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The Mets are holding their organizational meetings today, reports Mark Hale in the New York Post.
…basically, management and the team’s owners will get together and 
formulate an off-season game plan based on a collection of issues facing their future…
In Hale’s report, he lists a variety of potential issues that are expected to be on the team’s docket.
…so, let’s go through them, in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way…
“The Mets are long shots to pursue Alex Rodriguez,” writes Hale, “but that doesn’t mean they won’t at least discuss him.”
…agreed…but, wow, that’s not a light-weight discussion…i hope the team has been discussing it, frankly, knowing full well he was likely to end up a free agent…they most certainly have the dollars, and can justify the cost since a-rod is clearly worth it from a television, marketing p.o.v.…the real debate is whether he is worth changing the fundamental nature of this team, including a series of position switches involving the team’s best players…as i have stated in other posts, i’m undecided on this…i have a bad feeling about what he’d do to the ‘make-up’ of this team…on the other hand, its current make-up was not good enough to fight off a rough slide last season - so maybe a change would be good…plus, i can’t fault the team for putting ticket sales and sny ad-revenue high on their priority list - you know, seeing as this is a business…
Minaya, as quoted by Hale…
“First and foremost we want to address pitching. Championships are won with pitching; we saw that with the Red Sox.”
…as of now, Pedro Martinez, John Maine and Oliver Perez are locks for the starting rotation…Mike Pelfrey may be ready…Phil Humber will need more work…however, both could realistically start the year for the Mets…i just don’t think that will happen…i truly believe the team will work hard to acquire a young, under-contract starting pitcher via trade…how much that will cost remains to be seen…subsequently, if it costs Lastings Milledge, the team will need to 
address a void in right field…if milledge stays, it’s time to trust him with the starting spot…
Lastly, Hale writes: “Interestingly, if the Mets are able to acquire another starting pitcher this winter, they may consider putting El Duque in the bullpen.”
…this is a no brainer, especially if a younger, healthier starting pitcher is acquired…additionally, it’s like making an acquisition for the bullpen, where el duque can more realistically work and rest according to his aches and pains, of which he’ll have many…
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get arod and i will turn my refund option into 2008 tickets
As the people who have been beating up Minaya since last December have been saying, the “we’re looking at pitching first” mantra has been a mainstay with this FO for a while. Let’s back it up now. I was willing to give him a pass last year because I thought the money being doled out to the available pitchers was unreal. But the market has been set — Minaya has to be aggressive in securing at least one more SP cabable of throwing 200 IP. And if the FO is that committed to Pelfrey, they need to find capable back-ups in AAA that are Park and Lawrence. Good luck with that. I would rather get 2 SP and keep Pelfrey in reserve for the inevitable injury to somebody in the starting 5.
Sounds like you vote is for Tom Glavine and A-Rod. Put him at lst.
I would say focus on pitching first arod second. problem is no pitching is out there that makes me go wow. I say sign arod and go after someone like silva.
Silva is nice but there is NO WAY he is the answer to the pitching prob’s. They need a certified Ace and that limits their options…. Maybe by bringing in A-Rod will lure future free agents and “no-trade clause” players our way.
Johan, Oswalt, Haren
Oh and I don’t want to hear this Reyes for Johan garbage anymore either. M & MD keep talking about how Melky and Phil Hughes would be enough to land Johan….. but for the Mets it’s REYES & MAINE??? How is that equal?? I’d take our guys ANYDAY over the “Melk man” and a guy who had 1 unbelievable start
Problem is that you’re listening to M & MD as if they have any idea what it would take. Those guys know a lot less than most folks posting here.
i dont see the draw of melky cabrera, id take milledge every day of the week and twice on sunday. i think hes better than the “melk man” now and has more potential. Yankee fans are just obsessed with the guy bc with their previous two CFers my grand mother would score from second on a single up the middle.
Is your grandmother under contract?
Mine is; they call her Julio Franco….
She’s pretty.
Silva is no ace, but I would rather have him pitching every fifth day than Sosa/Lawrence/Park/Vargas. And he’s sturdier than El Duque and will probably have a better year near-term than Pelfrey or Humber.
i agree and like you said the market is set, youre not going to get a 200 inning pitcher for cheap anymore, its a sad reality that omar and the wilpons need to accept.
Has anyone seen anything from Pelfry or Humber???
…if you don’t want to hear about Reyes you don’t want to hear about Santana. Period.
mmkay Hellbelly, I’m satisfied.
Is it just me, but isn’t this a little late for organizational meetings? Shouldn’t this have been done right after the season ended. I mean the Braves made a trade yesterday, so they’ve obviously had a plan in place for a while now. I know you couldn’t make any trades or any other major announcements until the World Series was over, but they should have already had a plan in place. Maybe I’m over reacting, but after the way the season ended I thought they would be a little more proactive.
Omar was the only GM from a non-playoff team to have attended the world series this year. I agree that I would have expected these meetings to have taken place already….
Maybe they were waiting for A-rod to officially opt out?
Maybe Omar was enjoying a complimentary meal at The Park restaurant in Ozone.
I’m sure today is not the first day that they discussed 2008 and they have probably already had other organizational meetings so far this season to discuss things such as retaining Willie as well as their initial thoughts about their own free agents. Given that the best player in the league just opted out of his contract, it makes sense that the organization would meet again to discuss and perhaps even re-evaluate their priorities and goals for the offseason. Plus, as the offseason progresses, I am sure their plans will change and evolve in response to subsequent activities in the free agent and trade markets.
We could say the problem is pitching, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. But come on, with A-Rod’s bat last year the Mets would have won at least 10 more games. You always have to consider the best player of his generation when he is still at an age where he could be the best for a few more years.
The first order of business should be to trade the bored commie, Delgado. Lest we forget this:
http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2007/10/02/amd_carlosdelgado_1.jpg
Please try to get rid of Delgado and his bored self, bad attitude and his big salary and put that money towards A Rod. This team’s lackadaisical malaise will not change until Delgado is gone since willie will not do anything different…..
If we trade Delgado, we still pay for him.
As long as his contract is being paid for the next couple fo year, we’re having delgado at first.
As long as the Mets remain in New York, A-Rod isn’t coming here.
Ignorant fans don’t seem to notice that A-rod hates it here, and that the Dodgers and Angels are more hungry for a third baseman or shortstop than A Rod.
i think it’s kind of an “easy” fix this year. Joe Blanton is a very good pitcher, and if we’re going to go with our “core” of youngsters however, it’s always WRIGHT REYES BELTRAN..but howcome no one ever says OLLIE AND MAINE? Joe Blanton can come in, join those 3 and fit nicely as our NUMBER FOUR starter. THen hopefully yes, Pelf can step up. Adding El Duque to the pen strengthens it AND HIM, and we just sign Scott Linebrink and Jeremy Affeldt. Then our pen is looking nice (minus Mota) and with a hopefully effective Dirty Sanchez back.
Re-sign Marlon, Alou, Castro, and Castillo but maybe lo duca. If they want to trade for Ramon Hernandez or go with Yorvit or something, fine. I like Paulie, but wouldnt be heartbroken if he left. Let’s not forget, we were ONE, just ONE win away from winning the division. If Endy and Milledge don’t get hurt and our Offense blows many great pitching performances during the summer, our team doesn’t seem as bad as it was. These small fixes will help immensely and gear us up for an AMAZING FA class next year…plus, you can never discount a mid season trade…
Signing Linebrink is a waste of a draft pick, in my opinion. There’s a reason the Padres dumped him. If we want to lose a pick, make a bigger splash, such as Cordero. If we overpay maybe he’d be willing to be 8th inning guy and possible Wagner successor.
Hernandez and Torrealba noth hit well worse than Lo Duca. You need to know this. Lo Duca is also going to come cheaper.
Let’s sum it up:
Lineup:
1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Luis Castillo 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Carlos Beltran CF
5. Moises Alou LF
6. Carlos Delgado 1B
7. Paul Lo Duca C
8. Kosuke Fukudome
9. (Pitcher)
Bench:
Marlon Anderson IF/OF
Ruben Gotay IF
Ramon Castro C
Endy Chavez OF
Shawn Green OF
Rotation:
1. Pedro Martinez RHP
2. John Maine RHP
3. Oliver Perez LHP
4. Orlando Hernandez RHP
5. Mike Pelfrey RHP
Bullpen:
Jorge Sosa RHRP
Pedro Feliciano LHRP
JC Romero LHRP
Joe Smith RHRP
Duaner Sanchez RHRP
Aaron Heilman SU
Billy Wagner CL
AAA:
Carlos Gomez OF
Ben Johnson OF
Anderson Hernandez IF
Philip Humber RHSP
Kevin Mulvey RHSP
Kevin Slowey RHSP
Adam Bostick LHSP
Jason Vargas LHSP
Ambiorix Burgos RHRP
Willie Collazo LHRP
Carlos Muniz RHRP
Juan Padilla RHRP
Steve Schmoll RHRP
Clint Nageotte RHRP
What did yo udo with Milledge?
Traded with a guy like Jon Niese for Kevin Slowey
“and can justify the cost since a-rod is clearly worth it from a television, marketing p.o.v.”
Really? Can you break down your economic analysis for me as I can’t make the numbers work. Or are you just buying into what Scott Boras has told you.
No player is worth this money. No team can deal with a player in an economic and contractal situation this disproportionate from their teammates. Just look at what happened with him and the Yankees mgmt, teammates, and fans (and they had the best economics for him). It skews expectations and ultimately does not pay off economically.
They’re screwing themselves with greed…not that Boras hasn’t done that before.
WELL, WELL said my friend…people don’t realize that LOSING follows this kid wherever he goes…$300 million would BIND THIS TEAM FOR YEARS
Exactly, all those stories about A-rod over the course of the year was publicity. And all that publicity was MAKING THEM MONEY. Just because it is negative doesn’t mean it won’t get the job done. Example- Head On commercials, everyone hates them but you REMEMBER THEM, hence the advertisements get the job done. Not everything in the world is perfect, negative publicity is still publicity.
What’s “Head On”? I’ve never heard of it.
Head On – Apply directly to the forehead
Head On – Apply directly to the forehead
Head On – Apply directly to the forehead
The thought of signing A-Rod is a nice thought. He’s a great player. He’s gonna break records. When a team can sign a guy like him, it’s kinda like buying a Bugatti Veyron. The only real reason, is because you can. You have the money. And it’s an awesome car. A-Rod is certainly awesome, but we already have our Porshe and our Lamborgini (Wright and Reyes). Do you kick one of the other cars out into the rain just so you can have the Bugatti Veyron in the garage?
For us to aquire A-Rod, means we kick either Wright or Reyes out. If that’s the kinda team I wanted to root for, I’d root for the Yankers. Wright and Reyes make this team fun to watch. And I think, I’d rather have them both, together, in the positions they play, than to have A-Rod.
Heck’s a Bugatti Veyron?
youd think if you could afford quarter and half million dollar cars you would have at least a 3 car garage…im just busting your balls, but i understand why you wouldnt want arod to make wright and reyes feel like 2nd class citizens on their own team. but then again i dont think that would happen bc david wright and jose reyes dont have a public problem with arod the way jeter did after arod made those statements about jeter b4 he got there.
Yeah Wright already said he would be more than happy to accomodate A-rod. And there is no way Reyes would move positions. I still think A-rod should go to 1B or even 2B and we should leave Wright and Reyes where they are, but I do want A-rod and if Wright has to move to 2B so be it, he said he will gladly do it. Watch him on the daily show tomorrow to see what he says about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGRctKry3G8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unRvopGXCgA
Reyes hasnt show much but a few stolen bases and failing to run to first on groundouts! oh wait i forgot, the million popups to the infield. he doesnt have a clue how to hit consistently! Reyes is more like a Cavalier or Sunfire, there is a million of them around, but they are that reliable! lol
*arent
The pitching issue is EXACTLY why A-Rod makes some sense. We have 3 guys who can be counted on for league average (at worst), with Maine and Perez having the upside as the 1-B type starter. Guys out on the market are not going to be any better than those guys, and will command a large chunk of change. Beyond that, there is El Duque, and an open slot.
Omar should be focusing on shoring up the pen first. We have got Wagner/Heilman/Feliciano/Shoenweiss/Mota as certainties, and hopefully a healthy and productive Sanchez, leaving one more open spot. Omar has got to go after a guy who would be able to fill in the 8th inning, allowing Aaron to work multiple innings earlier in the game (which will be needed). On top of that, picking up an innings eater type on a Spring Training invite would be a good idea too.
Those types of players are not big ticket items, and will shore up the pen, which was the biggest culprit in the collapse, after being overworked all year. When you look at starters, there are the innings eater types, but no impact guys, which is what the need. As far as the trade market goes, we just don’t have the bullet to get that type of guy. Thats where A-Rod comes in. He is the type of player who strengthens the lineup by presence alone. Factor in a typical performance, and it will give the pitching staff a good amount of leeway. Remember- we lost out on the playoffs by one win. When you factor in whomever he replaces, A-Rod will absolutely net you more wins.
There is the valid argument of making the move would use up all the bullets in the gun now, with Santana on the free agent market next year. That is not a guarantee. If he is traded this year, there is almost a 100% chance that the team acquiring him will hammer out an extension before the deal gets finalized, If he does make it out on the market, the Yankees will have a TON of money freed up to make a run for him (expiring contracts of: Giambi, Mussina, Matsui, Pettite, not to mention all the cash that was allocated to A-Rod), plus they ar emoving into new digs just like us. At the same time, we also have money coming off the books (Pedro, Delgado) and the new stadium, but I don’t think we could compete, even if A-Rod is not signed. The bottom line is that there is no guarantee that by sitting out on the A-Rod sweepstakes we will get Santana, or another pitcher.
Yes, the Mets issue is with pitching, particularly starting. However, in the current market the type of talent that they need is simply not available either via free agency or trade. Omar should be able to solidify the bullpen, but that in itself will not be enough to overcome to deficiency with the starting. A-Rod is one way to circumvent that issue, especially if Pelfrey is going to get a shot to work it out on the big league level (check out last year stats from our #5 starters….only 3 wins!)
The ONLY valid argument against A-Rod would be the displacement of a Wright or Reyes.
Championships are won with pitching; we saw that with the Red Sox.”
We also saw them hit the cover off the baseball. What was the lowest batting average in the world Series? Jacoby’s .283 BA? Of course they also had phenomenal pitching, and having a lockdown pitcher like Beckett was absolutely critcal. But I think this “pitching win championships” cliche does get a bit overdone at times. Yes, pitching matters most, but you do have to score some runs, and it can be argued that for a good chunk of the Mets season, their inability score runs was a bigger concern than their ability to prevent runs from being scored. Not in September, to be sure, but at least from May to mid-August or so.
“Yes, pitching matters most, but you do have to score some runs, and it can be argued that for a good chunk of the Mets season, their inability score runs was a bigger concern than their ability to prevent runs from being scored.”
Agreed. The lesson that many teams fail to learn during off-season spending sprees is this one — when all that is available to spend on to improve pitching is mediocre pitchers or worse, why spend such extravagant money on that when it certainly won’t guarantee any improvements in the pitching staff? That’s like throwing good money down a rat hole.
Sometimes, teams like the Mets need to zag while others zig. If you follow the crowd, then you will often repeat the mistakes of others. Signing an ARod certainly could help the offense, though I wouldn’t think the defense would improve dramatically, epsecially given a position switch of Wright to 2B. First base would make more sense for Wright, but then you have to eat Delgado’s contract, which would be entirely a waste.
While I’m all for improving the current offense (to zag instead of zig), I just can’t bring myself to want ARod on this team. He’s a cancer, or at the very least, a cyst that can turn cancerous. If you loved the chemsitry the Mets had in 2006, but didn’t care for the current makeup in 2007, do you really think an ARod signing is going to improve this team’s mental and emotional toughness or stability?
The time for ARod is passed. I wanted him in 2000-2001. I don’t want him now. If you want to improve the offense, Jason Bay would be a fine fit. Maybe even offer to trade for Vlad Guerrero if the Angels wanted to save enough money to bring in ARod for themselves. I’d rather have Guerrero as a “chemistry” fit, even if he does bring a bit of injury risk.
i agree not to mention i believe if for example we had arod last year i think that wouldve led to more leeway for pitchers which wouldve allowed them to go longer, with less innings for the BP and less high leverage situations. not saying it wouldve been extremely more but i mean throw in 5-6 blowout wins into the mix last year and i think that has a trickle down effect on the wear and tear on the collective arms of the pitching staff.
ps: I dont mean we’d have 5-6 more wins im saying maybe 5-6 wins that were by 1 run make those games a 5 run or 6 run lead or more.
A-Rod’s defense is superb. Add that, and his speed, to the equation.
Yeah if the Rockies had better pitching then the Red Sox wouldn’t have hit so well. So maybe it does come down to pitching, or maybe it is just the perspective you look at it from. If you score alot of runs, your offense did it all. If you give up alot your pitching is awful, nobody ever gives credit to the other team, maybe they just pitched well, or maybe they weren’t seeing the ball at all. The entire team needs to be good enough to carry the other parts when they fall.
I’m all with the “let’s address pitching first”…but as another poster said already – there ain’t much out there right now…
I also don’t think Wright or Reyes would have to go in order to get A-Rod in. It would obviously take money, but screw it – the Wilpon’s have it. It would also take one of them to move positions, most likely Wright. His below avg arm would potentially benefit from a move to 2nd base…
Who knows.
All the possible moves the Mets can make is giving me a headache thinking about it. Omar will surely be earning his money this offseason making the big decisions. I cant wait to see how his plan unfolds.
i like cerrones plan for the pitching. el duque would add a solid veteran to a depleted ‘pen, and i think pelfrey has shown enough to be a #5 on a solid SP staff IF they can get another good SP somewhere else. theyll get duaner back, with heilman, wagner, feliciano and el duque they can piece together the pen after that. pedro, maine, perez, pelfrey and maybe a haren/blanton something like that, is a solid staff. THEN look to add a bat.
I’d love to actually see one of these organizational meetings. I imagine this is what it must be like:
Fred Wilpon: Hello everyone, and welcome once again to our annual organizational meetings. As always, I have no clue what I’m doing whatsoever, but I own the team, so that’s that.
Jeff Wilpon: That’s right, Dad. I have no idea what I’m doing either, but you’re my Dad. I am so lucky you’re my Dad.
Omar Minaya: Hi, it’s me, Omar Minaya. I’m the guy who traded Brian Bannister for Ambiorix Burgos, Heath Bell for Ben Johnson, and who wouldn’t bring back Chad Bradford on a 3 year deal, but who would sign Scott Schoeneweis to a 3 year deal. Oh, I also gave a 2 year deal to a confirmed steroid cheat. I really don’t know what I’m doing in this job either.
Willie Randolph: We all have something in common. I don’t know what I’m doing in my job either. I kind of just sit there during the games and I really, really, really hope that things go right but I don’t actually do anything that would help things go right. I just “go with my gut” and I “trust my guys” because, well, that’s all that someone who doesn’t actually know what they’re doing can really do.
Fred Wilpon: So, since we all still don’t know what we’re doing, what should we do?
Omar Minaya: How about we throw some money around at some big names, and make some trades, regardless of whether they make any real sense or have any defined logic, and then pray for the best?
Fred Wilpon: Excellent idea, Omar. Just make some moves with no real sense of how to build a baseball team and pray for the best. That’s a wonderful plan, same as always. OK, that’s it for this year! See you all same time next year, after we’ve again watched some other well-constructed team win the World Series.
Your act is getting stale skillsets. Have anything productive to say. Is David Wright worthy of promotion from AAA yet?
I’m disappointed to hear you say that, I actually thought the mock Organizational Meeting was fairly creative on my part. Well, to each their own. I’m sorry you’re not entertained.
i think it couldve used a “wilpons are cheap” remark.
ok, ok… I’m being too snippy. I can’t stay mad for long. All apologies.
BOOOOOOOO! OMAR WOULD NEVER MENTION A TRADE THAT WENT WRONG! AND WILLIE IS TOO DUMB TO KNOW HE HAS STUFF IN COMMON WITH PEOPLE
LOL
Skillsets, I laughed out loud at your organizational meeting transcript. Then when I thought about it, I cried.
i wouldn’t mind checking in on the cost of A,J, Burnett
What is so complicated that they need to hold “organizational meetings”?
They have a bunch of chokers.
Get rid of as many as you can and get some real players in here.
first pitching issue to address:
start stretching aaron heilmans arm out to get him ready for starting pitcher innings.
You obviously remember a different SP Aaron Heilman than I
This is essentially the third A-rod post today. Matt, considering the low chances of the Mets getting this guy, can we at least limit ourselves to one A-rod post a day? I hate to say it, but this blog is becoming almost unbearable to read – it’s pretty much a constant discussion about Arod with a little Mets thrown in. Stop playing into the hype – it’s what this guy wants.
What else are we gonna talk about today?
He then will indirectly demand us to get him coffee every morning, and will turn Anakin Skywalker to the dark side.
The Mets can make a nice package of either Maine/Perez, Millege/Gomez, and Heilman to nab a top of the rotation pitcher if they move El Duque into the pen to replace Heilman.
Sign Lowell and trade wright for Santana.
like most of our fans.
liek you georgie? BOSCO BOSCO BOSCOOOO!!!! SORRY THAT I DONT HAVE A CLEAN NICE BATHROOM FOR U GEORGIE BOY! U CHEAPSKATE!