Daily Archives: December 17, 2007
SNY is asking, “Would it bother if you if the Mets choose to pursue a player named in the Mitchell Report?”
To vote, click here and scroll down.
…you mean like Scott Schoeneweis, Guillermo Mota or Paul Lo Duca…and a whole bunch of other guys we’ll probably never know about…
…anyway, i have been asked all sorts of questions during the last few days on this subject, whether from my family, to colleagues, to fans, to whomever…still, even after the Mitchell Report, i’m finding it hard to form any sort of opinion on this topic, let alone actually care about it…i don’t know, maybe i am just fatigued by it…but, at this point, as sad as it may be, i’ve come to look at it as though the era is what it is, and i’ll never know the real truth, and to view one player as bad while another is good, when i don’t know the truth, is just unfair all around…so, i give up…people cheated…surprise, surprise…don’t do it again, now let’s move on…
…as for the Hall of Fame, and who should or should not be in it, frankly, the place is overrated and overcrowded at this point anyway, so i don’t really care much about that either…
…in short, i just want to see the Mets win a World Series…i’m not too concerned with what happened in the 90s…again, clean it up, don’t do it again, and let’s play ball, already…
…Update…4:10 pm…
…i just re-read this post…apparently, i’m a bit cranky today…sorry…i think i’m just getting a bit antsy, and eager to watch a real baseball game…of course, it’s not yet New Years, so…ugh…
…the buzz from oakland had long been that if the A’s decided to trade Dan Haren, and did, they would next look to trade Joe Blanton, as well…
…last week, haren was traded to Arizona…as such, from what i can gather, several teams, including the Mets, have recently inquired about blanton, who 
will likely cost a step below what the Twins are asking for Johan Santana, such as Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Fernando Martinez, along with at least one other pitcher…for what it’s worth, during the Winter Meetings, i recall hearing that Oakland is not very interested in Mike Pelfrey…
…also, as best i can tell, A’s GM Billy Beane’s so-called ‘love’ for Lastings Milledge had been way, way overhyped by reporters, talk-show hosts, fans and bloggers…basically, beane wanted to draft milledge many years ago, but the Mets did…and in that first year or so, he expressed some interest in acquiring him, but it never panned out and that was that…love affair over…in other words, at no point during the last year was milledge enough to net blanton, as we all assumed he could…
According to Buster Olney at his blog for ESPN.com, the Mariners ‘are in the thick of the bidding’ for Blanton, who could cost them at least OF Adam Jones, who is considered Seattle’s top prospect.
This past season for the A’s, Blanton was 14–10 with a 3.95 ERA through 34 starts, during which he allowed an average of just one walk per start.
He has made at least 32 starts in each of his last three seasons.
He is eligible for salary arbitration this off-season, and eligible for free agency after 2010.
…my guess is that if the Mets need to part with humber, mulvey, another pitcher, and gomez or fernando for blanton, they’ll just bite the bullet, package them all, and keep focus on santana…
FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, and former Mets GM Jim Duquette will join Gary Cohen and host Kevin Burkhardt during tonight’s edition of Mets Hot Stove on SNY, which airs live at 6:30 pm and again at 11 pm.
According to Tim Brown, at Yahoo! Sports, free-agent LHP Kyle Lohse is considering offers from the Mets and Phillies, ‘both of which could go to four years.’
In 34 starts for the Reds and Phillies last season, the 29–year-old Lohse was 9–12 with a 4.63 ERA, while striking out 122 batters through 192 innings.
…well, lohse is durable…the thing is, he’s also hittable…basically, he strikes me as the kind of pitcher who, in the perfect ball park, when on his game, can be a great-looking pitcher, but every thing must go right…i don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but, if the Mets are able to acquire Johan Santana, and pair him up with John Maine, Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez, assuming Mike Pelfrey and Phil Humber will be in Minnesota, lohse is not a bad option as a fifth starter, though i hate the thought of locking him in for at least three years, which is what i believe 
it’ll take…however, if santana or Joe Blanton are not acquired, and pelfrey and humber are still on this team’s roster come opening day, i’d just as soon start them over lohse…
…that said, it could be fun to have lohse in queens if for no other reason than to regularly hear WFAN’s Chris Russo call him Kyle Lucy, as he insists on doing…
…by the way, the comments are back open…
According to SI.com, Al Leiter will appear on Spike TV’s 
Pro’s vs. Joes, as Darryl Strawberry and John Rocker, among others, have done in the past.
…it’s sad really, because i had been a huge fan of leiter and John Franco…now, though, they’re legacy is tainted by a variety of fan-unfriendly comments and alleged actions towards the end of their careers…and that stinks, because it should not take away from some brilliant and exciting on-field moments that contributed to a ton of fun for me in the late 90s…
[poll=33]
Tagged Poll |According to the player’s agent, the Mets and Yankees are among 11 teams who have expressed 
‘preliminary interest’ in free-agent RHP Mark Prior, reports Anthony McCarron in the Daily News.
Prior has not pitched in a big-league game since August 2006.
He is 42–29 in 106 starts for his career, with a 3.51 ERA.
Prior’s agent, as quoted by McCarron…
“He’s playing catch right now and Dr. Andrews and his physical therapist feel like he’s progressing nicely. Mark is a guy who has no problem working hard. Barring anything unforeseen, he’s going to be just fine. If we don’t rush him, he could be very successful.”
…as i have said, i assume there will be a large number of teams who will try to be creative about bringing him in to their camp…i’m glad to see the Mets are at least interested, though it will be hard to justify giving him a guaranteed roster spot…
In a report for RotoWorld, the great Matthew Pouliot takes a look at how players are performing in winter ball leagues.
By the way, as Pouliot points out, Mets 2B Ruben Gotay is hitting just .197 through 61 at-bats in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Last season, in 190 at-bats for the Mets, Gotay hit .295, including a .318 average against right-handed pitchers.
…the kid can hit…that’s clear…his defense, though, is spotty, which is why he’ll always struggle to lock down a starting job - be it with the Mets or elsewhere…that said, the kid can hit…
…as of now, depending on how many people they carry in the bullpen, the Mets bench will at least include Damion Easley, Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and Ramon Castro…easley and anderson can play both infield and outfield…the final bench spot is going to be tricky…
…on one hand, i feel the Mets need a bat in the outfield who can hit left-handed pitching…on other hand, a versatile, well-rounded, jack-of-all-trades infielder may be necessary, as well…sort of like an endy on the infield…i’d like to think gotay can fill this role, since he played a bit of third and shortstop last season…i believe the Mets once hoped this spot 
could be filled by Anderson Hernandez, but i feel that ship has sailed…in some ways, gotay is closer to what this team had planned for hernandez than what hernandez actually is today…
…Morgan Ensberg recently hit the free-agent market, after having been non-tendered by the Astros…he has played first and third, but can no longer hit…additionally, Aaron Miles is a free agent, as well…
In five major-league seasons, Miles, 31, has played second base, short, third and left field, while pitching two innings, with a career .283 average in 509 games.
Last season, Miles hit .286 against righties and .292 against lefties, while hitting exactly .290 before and after the All-Star break.
What’s more, he hit .345 against the Phillies last season; .368 in 19 at-bats as a pinch hitter; and .313 in 96 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
…knowing the Mets will certainly pursue a veteran or two to try out during spring training, like David Newhan last season, i might consider signing miles - assuming he is interested in this sort of role - making him a Miguel Cairo-type, who Willie Randolph seemed to utilize a lot during his first season at Shea…the thing is, miles will certainly require a major-league contract, meaning the Mets will have five guaranteed bench spots on the roster, no questions asked, a) leaving no room for gotay, and b) leaving little wiggle room during the first half of the season…plus, i’m not so sure he is any better on defense than gotay…
…nevertheless, this season’s edition of musical chairs for second base has ended, leaving David Eckstein to sign a one-year, $4 million contract to potentially split time in toronto…so, that being the case, miles should expect a contract of lesser value, suggesting he could be a potential candidate for the type of role i have outlined…
…in other words, assuming he requires a guaranteed contract, and if the Mets decide they need an additional infielder and they value versatility, and are comfortable locking up a final roster spot, then i like miles…if, however, they prefer to keep the roster a bit flexible, and are comfortable with easley and marlon on the infield from time to time, then they should roll with with gotay…
Tagged Ruben Gotay |According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates declined to trade OF Jason Bay and C Ronny Paulino to the Indians for OF Franklin Gutierrez, LHP Cliff Lee, C Kelly Shoppach and a minor leaguer, because 
‘the value for Bay was not enough.’
…during the Winter Meetings i wrote, i wondered why there were so few rumors connecting the Pirates and Mets, since i believe the Mets inquired about bay during last year’s trade deadline, and they should be intrigued by pairing Xavier Nady with church to play in right field next season…not to mention RHP Ian Snell…
…however, if the Pirates turned down the above trade, they’re clearly still operating under the same conservative confusion that has kept them in last place for over the last decade…in other words, after further review, i guess i’m not at all surprised with the lack of rumors connecting the Mets and Pirates…
…at any rate, now that the Giants have pulled out of talks with the Blue Jays, as well, i can’t help but think the Indians and Blue Jays will reconnect and once again consider Cliff Lee and Franklin Gutierrez for Alex Rios…
