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Omar Minaya, talking to reporters yesterday from Orlando…
“We’re always looking for a frontline starter, and that’s difficult to do…Teams aren’t willing to give them up unless you really blow them away and give them a lot of players.”
Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi recently told ESPN.com that he is willing to entertain trade offers for RHP A.J. Burnett, who may opt out of his contract with Toronto after next season.
In his nine-year career, the frequently-injured Burnett has started at least 30 games in a season just once. Yet, in 177 career starts, he is 69–66 with a 3.76 ERA, having struck out nearly one batter per inning.
…i could see the Mets being interested…burnett will likely cost a pitcher in return, but as long as the jays are freed of his money i am not sure the price in talent will be all that much…
Burnett, 30, will earn $12 million this coming season, but has o-trade protection against 15 teams.
Meanwhile, according to Mark Hale in the New York Post, the Mets have talked to the Devil Rays during the GM Meetings, but not about LHP Scott Kazmir.
…my guess is on talks involving either Dan Wheeler, Al Reyes or Edwin Jackson…jackson is 24, a fallen prospect with a quick arm and arbitration eligible this off season…while wheeler and reyers are two relief pitchers who were of interest to many teams, including the Mets, during last year’s trade deadline…
Meanwhile, in Newsday, Ken Davidoff reports that Minaya had dinner last night with Indians GM Mark Shapiro.
According to Davidoff, citing ‘a person familiar with the team’s thinking,’ Minaya and Shapiro intended to speak about potential matches in a deal for pitching.
Davidoff rules out the Mets acquiring C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona or Jake Westbrook, meaning a likely option could be LHP Cliff Lee.
Lee, 29, will earn $3.75 million next year and $5.75 million in 2009. His team will hold an $8 million option for 2010.
Last season, Lee got bumped from Cleveland’s starting rotation, then was demoted to Triple-A after starting the season 5–8 with a 6.38 ERA. However, he won 14, 18 and 14 games in each of the previous three seasons, while compiling a 4.50 ERA.
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Ill take my chances with Burnett.. bring him back home where he started.
Send Delgado back to Toronto in some kind of package so he doesnt have to listen to God Bless America and can be bored in September..
100% agree. Well said.
Tying in an earlier rumor here, I’d rather Rich Harden than Burnett…Both are just as injury prone, but I think Harden is a bit better, and is not a potential free agent in ‘08
if delgado gets bored in a pennant race i wonder what will happen when his team is eliminated from the playoffs in july.
Im starting to get the feeling that Omar is going to try and acquire a #3 type pitcher and hope The Jacket can turn him into a#2…I think Omar is trying to keep Pelf, Humber, Gomez and Millz for the trade deadline…….so Im thinking if he can acquire a Cliff Lee or Lowry chep he will…and then wait til July or Nov of 08 to really try and get our next ace or aces.
That assumes Omar still has his job in Nov 08.
I like Burnett. Injury prone but worth a flyer as long as it doesn’t take a big name to go…
Cliff Lee is such an inconsistent pitcher… Yes, he’s lefty but I just don’t like his stuff…
Heilman for Burnett? However, I would prefer a signing of Colon in addition to a acquisition of a HEALTHY pitcher.
Hey I get to repost my comment now that it matters.
I like the Burnett idea and would love a major trade that included Rios as well. This trade could save the Jays a ton of money and give them players that are locked up and cheap.
Mets get Rios and Burnett
Jays get Milledge, Pelfrey, Heilman and Gotay. Again that’s a lot to give up but those additions would be worth it. I think that is something the Jays would do. It gives them a replacement for Rios costing 10 million less. More depth in pitching with Pelfrey or Heilman taking Burnett’s spot and Gotay who could really help their offense. The Jays would be getting 4 ready players at the cost of less than 5 million and free up over 20 million. The Mets would take on more salary which we have and fill 2 holes.
Now time to get shot down by all the people who are going to say that Milledge could give you what Rios does and Heilman and Pelfrey are equal to Burnett.
you wanna give away all those chips for Burnett? NO way….yes Rios is a good young player… but if we made this deal..u can forget Santana or Oswalt…both of which I would much rather give all that up 4..not to mention I really like Millz…I want to see him start in RF and show us what he can do…bcuz right now his value is a litle low.
Come on Burnett is worth the risk. His K9 is over 9 and his WHIP last year was 1.14. That is ace like numbers. WE ARE NOT GETTING SANTANA by trade so saving our chips for this mythical ace is just dumb. Burnett or the Hadren types are the only potential aces available. Besides a chance to get Rios if he were even available should be taken.
Reyes, Rios, Wright, Beltran, Alou, is a great first 5. Pedro, Burnett, Maine, Perez, Silva/Livan = one of if not the best rotation in the NL. All that and it only cost us prospects. I do it. Its not like Burnett or Rios are aging veterans.
Milledge’s ceiling is likely close to what Rios is right now. Plus injury history aside, Burnett is a former met farmhand who is clearly dominant with his stuff when right. I can not explain why he is not more of a winning pitcher other than his history of injury. Maybe he pitches hurt alot and that explains the losing. But I have seen him pitch alot over the years and he is flat out nasty with fire on his fastball. He has no hitter level stuff like our Olliver Perez when he is on.
The deal mentioned above is a no brainer. YOu do it it a minute if they Toronto allowed it.
I agree. Rios is what we wish Milledge could be, and he’s young. Burnett is injury prone, but that’s what’s available — worth a shot. Those “chips” that were mentioned — Heilman, Pelfrey, Gotay, etc. — are not all that impressive. On that note, it’s a bit more realistic than some other hypotheticals I’ve seen, (because it includes Milledge) but it does start to look like a “quantity for quality” trade of the sort that doesn’t happen much. My guess would be that we’d need to add a pitcher with more upside, but might be able to pull Heilman back, etc.
Milledge could give you what Rios does and Heilman and Pelfrey are equal to Burnett.
There, I said it.
But there are some who believe it.
Milledge is going to open eyes. We’ll be happy we kept him.
Wright, Reyes, Milledge for years to come. All home-grown.
There is no way anyone could convince me, based on what I have seen, that I would rather have Milledge than Rios.
Maybe because you haven’t seen Stitch over a full year yet.
I’d venture to say that if you don’t think Milledge will rock an .850 OPS in the Major Leagues by the time he’s 26, you are on crack. Compare their minor and major league statistics from the ages of 23 on earlier; Rios has reached his peak and Milledge’s is higher. Millz has a minor league IsoD basically twice as high as Rios’s, meaning there’s better pitch recognition, and his IsoD in his short major league stint was .070, 20 points higher than that of the 26-year-old Rios. Milledge’s OPS+ was 105 batting 8th for half a season, and Rios’s was 122 while being protected by Vernon Wells and Frank Thomas all year. Defensively, considering his tools, there’s no reason to believe Milledge does not have the capability to become as good as Rios in the field.
Rios is 26. Twenty-Six, and he really has excelled in the bigs. I don’t give a rats about all of the various indicators suggesting Milledge is more likely than not to one day be comparable to Rios. Milledge is a prospect. I like him, and I like the idea of the Mets bringing along their own players, but in a hypothetical swap, this is a no-brainer.
And I don’t think there’s a contingent of major league GMs on crack . . . although when they deal with the (ne Devil) Rays, it can seem that way.
What about having Pelfrey/Humber in the pen to accompany El Duque? Some people have mentioned it, but it hasnt been discussed in earnest here. I think it could be a good way to have them get more big league experience and could possibly sure up some holes we have out there. Thoughts?
That’s exactly what we should do with Pelfrey and Humber, plus give each of them spot starts and let them battle it out for #5.
I think ST should determine the fate of Pelfrey and Humber unless they go for a YOUNG, HEALTHY #1-3 SP. They should just duke it out in ST, with the loser going to the pen.
I still think they need to get via FA or trade a #1-3.
Cerrone,
You should mention that Burnett apparently has an opt out clause in this deal that he plans to exercise if he is healthy this year. If he is hurt and feels he won’t make more, he won’t opt out.
I doubt Burnett will cost a lot. The GM is down on him.. questioned Burnett’s guts and every team has to know about this opt out so I wouldn’t give anything of note for AJ Burnett.
That is a good point that I forgot. Maybe a package of Gomez and Gotay even get it done but I doubt it. Teams, like the Mets, are so desperate for starters. Think about the fact that Kyle Loshe is even being mentioned by any team in playoff contention. Our hope with Burnett would be that he is healthy and signs a reasonable extension.
THis is the type of post and really excellent reporting that gets me coming back week after week here.
I love the idea of trying to unearth a pitcher that is not on our radar screen at the moment. As avid fans but not baseball people (most of us here on the blog at least), we really do not know talent after the first or second tier of guys.
The targeting that gets done of particular types of pitchers is for example something we miss all the time on this blog. We look at ERA and WHIP and strikeouts and batting avg against when reviewing potential pitchers for us but we have no clue what most guys throw and what is their most effective stuff and how it would translate to a park like Shea or Citifield.
For example, Maine and to a lesser extent Perez were targeted by Minaya in the deals. Not just throw ins. He saw what they were (predominantly strikeout and flyball pitchers). He felt in Shea with its dimensions, it would hold more balls in the park than the new Pitt field or Camden Yards. Both guys were brought here and expected to improve based on real analysis of their strengths and our park. Maybe Edwin Jackson and Cliff Lee are those types of pitchers that would fit in our park.
I really don’t know but it is interesting to hear names other than Santana or Oswalt or Willis or Livan or Silva or Garland or Vasquez or the typical retreads we keep pipedreaming and
blogging about
A.J. Burnett realistically may be one of the few pitchers available that can match up reasonably well with us in terms of a trade. He seems to always be injured at one point or the other … but if the Mets are willing to eat some of the salary, we won’t have to part with our prized prospects. The guy is an ace caliber arm when healthy, and you would have to take the gamble that Peterson can resolve whatever problems mechanically he may have that leads to him getting hurt. Unless it has all to do with durability issues, then that’s another story. Nevertheless though, as far as to what it would take to get it done remains to be seen; however, this is probably an avenue worth exploring.
Edwin Jackson is also a pitcher who I wouldn’t mind acquiring. He was very highly touted back in the Dodger farm system, and still only 24 years old. We, as fans, are going to need to keep an open mind when evaluating talent due to the circumstances of today’s market. If that means trying to latch onto a guy of Jackson’s potential, then why not take him along for the ride. I’m not saying Edwin Jackson will be the savior of our pitching staff, but it certainly is a smart idea to work with him and see what he can do this year, next year, and beyond if all turns out well. Could you imagine the state of the Mets rotation if we had not taken a chance on Maine and Ollie? We already have done wonders with them, maybe Edwin could be the next one in line.
The Edwin Jacksons and Cliff Lees of the world aren’t exactly what I would call ‘upgrades’
These two are worth single A prospects at best.
I just dont want to be fed B.S. like “Ok here are the answers– Peterson will fix them”
Sounds cheap and bogus.
Might as well take our chances with Pelfrey & Humber
Edwin Jackson’s fastball is as str8 as can be…he is like a human BP fastball machine….no thanks.
Ricciardi Willing To Listen On Burnett
UPDATE, 11-7-07: This isn’t really an update. Ricciardi kind of clarified his comments, saying that the Jays aren’t shopping Burnett. But he never said they were in the first place. He originally said if he was blown away, he’d trade Burnett. The only people confused were those who didn’t closely read his original comments.
Some of you are missing the point. Toronto is one of the few places we may be able to unload Delgado with minimum pain. We can do a “reverse Vaughn”- remember we took a bad 1B contract in exchange for a bad SP contract. Of course, Appier went to the WS and Vaughn… played like Delgado. Maybe WE get lucky this time. Give ‘em a few million $ and get it done- before Mitchell’s report comes out and who knows? It could explain the precipitous decline in production…
Oh, if this were true. I would like nothing better than to ship the “bored” underachiever (who makes $14M playing a game in America, but doesn’t bother to stand for God Bless America) to Canada. It’s hardly Siberia. He’s been there before, and he and Frank Thomas can yawn together.
I understand the “bored underachiever” comment, but Delgado stands for God Bless America now. He put that stuff behind him when he got here. Oh, an another thing, protesting is legal in this country. Maybe if the US was using your home country for military exercises, you’d understand.
We all forgot about the God Bless America issue when he played well. Now, all of a sudden, Mets fans care about God Bless America because Delgado stunk this year.
Are you sure he stands? I know he SAID he would- but has anyone seen it?
Protesting IS legal- but do you usually stage a political protest IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR OFFICE, with customers watching? Maybe John Rocker should have worn an “I hate gays” button on the field- is that OK? Or do you express your politics OFF the field, like a normal person?
FYI, PR is part of the US; many P’Ricans serve in our military, and the Navy was using its base on an almost deserted island as it would any other land it owns.
Lastly- most fans didn’t care and still don’t care- just like they were OK with the cheater (Mota) until he sucked. A few of us remember concepts like honor and integrity and loathe Delgado and Mota, regardless of performance.
I don’t stand during God Bless America. I use that opportunity to go take a piss. It’s not like it’s our national anthem or anything. It’s a song, a circle-jerk for all the self-important, bumper-sticker patriots out there. Get over it.
Yeah, the issue is, he’s getting paid $14M and decides to use his position as a Major League baseball player as a stage to dishonor the nation that has made him a multimillionaire DURING. GAMES.
I would note that “protest,” in the abstract, is not always “legal” in this country, e.g., you can’t jump into an operating room at a public hospital annd start yapping about whales. But that’s really beside the point, because no one is saying he should be arrested, fined, or anything else. What he’s doing is legal, but there are a lot of legal activities I don’t have to like, and that, frankly, aren’t right to condone. It’s not a legal issue, it’s a moral issue, and an issue of common courtesy to the people paying his salary. He’s a jerk, and should be shipped off.
He’s courageous for taking a stand against a ridiculous waste of money, resources, and lives that is itself a far greater dishonor to this nation than anything one baseball player can do. If only more public figures had the same degree of courage, maybe the Iraq fiasco would never have happened.
Um . . . I think it was the Vieques thing that he was protesting, but you’re welcome to your sniveling. Courage is the American soldier, not a baseball player folding his arms and pouting during a patriotic song before cashing an enormous check.
Burnett could be a fantastic pick up, especially if they got him for $4 (the salary) and not the best prospects.
Unlike many of the other names mentioned (Silva, Lowry, lee), he at least has real talent and stuff.
I still say if you are going to get a mediocre stiff just to ‘eat innings”, just stick heilmann in the rotation and let him go.
Actually, Omar can pick up all the arms possible, and let ST sort things out. between heilmann, Pelf, Humber, Sanchez, Duque, let them all pitch, and se who fits best where. Sanchez is obviously just a Pen guy, but he takes up a spot.
The rest of them can compete for a spot in the rotation, with the “losers” getting roles in the pen.
Then, you can decide what to do with Mota and Schoe (Smith too, but he goes to AAA if not needed).
Say the numbers work out that the rotation and pen will up with good pitchers and SchoeMota are on the outside looking in. trade them (or release if need be). If the others fizzle out, you use them.