 2007 and return to pitch for the braves at what will likely be less money…
In Newsday, Ken Davidoff writes of Glavine: “he and the Mets should hammer out a one-year deal for about $12 million by Friday.”
…since his mutual option is said to be worth $12.5 million, this news from davidoff must mean the two sides are essentially locking in a guarenteed $12.5 million for next season, as was already agreed upon for the initial option, while adding another option for 2008, which glavine currently has no protection for…if this is the case, glavine has to accept…he’s not going to get this type of deal out of atlanta, and since he and his family apparently like new york and connecticut it appears he’s got to stick around…
John Maine, Jose Reyes and David Wright are currently in Japan playing with the MLB All-Stars against the Japanese All-Stars. Julio Franco is on the team as a coach.
For what has been outstanding coverage of their tour through Japan, be sure and check out Adam Rubin’s blog for the Daily News.
Today at his blog, Rubin talks with Bobby Valentine, who has managed in Japan for two seasons, about Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Valentine tells Rubin, among other comments:
“He’s a world-class pitcher…I don’t think expectations are going to be a problem. He’s the Matsui of the pitching world.”…
…umm, hideki or kaz, who, by the way, bobby predicted would be great, as well…
For more on Valentine, and his views on Matsuzaka, read Ian Browne at MLB.com.
The 26–year-old RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka was the most valuable player of the World Baseball Classic in March. In late September, Matsuzaka was granted permission by his team in Japan, the Seibu Lions, to pursue a career in the majors.
According to a variety of reports, the Yankees, Mariners and Dodgers are among the favorites to sign Matsuzaka, with the Mets, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, Orioles and D’Backs all showing interest, as well.
Teams that are interested in signing Matsuzaka must submit a blind bid to the Seibu Lions, between Wednesday, November 1, and Wednesday, November 8.
The winning bidder will be given 30 days to exclusively negotiate with Matsuzaka’s American agent, Scott Boras.
…the buzz around baseball has long been that the winning bid to speak with matsuzaka may cost as much as $30 million…understand that this is simply a fee to speak with boras, at that point a contract still must be given to the pitcher…
As soon as bidding began, according to Newsday, the Mariners, who had long been interested, pulled out of the bidding.
…the word out of seattle suggests that the m’s pulled out because it is clear that matsuzaka has a list of specific teams he hopes to sign a contract with, and seattle is not one of them…
Reports out of Japan suggest that Matsuzaka could command a $60 million contract for his services.
…i am not sure for how many years that money is for…
The Mets reportedly sent a scout, Russ Bove, to Japan to watch Matsuzaka during September.
While Mets GM Omar Minaya played coy about the bidding process when speaking with reporters on a conference call early last week, the Newark Star-Ledger reported on November 3 that the Yankees would “definitely” submit a bid.
…if cash is king, i guess the yankees must be the favorites, right…
In the Daily News, on November 5, Adam Rubin reported that the Mets and Yankees were expected to submit their bids by tomorrow’s 5 pm deadline.
Matsuzaka, 26, is 15-4 with a 2.04 ERA in 22 starts this season for Seibu, including 12 complete games and 179 strikeouts in 163 1/3 innings. He was 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in this past spring’s World Baseball Classic.
Matsuzaka is best known for throwing what some have called The Ghost Pitch, or the Gyro Ball, or the double-spin screwball, which you can read about in this column by ESPN’s Rob Neyer…
The following appears on his Wikipedia page…
“His fastball ranges from 90-96 mph, with good late movement. He also throws a splitter, changeup and slider with almost the same delivery. He is also the pitcher most associated with the infamous gyroball, although by his own admission he does not throw one.”…
…check him out at on the video link below, throwing his infamous gyroball…
…fancy…
