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At the always-informative MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes takes a closer look at the Mets luxuries and needs.
Regarding catcher, Dierkes suggests that Rangers C Gerald Laird, Indians C Kelly Shoppach, Giants C Bengie Molina and O’s C Ramon Hernandez could all be available in a trade.
The 30–year-old Hernandez hit .290 during 2005, .275 during 2006, and just .258 with nine HR and 62 RBI in 106 games last season for the Orioles. He has $15 million and two years remaining on his current contract, which also includes an $8.5 million club option for 2010.
Meanwhile, Molina, 32, hit .276 with 19 HR and 81 RBI in 134 games for the Giants this past season. He has $12 million and two years remaining on his current deal.
…it’s still early for this type of talk, but i think it’s a logical assumption that the Mets could have interest in molina or hernandez, if for no other reason than they were on their short-list at catcher two off-season ago, as well…by the way, you’re gonna hear a lot about hernandez’s close relationship to Rick Peterson, dating back their days in oakland…i have no idea yet if this is as true as the rhetoric…
Regarding second base, Dierkes writes that, if the team does not want to bring back Luis Castillo, “I’d first learn the asking price for Orlando Hudson, Mark Ellis, and Freddy Sanchez.”
According to the Arizona Republic, during a radio interview in July, Hudson indicated that he would not be surprised if he got traded from Arizona at some point in the next season or two. He is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season.
The 29–year-old Hudson hit .271 during 2005, .287 during 2006, and .294 with 10 HR and 63 RBI for the D’Backs this past season. He has played in at least 131 games during each of his last five seasons, during which he won two Gold Gloves.
Dierkes also offers up his opinion on the starting rotation and outfield, while noting that the team’s biggest luxury is cash and prospects in the way of Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Mike Carp and Fernando Martinez.
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An interesting idea that a couple of people on MLBTR as well as other sites I’ve seen, is possibly going after one of the Cordero’s (Francisco or Chad) for a setup/backup closer this year and later successor of Wagner and giving Heilman a chance at the 5th slot, which would make sense especially if they were to turn around and offer a Humber or Pelfrey for a top of the rotation starter. Probably a bit in the realm of unlikely but another idea to toss around.
Also I love the idea of bringing over the O-Dawg if he is being shopped.
I agree, I like the idea of finally letting Heilman have a shot at starting. While I would LOVE O-dogg, he probably wont be available right now from Zona. They should lock him up. I would really like to explore Josh Barfield, since the tribe seems to have given his job to Asdrubal Cabrera. I think Heilman can at the very worst post a 4.25 era in about 190 inings with 165 K’s. Then we dont have to hear about trading Milledge or Gomez for Fat Joe Blanton.
Heilman did start and was moved to the bullpen. His issue was his consistency by far. I was at the game he threw a one hitter that should have been a no hitter, he poorly played a ball that went for an infield hit. However the starts before and after that were horrendous, it would be interesting to see if his consistency has improved as a starter but he isn’t going to get a chance to prove himself.
How about inquiring about Josh Barfield and Kelly Shoppach once the Tribe is finished in October?
Cabrera seems to have taken control of 2B and Martinez has a firm hold on catcher, and seems to be like Piazza in that he thinks of himself as a catcher.
I have no idea what Cleveland would want, or need, but if I am Minaya this is a trade I would be looking to make.
Tell me these two wouldn’t be perfect fits here? Barfield could play 2B and at the very LEAST could be the perfect platoon partner for Gotay, but could very well rediscover his stroke coming back to the NL. Shoppach is a nice young catcher that could share time with Castro, eventually taking hold of the position for the next 5-10 years.
I liked Barfield when I saw him 2 years ago in San Diego. I would be all for that deal. That may actually happen. Great thought.
I liked him in San Diego too, but he just had an atrocious year in Cleveland though. Not sure why.
Orlando Hudson would be an excellent pick up for the Mets. He solves lots of problems. He’s younger than Castillo, has better knees, great defense and some pop. Not sure what the cost would be (AZ needs some offense), but I’d try to land him if I could.
I like the thought of O-Dawg
I noticed Hudson is listed as in the minors, anyone know why.
O dawg (I don’t think I could take hearing that every day!) would be a nice solution to shore up 2B.
One of the younger catchers mentioned that has an upside would also be fine, if it didn’t cost too much.
I actually like the idea of ‘converting” some of the excess prospects (OFs say) into propects for positions of need, preferably ML ready guys.
Everything else (the OF) can be handled by what they have now (Milledge), or some 2nd tier moves for a back up (like when they got Nady or Green).
I’m still convinced that some of the younger pitchers are ready to step up and take on a more improtant role. Perez and Maine took a step or 2 last year, and can develop even more in 2008. pelfrey also can move into a “real” starter role, instead of a young guy up/down.
Olivo has a cannon for an arm and can hit for power. platoon of Castro and Olivo might work if him and Reyes can get along…
I was a huge fan of Olivo until that incident on the final Saturday. I’m sure Reyes played as big a role in that fight though.
Marlins can keep him.
Olivo and Reyes are friends in the off season. Supposedly, Reyes was talking trash like they normally do and Olivo didn’t take it that way.
I heard they were friends as well. And while I love the fact that he can throw 98 to 2nd base what would the point be of having 2 right handed catchers platooning? It would be rather pointless, you may as well have one defined starter and a backup if you don’t have them hitting from opposite sides of the plate.
i don’t think it would be wise to waist minor league chips on orlando hudson or a stop-gap catcher. these chips need to be used for starters and/or relievers.
keep castro or lo duca and pick up a free agent, light hitting catcher. for 2b, keep castillo or let gotay platoon with a defensive 2b.
probably the basic plan that Omar has, but expect him to make a move for a position player if he sees a good deal in front of him.
Won’t do much good to patch up th epen if you end up with an offense that sucks after the top 3-4 guys and can’t score runs!
Castillo and Loduca at this point are 2 giant offensive black holes. If delgado doesn’t rebound, that is a real weak stretch of the lineup.
Sure, they can get by with those guys, but if they can do better, go for it.
I don’t mind a 2B platoon though with Gotay and ??
There is a difference between an offensive black hole (LoDuca) and a perpetual injury risk (Castro) who has hit vey well 2 of his last 3 years in the league.
LoDuca isn’t all that bad for a catcher, actually. He’s not bad enough that we should give anything away to replace him. e should just be paid as a 35-yr-old league average (or worse) platoon catcher. Maybe $3-4M/yr for 1 yr w. club opt.
With Castro getting 250 at-bats, we’d only need LoDuca as a platoon catcher.
Nice to see some creative solutions being proposed (names that are a little out of the mainstream).
better than just hearing the same couple of big name washed up guys (think Steve Phillip’s favorites) and Santana after we trade the entire farm system for 1 year.
Yeah, the pen needs work, but pen guys often come out of left field. 1 more legit starter and the rotation should be fine.
So, shoring up weak spots for years to come, if it can be done, would be a nice bonus.
Remember, the market (such as available FAs) largely determines what a GM can accomplish. So even if you think the team needs to upgrade in 1 area, if the players just aren’t gettable, then improve in another area if you can.
Last year, the OF market kind of sucked (either wildly overpay in $ and years for a name like Lee or Soriano, or crap). So Omar went with ALou as a stop gap.
To me, Castillo or Laduca should be plan B for C and 2B. Only a stop gap if they can’t get a real solution.
BPs are usually half stop gaps anyway, and change year to year.
“…Yeah, the pen needs work, but pen guys often come out of left field. 1 more legit starter and the rotation should be fine.”
I take issue with this comment “stickguy”. Our pen guys always come out of right :-).
not always on the road!
I meant at Shea, but didn’t say it. You win on a technicality haha. But I do agree with you on bullpen stuff. I have noticed that releivers are usually good every other year.
Mota – hold
Schoenweis – hold
Heilman – hold
Wagner – no choice; who is available and better?Feliciano – could be a rough year
Sanchez – hopefully he will return healthy and in shape
We need Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell.
Remember, Padilla will be back as well.
agreed…LoDuca and castillo are fine for the next season and perhaps a year after. I hate to trade the big prospects for position players.
If Omar were going to trade Pelfrey or any of the outfield prospects it would be for a young front of the rotation power pitcher that the organization would have control over for two or three seasons. I know Dan Haren’s name was rumored and I think he would be the kind of guy Omar would trade for and not Santana. I think Haren would be a great acquisition. I think we have the prospects to get him. You would have to give up alot – probably Milledge/Pelfrey and a Joe Smith/Kevin Mulvey, but it may be worth doing. He’s a young durable power pitcher who throws hard…very much along the lines of Beckett and Peavy.
I honestly think Haren has more value in a trade then Santana, because of his contract status, but thats just me.
Interesting comments on the MLB trade rumors site. Consensus was that starting pitching is hard to correct and trading away Maine along with others for top flight Santana level pitcher would create a new vacuum at the 3 which is still hard to fill.
Some suggestions included Heilman to the rotation, moving Duque to the pen and occassional spot starter and if Pelfrey doesn’t look like he turned the corner on starting…place him in the pen.
I can definitely see the logic on the pitching side of trading for Santana and using Maine as a chip with say Gomez and one other prospect (mid level) Then move Heilman to the rotation and Pelfrey to the pen
Starters – Santana, Pedro, O Perez, Heilman and pick up a guy like Livan or take a flyer on Colon. Humber and Mulvey and Duque as insurance for injuries
Pen – Wagner and Feliciano are givens, Dump Mota and Shoe for whatever is possible, Duque in long relief, Joe Smith gets one of the spots, Duaner competes for anotherif healhty or Pelfrey gets an opportunity (if not then AAA for him as a starter)….then sign a Fransisco Cordero or trade for a Joe Nathan type and resign Sosa.
Positionally speaking.. the Mets hit enough to be ranked 3rd in the NL. Point being don’t do too much for something that is not broken. Keep Delgado at 1b, Resign Alou and Castillo, explore an upgrade at catcher but not for much…if nothing else presents, resign LoDuca. Gotay on the bench with Damon Easley return and Marlon Anderson along with back up catcher and Endy Chavez.. Start Milledge and let him do his thing. He will hit enough to be your #7 spot in the lineup.
I agree with most of your points, except I think trading away Maine is going to be a huge mistake. Over the next few years, he could be a wash vs. whoever they pick up, other than he costs a lot less in $$!
I’m also leaning more toward Heilmann to the rotation though. If they need to get younger, that’s a place to look.
Exactly, Heilman can be the young innings eater everybody keeps talking about. And guess what? he wont cost us Milledge and Pelfrey for blanton. He may even be better then Blanton
I doubt he could be an innings eater with his perrenial tendonitis in his throwing elbow.
I was at a blow-it-up-and-start-over state of mind as recent as a week ago. I didn’t want the legacy of this collapse to linger with the same players appearing in ‘08. But we are not Cubs, Pirates, or BoSox fans. We will never accept or be comfortable with losing. And with that, I have high hopes that this organization will not either.
So I have come back down off the ledge a bit and honestly agree with your general idea. I don’t think too much needs to be revamped other than the bullpen. Perhaps Santana is not what we need, considering the price. I posted yesterday the following list of tangible reasons to why the Mets have a 0-0 October record in 2007:
“- Alou being out and replaced with lack of experience and/or no Endy to fill in.
- Delgado not ever getting over his injury with a sub-par season. The middle of the lineup was not solidified until August.
- No Pedro, trickling down to lack of rotation depth.
- Lack of bullpen effectiveness and depth.
The first 3 take care of themselves in ‘08. Alou, if signed, will likley only play 110 games. A healthy Endy and Gomez will fill in fine. I actually like the idea of going young and athletic by putting Gomez, Milledge, and Endy in the corners surrounding Beltran. But you cannot argue with Alou’s bat and professionalism. So I’ll take either option. Delgado should hit better and remain in the 6 spot. Pedro….he’s back…enough said. The only missing cog that will not cure itself is the pen. Omar made monumental errors with the Mota and Shoeweiss moves and not re-signing Bradford (who was one of my top 3 team MVPs in ‘06). I feel replacing him with garbage made much of the difference this year b/c the poor bullpen put undo pressure on the offense and starting staff. Omar must address this horrible bullpen first and foremost in ‘08. ”
Though not a priority, any upgrade at 2nd base is highly welcomed. I love the ideas of Hudson, Ellis, or Sanchez in the 2-spot. The fact that they are young is an added plus. But I can deal with Castillo or an Easily/Gotay platoon.
Catcher…LoDuca’s fine. I love his fire. Just don’t bat him anywhere but #8.
Highest priority: I want this bullpen fixed. Mota must be shown the door. Shoenwiess and his ridiculous contract can play the Sele role. As for additions, any of the big names mentioned will due. Hell…I’d shell out 12-14M per for Mariano and not think twice.
Those are the on-paper fixes. The off-paper intangible cures to this teams approach is it’s own essay. I won’t get into it. But let’s just say these players, coaches, and Execs better march to a different order in ‘08.
I agree with alot of what you have to say as well. I dont think there is any excuse for not getting Santana. He is a stopper every fifth day, number one, stud, ace, etc. I/We have been a little spoiled at the catcher position (Carter, Hundley, Piazza, LoDuca) so I would like to see us getting a young catcher that will stick for 5-10 years but it isnt that easy. There is a debate as to whether or not we shouild go after Hudson in a deal and I am still undecided. Save what prospects we have left after pursuing Santana or get a guy who gives us a sick fielding middle infield? Latter sounds good but at what cost?
Hudson had a season ending thumb injury and Ojeda stepped in so well Hudson might be expendable, its in Az paper today.
Oliva might get released would be a free agent or waiver wire.
Don’t give up the Maine. I think he and Perez are becoming bona-fide Mets (i.e. the fans associate them with the team and root for them) and part of the Mets identity. I was pulling hard for Maine’s no-hit bid.
They also happen to be the best we can get for the money. Very solid #2 and 3 starters. If either Pelfrey or Humber (or both) get it going and we get an ace in ‘09, we have a pretty nice rotation.
Though Boston is in a bit of a hole right now, I think they offer a model for the Mets to follow: they built this team around starting pitching. They gave up top prospects to get Beckett and backed up the truck to bring in Dice-K.
The Mets will not go far in the post season without top-shelf front line starting pitchers. Omar understood that when he grossly overpaid to bring in Pedro but he seems to have forgotten it and more recently gone for economical solutions, which have obviously failed.
So, I think first and foremost the Mets must deploy their assets (players and money) to secure a ‘one’ and ‘two’ starter and then see where they are. I’m sure they will still have enough resources to field a very competitive team.
It wasn’t really that Omar forgot it, it was more like there wasn’t anyone available that was “top shelf”. Remember, he had a deal in place for Roy Oswalt (giving away Heilman and Milledge) that was nixed at the last minute. He put up a 38 million dollar bid for Dice K which was second to Boston. He could have gotten Freddy Garcia, Javier Vazquez, or Joe Blanton, but none of those guys were top shelf. And he could have given Zito a 7 year deal for 120 million, but that would have been a waste since he is a #3 starter at best right now.
Its a fair response. I forgot about Oswalt. I was always a fan of Vasquez and thought the Mets should have made a move for him last year. He has great stuff, throws a ton of innings, and to me would be a second or third starter in the lighter-hitting NL.
Vasquez as your 5th starter is excellent. As your #2, 3 or 4, you are screwed
The only thing about Vazuez is he sucked in Ny as a yankee. Maybe that worries Omar.
Trade for Burnett.. he has filthy stuff, acquire Barfield,and B. Molina … bring back Alou….and get Cordero …..that would be perfect.
You see, and this thread was getting so creative–next, some dude will come in with that “Trade Reyes for Santana and sign A-Rod” nonsense.
What’s Josh Bard’s contract status? Mike Napoli?
Burnett averages less innings than Maine and Perez. Yes, he has filthy stuff, but the bullpen will be worked overtime (which was a big issue this past season).
Burnett seems like he always throws alot of pitches and ends up destroying his arm season after season. I remember following him right after he returned from the DL this season and he was throwing 125 pitches.
He would be a gamble and probably would not come cheap.
burnett is NEVER healthy. he probably gets injured in the off season as well. you cannot give up talent for him. he is way less reliable than El Duque, even. I would love to know how much money he has made for his career, and how many starts he has missed, all told. Guys like Haren, Bedard, Santana. I would trade a whole lot for Bedard. But I don’t think we have a whole lot.
If we wanted Burnett we would have signed him as a free agent. Dont need to give up prospects for a guy we could have had for just cash.
hernandez is lazy as heck….just what the mets need *eyes rolling*
it would be nice to have a catcher that has a gun and can actually throw our runners for a changes. sick of wet noodles like piazza and loduca.
I bet you hated it when Piazza’s bat carried the team for years. Throwing runners out is overrated.
Even a catcher with the best gun might get a bad pitch to throw on . Yes I know Piazza couldn’t throw a runner out on a pitch out but that doesnt change the fact that the guy was an absolute beast at the plate.
The 2007 season was a disaster for a number of reasons, but the catcher spot wasn’t one of them. I say bring back Lo Duca and save the trade chips for another day, like, say, to get some PITCHING.
Yea…unless you can get a Molina salary dump done on the cheap prospect wise, I would not advocate another catcher besides LoDuca. The C position should not be making or breaking your team, neither should 2b frankly.
These positions need to be addressed but there are, as others have stated, many more pressing needs like SP and bullpen.
I agree Skillsets. I think the prudent thing to do in a season with such a collapse, is to try not to fully concentrate on those last two weeks. The Mets couldn’t do anything right (gave up a ton when the scored a lot, didn’t score when they got good pitching).
The real thing to do is look at what cost us the majority of the losses earlier in the season. The games in May, June, July, when we could have had this thing wrapped up. The main problems were:
1. Spotty bullpen work.
2. Injuries on offense
3. Good, but inconsistent starting pitching in the second half.
To me, that translates into the following needs:
1. Bullpen help could come in many forms. A free agent like F. Cordero would be great, if he would accept closer’s money to setup for a year, or until he surpasses Wagner. Frees up Heilman to be used as trade bait as well, but then another reliever would also be needed. Bringing back Bradford would be huge as well, if it didn’t take top shelf prospects to get him.
2. I certainly think the Mets can get younger on offense by picking up someone to platoon with Gotay at second, and starting Milledge in right (using Chavez as the 4th of). That takes Green and Castillo’s age out of the equation, and would leave 5 of 8 starters at age 30 or below, and allow the Mets the comfort of having Alou, LoDuca, and Delgado as the only over 30 starters.
3. The front end starter will of course be the hardest to get, especially if the Mets don’t include Milledge in the deal. Heilman, Pelfrey, Gomez would have to be the top chips. Not sure that gets Johan Santana.
i want santana real bad… but i dont think its worth trading the farm for anyone.
Look at what colorado is doing. the way to win now is by building your farm and trusting your young guys. If someone is willing to trade their farm for him… then lets just hope they are in the American league. When he is a FA, then throw a ton of $$ at him.
We have a good group of young guys here. Lets not change course and lose faith in the future.
Why does this always happen? One low salary team gets hot in the playoffs and suddenly everyone thinks they have it right and the rest of the league screwed up. Trust prospects? Tampa Bay Devil Rays… enough said.
Plus, your 3 guys over 30 (well over actually!) will all be in the last year of their contracts, assuming LoDuca comes back on a 1 year + options type of deal.
Not a bad place to be in, especially if there are newcomers, or desirable FAs, to slot in to replace them.
That’s one reason I like the idea of locking into a younger catcher if possible that will be around for a few years. If you don’t do it this year, probably have to do it next year.
Say they did the Gotay/platoon partner for 2B, and get a legit catcher.
For 2009, that leaves LF and 1B vacant.
Dunn and Teix are potential 1B FAs, or maybe Carp blossoms by then.
LF, is Gomez ready? Or someone else from the trade or FA pool.
If they do roll over Castillo and Duke for s/t deals, they still have to replace them soon, so have to conserve some sort of trading chips to do so.
Good points. But no need to pick up someone to platoon with Gotay at 2b. He was already on the ‘07 roster. His name is Easley. And he murders lefties.
GET GUILLERMO MOTA THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BASEBALL TEAM!!!!!!
Agreed. The Mota Circus has to stop.
I have been warming to the idea of getting mo for the pen…
it would take some ego stroking to do it… but imagine the lefty righty combo of Mo and Billy in the pen.
Someone said this somewhere… you hear enter sandman play but who is it… the lefty or righty?
you could then bring one in a tight spot in the 8th, then the other finishes the 9th… you dont have to worry about rest as one will prob always be available…
the only question is would mo go for it? you would have to overpay…
I came to this realization yesterday. Mo makes complete and total sense. Do a ‘Nasty Boys’ or Mcdowell/Orosco combo. It works.
3 years @ 12-14M each year.
Do it.
Except for the fact that Wagner can’t pitch in anything other than a closer’s role.
The best move here is to trade for someone like Cordero or Rauch and hope that one of their walking wounded (Sanchez or Padilla) are good enough to pitch next season.
Heilman, Cordero, Sanchez, Wagner seems pretty freaking solid to me.
“Except for the fact that Wagner can’t pitch in anything other than a closer’s role.”
I honestly don’t know if that is true or not. I would agree more with a “won’t” than I will the “can’t”. Because I can really see his ego as a major obstacle. But Billy’s a MLB pitcher who should be able to come out of the pen in any situation. I’m not buying “can’t”
Franco did the same thing when Benitez came on board. And we were winning 90 games a clip in those seasons due mainly to the depth and effectiveness of the pen. I’ll take Wagner over Franco anyday and a Sunday doubleheader. And I honestly don’t think a Mariano-to-Benitez comparison is really worth the effort of typing.
If Wagner wants the ring…perhaps he should be open to this idea. B/C I don’t think Billy can get us there when the leaves start to turn. And there is no shame in being a part of a chamopionship team that featured the greatest bullpen of all time. A Mariano/Wagner combo is what that becomes.
Is $12-14M per year for Mariano really too much considring the instant effect it has on the bullpen. It allows the rotation to breath and the lineup practically to play a 7 inning game.
I cannot get over the enormous effect of just this one acquisition.
Too Bad Mariano will be in NYC…just on a different team. :(
Hey I’ve got an idea… let’s clone Wagner and Rivera to create a switch-throwing super pitcher. We’ll just have him pitch every single inning of the season [add some Cy Young into the genes] and we won’t have any more worries.
According to Buster Olney, the A’s are thinking about moving Justin Duchscherer to the starting rotation. This would probably make one of Harden, Haren, or Blanton available.
The Mets will never actually make a trade with the A’s. they will just always tease us with these romors, but beane will always ask for the moon, and Omar will hopefully be smart enough to keep saying no.
Agreed. Beane will ask for Milledge at minimum along with Pelfrey/Humber and another prospect probably to start for Blanton. I don’t even want to know what his price for Haren would be.
Ramon Hernandez has a clause or some unwritten agreement that he won’t be traded to a NY team (Mets or Yankees). So forget him. He sucks anyway. Just re-sign Lo Duca if you want Hernandez.
More 2008 NY Mets Roster projection… by Matt of RotoWorld
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/column.aspx?sport=MLB&columnid=2&articleid=29152
Projected New: RF Kosuke Fukudome,C Ramon Hernandez, Bartolo Colon, Kevin Gregg
Tell me what you think?
Random thoughts…
* Manny Ramirez’ recent comments about possibly losing the 2007 ALCS to the Indians not being a big deal may be the impetus for the Red Sox to finally trade their malcontent LF to any team that would give them reasonable value for him. And for the last 2 or 3 years that Manny has been talked about in the off-season, the Mets have always been among the handful of teams that have consistently been linked to such rumors. The fact that Minaya has chased Manny before keeps giving life to such rumors. I would expect to see more “Manny to the Mets?” headlines coming soon…
* I like the idea of trading for Bengie Molina or Roberto Hernandez, but giving up alot for either would not be my preference. Molina (my preference) would be perfect because he has a better than average arm behind the plate, calls a decent game, and would be a good offensive contributer. Furthermore, he only has 2 years remaining on his contract, which is a good thing, because in two years time you might have Tony Pena ready to come up to take over the starting catching duties on a full time basis for the Mets…
* Forget the A’s, they are nearly as bad, but not quite as bad as trying to make a trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. I have allowed myself the fantasy of devising trades to bring Kazmir back to the Mets, and was wondering what it would take to get the DRays to part with Carl Crawford as well. Getting Kazmir would be impossible; getting both Crawford & Kazmir would be a pipedream. I see Rocco Baldelli as more gettable, and he has enough power & youth (provided he could stay healthy) that he would obtain near cult status almost immediately with the Mets by playing right field. When the day comes that Beltran can’t play CF any longer and a shift to RF is necessary to save his knees, Baldelli could then shift to CF, as he’s a natural centerfielder. Again, I can’t see the DRays being reasonable even in a trade for Baldelli, but it’s a nice thought…
* What happens to Milledge? Well, provided the Mets don’t trade for a Manny or Baldelli (unlikely), Milledge plays RF, unless of course he is used as a chip to trade for the likes of a Haren or Santana. I don’t see Santana being traded to the Mets this offseason however. I think the July deadline is probably the time we will see Santana move anywhere, and maybe not even then. Billy Beane has proven you can build a pretty good farm system of prospects if you let your Type A free agents sign elsewhere, because you will get two 1st round draft picks in return. The Twins and A’s have been very astute player evaluators in building and drafting their farm systems, so to assume the Twins WILL trade Santana is to overlook their desire to both win next year and build towards the future… something our current Mets are trying to do as well by having protected their best prospects thus far…
* The 2B wish list of Hudson, Ellis, or Sanchez is very nice, with Hudson being the most likely available. I would salivate at the chance to stick his gold glove and good stick in our lineup. Problem is the DBacks will want the same things for Hudson that the Mets are currently chasing, pitching. Barfield is an intriguing thought, and if he could be had with Riske as well, how sweet would that be? Just can’t see the Indians moving both without asking for a lot in return. To be honest, I’d be more interested in Cliff Lee or Jeremy Sowers who were both sent back to the minors before this year’s playoff rosters were set. Again, despite not being needed for the playoffs (and their need to “mature” a little more), I can’t see the Indians trading either Lee or Sowers without a decent return. Barfield might be “gettable”, but expecting to get a Riske or Lee also may be asking for more than we are willing to pay in prospects…
* I don’t make the mistake of over valuing our prospects anymore. It seems the rest of MLB isn’t quite enamored with anyone we have outside of Milledge or Pelfrey. In fact, I think Pelfrey would be valued higher than Milledge at this point because of his potential to be a #1 or #2 starter. So don’t expect to see a Haren or Santana in our rotation anytime soon unless Pelfrey’s name is part of that equation…
* Speaking of prospects, when I see Carlos Gomez, I think how wonderful it would be to hang onto him and hope he could be at least the equivalent of the next Alex Rios or better. But there is also a part of me that sees him and thinks this is the second coming of Alex Escobar, and that we should trade Gomez now while he still has some value that could be used to bring in an “ace” pitcher or top flight bullpen arm…
* After what happened at the end of the regular season, I’m actually looking more forward to 2009 than I am 2008, mainly because this off season is going to be very disappointing to Mets fans. Why? Because there is a crappy free agent market with which to improve from, and trades will not come easy because of the corner the Mets have painted themselves into. When other GMs know that you are desperate to change the makeup of your team, they are not going to bend over backwards to help you out. They are going to use the leverage of your desperation against you. That is why this off season will be much tougher and frustrating for Minaya, because he will have to overpay in money or prospects to make any type of signing or trade work out for the Mets advantage. If Minaya sticks by his guns as he has in the past and continues to say “no” by holding onto his prospects, this team will be relatively unchanged from the team that ended play in 2007…
* Now here is why I am looking forward to 2009… Delgado off the books… hopefully Scott Boras can be counted on for his usual greed, and that will make Mark Teixeira available to the highest bidder in NY, which I would prefer to be the Mets of course. In fact, if Santana were also available in 2009, I’d want to grab him also, but getting both Tex and Santana at the cost of 50-60 million or more per year I couldn’t see the Wilpons doing that, even with the new ballpark and the sports network. Wrapping that kind of percentage of your total payroll in just those two players, despite all the salaries that come off the books in 2009, just strikes me of inviting trouble in the future; especially if that future involved having to give Reyes a new contract when his current one expires. We wouldn’t be able to afford him at that point, and that would be a shame. I want to see Reyes end his career in blue & orange, just like Yankees fans want to see Jeter end his career in pinstripes. If the day comes we ever let Reyes and Wright walk away because we are paying too much money for hired mercenaries, then management has truly lost the concept of building from within…
* I wish Scherholz was our GM. Seriously. I love Minaya, but I don’t think he is as shrewd a GM as Scherholz was, and he’ll never end up with the successful track record Scherholz mustered as well in Atlanta. I come from the school of thought that the players were most responsible to the 2007 collapse of the Mets, but Minaya was the man that put this team together. His poor choices compounded by Willie’s misuse of the bullpen was a disaster waiting to happen. Willie is a good man, but not the right man for the Mets. Given the choice among ex-Yankee coaches, Chris Chambliss had more experience and would have made a much better managerial selection for the Mets. If the Mets don’t make the playoffs next year, I wouldn’t expect another ex-Yankee to be coaching the Mets anytime soon, even if his name was Joe Torre. If I had my wish, I’d have Wally Backman as my manager, but that’s just my bias getting in the way of better judgment. To be honest, I don’t know what coach out there right now would be the best choice to manage this team, because I’ve put thoughts like that out of my head ever since Minaya said he was bringing Willie back for 2008. Getting back to the original point of this paragraph, all I know is this — given the Mets budget this past season, I doubt Scherholz armed with that kind of money from the Wipons would have let this collapse happen under his watch. And before you Braves haters (me among them) get on my case, you need to understanding that Scherholz was building very good teams in Kansas City long before he came to the Braves, so don’t let your hatred of all things Braves cloud your judgment. Minaya could never hold a candle to John Scherholz. I think 14 division titles in a row proves that point. I’m jealous because I wish the Mets were able to pull that feat off, and its doubtful any team will ever do that again anytime soon…
Well, that’s my 2 cents worth anyway. I’m just making up for all the times I never posted and only lurked in the shadows reading MetsBlog… lol…
Peace.
ok
Sorry if I sounded sarcastic. I just really despise loduca. As a player and possibly as a human being. I think he has a lot of people snowed.
or is it the hardened on poop in ur underpants? POLLY WANT A CRACKER!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHEHEHEHEHHEHEHETEHEHET
HEHEHETEHETEHETEHEEHEHE