|
|
|
…yesterday, i wrote that i had recently heard from different people that David Eckstein had been seen around the tri-state area with the wilpons, doing their standard meet-new york, live-in-ct tour…
Today, in the Daily News, Adam Rubin writes that Mets officials dined with Eckstein in Greenwich, ‘in the hopes he’ll fill the second base vacancy in Flushing.’
…for what it’s worth, from what i can gather, eckstein grew up a Yankees fan, but has several close friends who are Mets fans…so, despite his own decisions as a young man, at least he keeps good company…i kid, i kid…
…i’m actually a big eckstein fan, and very much hope he ends up being this team’s second baseman…to me, he’s Lenny Dykstra on the infield, sporting a world series ring…
According to Rubin, Eckstein is seeking a four-year deal, similar to what was accepted by Julio Lugo with the Red Sox last winter.
Earlier this week, in the New York Times, Ben Shpigel wrote that Luis Castillo could also command a four-year deal.
…if they both want four years, and the Mets determine that Ruben Gotay is not the answer, which it’s pretty clear they do not, and they have to choose between eckstein and castillo, i hope they choose eckstein, if for no other reason than i am panic-stricken of castillo’s knees, regardless of whether he had surgery on them a few weeks ago…i mean, i have never seen a baseball player look like that, hobbling around all of the time, and i mean all of the time, be it on deck, standing in the field, rounding third or in the locker room, yet then be able to run hard, and well, on command…eventually, that’s going to catch up with him and the team who signs him…
…that being said, the Mets were reluctant to give lugo a four-year deal last winter, so i must imagine they are hesitant about giving a similar deal to either eckstein or castillo…
In 117 games for St. Louis this past season, Eckstein hit .309, with a .356 OBP, while putting the ball in play roughly 85 percent of his plate appearances.
…by the way, it appears the Daily News has revamped the look and functionality of their website…nice job, guys…i like it…
Eckstein would be a fan favorite.
I think Eckstein is a great player, and I really enjoy his work ethic and most importantly his hustle…HOWEVER, I think using him as our 2B is a mistake. He legitimately has a below avg arm, and you’ll need him to turn plenty of DPs from his backfoot on many occassion. Especially w/ the diving stops that Wright and Reyes can make. Being a former SS, I understand the difference of turning DPs from short or 2nd… At SS, he makes up for his lack of arm by charging and running thru every ground ball….. something to think about..
I liked Castillo, but it would be pretty excellent if we got Eckstein.
It also seems that everyone wants that fourth year….hopefully Omar will understand that in order to get anyone…apparently we need to offer that year……Omar…..step up to the plate!
Four years for this overrated, unproductive, injured schmuck? Are you crazy?
The thing about Eck that might make Minaya more likely to sign him t a four year deal is that he can play any position on the infield if they have to. If they lock him up for 4 years, and Gotay does make the starting 2b position in a copy of years, he can play understudy to Reyes and Wright as a super utility IF, cover for injured players, and still have a roll on the team.
I still think he is a gritty player with a lot of heart. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in effort.
I also have the same concerns about Castillo’s hobbling. My only question with Eck is how well he works with the IF, becasue castillo did have charisma with Reyes up the middle. Still I think this is a good choice.
I was all for signing Castillo, but Eckstien would be a pretty nice pickup to play 2nd, He’s one of those gritty hard nosed players that we need (and lost in Lo Duca)
Sign Eck but he isnt worth 9 million a year…. maybe 6 million per year! Castillo is an old 31 anyway and he is injury prone and has an arthritic hip.
The thing about Eckstein is that he sucks. He’s a trumped-up Joe McEwing. He doesn’t drive the ball. He’s now 32, will be 33 at the start of the season. Eventually, those ground balls will stop finding holes and he’ll stop being fast enough to beat out all those infield hits, and, oh, he’ll hit .250.
Spare me the David Ecksteins and Luis Castillos of this world. I’ll go to war with Gotay.
Stop thinking rationally. We need “grit”. Whatever the hell that is.
By the way, Eckstein hasn’t played any position but SS since 2001, and made 20 errors last year. Yeah, I’m super excited about that defensive “improvement” over Gotay.
im begging all of you, as fellow met fans, to read http://www.firejoemorgan.com and search this guy so you can find the truth on Eckstein
HE’S NOT GOOD
i understand he’s a little white guy who tries really extra super duper hard, but if you REALLY look at his numbers, he’s below average, even his world series mvp perofrmance was really not that impressive, not to mention he’s getting older and gets hurt every single year
please, please, please, read that site, which has so eloquently and intelligently dispelled the myth that he’s a great player, it will definitely change your mind
Without reading your plugged site…I can agree that he is no uber second basemen. He is a SS and a weak throwing one at that. I think we could do worse than him but I have to say that I genuinely believe the best option on the table is to platoon Easly and Gotay for the spot.
Both rake against LH and RH pitching respectively. Gotay probably has more range than Easly but both are decent fielders. Not spectacular in any way but ok. Also…Gotay is likely to get a bit better with more work. The issues on his defense to me always seemed overblown. I watched every game last year. He made no terrific plays but made most of the routine ones routinely. He had a few bad chucks to Reyes which made DP’s impossible but that is a throw that is easy to make and should be correctable.
I’d go with Gotay and Easly personally and not make a deal this offseason for a 2nd basemen. If ODog is really going to make it FA next year then he is likely to be at least shopped at the deadline…along with a bunch of others no doubt. I’d save the coin and spot on the roster for something else. Go to war with Easly and Gotay. Maybe sign Valentin to a minor league deal and see if he bites. He could always be called up to help if the platoon does not work
Same old story.
Matt loves grit and hustle and won’t listen to those who know better.
Give him 8 Yrs $100M. Matt’s already dumped logic and accountability for what he says. Let’s now kill basic rationality.
The point by Andrew is dead on. Eckstein is a better version of Joe McEwing. He certainly CAN’T play all infield positions—he doesn’t even have the arm for short, let alone third.
I’m kind of disappointed that you value Eckstein, Matt. He’s a creation of the media—short and white = scrappy, gritty, and a winner. And as we all know from the media, Lastings Milledge (talented, confident) = clubhouse cancer, showboat, etc.
Look at Eckstein’s stats…. he would be one of the worst 2b in the league….and you want to sign him for FOUR YEARS?!
Why isn’t Iguchi being strongly considered? He’s three times the player that Eckstein is.
Considering your name for the site….I’d think you would prefer to go to war with Gotay no?
Castillo is clearly the better option here. He’s just as gritty of a player as Eckstein, is better defensively and has better range, which is essential with Delgado at 1B. Perhaps the Mets docs know something we don’t.
just brilliant. the mets have determined that a guy who was raking to the clip of .340 before he was pulled from the lineup, and playing adequate defense and who was getting better is not the answer and they want to bring in a piece of garbage.
it makes sense though - minaya hasnt made a good move in 2 years so why start now? he’s wrecking this organization just like he did to the prior ones that he worked for. he really has to go and he can take randolph with him
He also hit under .200 the last 2 months, can’t hit lefties, and can’t play defense. Sure, he had a stretch where he was hitting .340 last year, but he also hadn’t hit over .300 at ANY level since he was an 18 year old in Rookie Ball (Or 5 and a half years prior to his recent MLB callup) It was a fluke, that quickly ran out.
He is what he is, and that’s a very limited player. Probably a Career AAAA player.
Maybe he can make a career out of it, like David Eckstein.
Gotay has the chance to be more than a AAAA player. He is still pretty young and he did have a great season last year. His BA tanked at the time his playing time was eliminated. He became a once a week player and his stats showed that is not his strength.
Playing Gotay regularly, especially in a platoon situation with Easley where Gotay gets to hit Lefthanded exclusively against righthanded pitchers should allow for him to shine.
I’d personally prefer to go with the platoon and see what happens rather than resign Castillo or sign Eckstein or Igudchi
I don’t care what the state of baseball contracts is right now, giving either of these guys 4 year deal is borderline negligent. I’d rather see Anderson Hernandez get a shot. Can anyone honestly say they want to see these guys deteriorating around Citifield in a year. Omar had better come up with a better plan than this. I really think he has fallen into the easy way out. He needs to be more creative. I don’t know hoe, but than again I don’t get paid to build a contender.
Stop signing stop gap hacks with horrible OBPs and bad health histories.
I like Ruben Gotay a lot, and he could sprout into a solid starter who could hit .280 - .300 with some pop, so long as he ditches the right hand side of the plate.
Hey guys, a few friends started a blog to analyze mlb trades and moves. Mlbfleecefactor.com. It’s in it’s infancy stages, but hop on and offer insight if you want. Trying to get the ball rolling.
Thanks!
Um, Eckstein or Castillo………who do we really believe Omar favors? I mean, come on - that’s a ridiculous question, and we all know that Omar favors foreign born players. I’d be absolutely shocked if Omar chooses the American Eckstein over the foreign-born Castillo.