Daily Archives: December 27, 2007
According to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com today, citing ‘one 
source with knowledge of the discussion,’ it may be ‘several weeks’ before the Twins make a trade involving Johan Santana.
Stark continues to write…
“The most surprising aspect of those talks to some baseball people is that the Mets remain in the mix. It may be because the Twins would like to move Santana to the National League if possible.
“But while the Mets have made a four-for-one offer built around center fielder Carlos Gomez, indications are that the teams remain far apart.
“The Twins originally asked for Jose Reyes. But one baseball man with knowledge of those talks says that possibility was dismissed ‘a long time ago.’”
…hmmm, well, if they’re surprised, i guess it’s because they have not been reading this site every day for the last month…such as this post, made as recently as yesterday…
Stark writes that the Twins essentially need the Mets to ‘rip up their farm system,’ if the two sides are to agree on a deal.
Also, according to Stark, the Yankees once offered Phil Hughes, but such a deal is now off the table, while the Red Sox haven’t budged from their offer of Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie.
Ultimately, Stark notes that the Twins could look to keep Santana through opening day.
…the sense i get, though, from people connected to santana, is that he wants a contract extension now…which is probably a wise move for a guy who has yet to suffer a major injury…and so, i suspect he’ll force the issue, whether the Twins like it or not…
In a post to his outstanding blog for Newsday, media-watchdog Neil Best wrote about the partnership between this site, MetsBlog.com, and SNY, the regional sports television network.
For more on MetsBlog’s relationship with SNY, click here.
Best concludes by writing…
“It’s another variation on a recent theme of ‘mainstream’ outlets bringing popular independent blogs and message boards into the fold.”
…as i have said before, it’s a natural fit in the sense that we are all in the business of creating dialogue, expressing opinion and covering sports in a fun, professional and informative way…i alluded to this while speaking at BlogWorld and New Media Expo in Las Vegas last month, alongside Will Leitch from Deadspin, Rob Neyer from ESPN, and Jamie Mottram from Yahoo! Sports, among others…to me, unlike politics and pop culture, it makes far more sense for sports bloggers, like myself, and mottram, and Henry Abbott of True Hoops, etc, to align with these larger outlets in an effort to expand our reach and product, while never adjusting our voice and fan point-of-view…
…as such, being that SNY is partly owned by the Mets, i know people are concerned that i will be more likely to side with the team, or not be overtly critical…nevertheless, in a recent survey of more than 7,000 readers of this site, less than 10 percent of participants said that i appear to be afraid of what the team will think of me…additionally, roughly 70 percent believe i am fair in my criticism, while 75 percent believe i am well-informed and do not rush to judgment…
…and that’s the thing, i have always been slow-to-judge, passive and optimistic – and that goes for all of my opinions in life, not just those pertaining to the Mets…as i have said a million times before, i am a fairly pragmatic person by nature, and i try to be understanding and optimistic in life, especially with a subject like sports, which is supposed to be ‘fun,’ and so i spend far more time looking forward than looking back – especially with regards to things i have no control over, like who Omar Minaya traded away two years ago, or why Willie Randolph didn’t bunt on a random cloudy day in June…since i never assume to have every bit of information, i find it very unfair to speak in absolutes…
…my critics have a fair point, in that if i spend too much time socializing with team officials and players, subconsciously i may not be honest in my criticism because i will not want to criticize a friend…this is a great point, and i promise to be mindful of this going forward…but, the fact is, i don’t really want to be that close to those people, at least not on a regular basis…as i have said before, i like being a baseball fan…i don’t want to care about these people personally, because i don’t want to lose the ability to get emotional while watching a game…i like the passion and energy, and the brainstorming and constructive criticism i do from the stands, or from my sofa, or in a bar or on this site arguing and thinking with fellow fans – to me, that’s what being a baseball fan is all about…and, again, i don’t want to stop that…however, i appreciate the advice, and always welcome your feedback and guidance…
Tagged MetsBlog, SNY |According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Mets and Rangers each made ‘lucrative proposals’ to Mark Prior, who, instead, chose to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal to play for the Padres in his year-round home of San Diego.
In the Star-Ledger, Don Burke writes an in-depth profile of Mets RHP Kevin Mulvey, who has been mentioned in trade rumors on several occasions during this off-season.
Willie Randolph, on Mulvey, as quoted by Burke…
“I like his poise. I don’t think he was intimidated at all.
Spring training is such a small window, but I like the fact that he showed a real poise and presence. And his stuff was crisp and decent…He has all the tools. I’m excited about him and from what I hear in the organization, a lot of our guys are saying good things about him too.”
Mulvey is ranked as the team’s second-best pitching prospect, behind Deolis Guerra, and ahead of Phil Humber, by Baseball America, who writes…
“Mulvey throws four pitches for strikes and keeps everything down. His fastball, which sits at 87-91 mph and touches 94, features good sink and run…His competitiveness makes his whole greater than the sum of his parts…He’ll open 2008 in Triple-A, but Mulvey could get a look in the rotation by midseason. He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter.”
…as i mentioned during the Winter Meetings, the Twins and A’s seemed to really like mulvey, which, to me, says a lot, since those two organizations are known for having such strong scouting departments…
In 26 starts for Double-A Binghamton last season, Mulvey was 11–10 with a 3.32 ERA, while striking out 110 batters and walking 43 through 152 innings.
The following is a parody of Lisa Loeb’s Stay, about John Maine, by Kuff and the Buttheads…
…excellent, job…that first line alone keeps making me laugh - let alone the rest of the song, which is hilarious…
Tagged YouTube |The Royals have signed free-agent C Miguel Olivo to a one-year contract, with an option for 2009.
Last week, at his blog for the Star-Tribune, Twins reporter La Velle E. Neal III wrote that unless David Wright and Jose Reyes are in the deal, the Mets had ‘no shot’ at acquiring 
Johan Santana from the Twins.
…of course, as you know, i’ve been saying for over a month that the Twins understand and have accepted that reyes is off the table, and, in many cases, actually prefer some of the Mets prospects to what is being offered by the Red Sox…
Today, at his blog for the Star-Tribune, Neal writes that the Mets remain a ‘viable destination’ for Santana, while adding, ‘The Twins like enough of their players that a deal could be worked out without shortstop Jose Reyes being part of the package.’
…thanks, la velle…now, if you could just send Mike Francesa a memo, we’ll be all set…
…considering what i have been saying for weeks, plus neal’s post, among other developments, i put my confidence level at five, with regards to the Mets chances of acquiring santana - which, at this point, hinges much more on what the Yankees do with Phil Hughes than it does with anything else…
On June 28 of this past season, Pedro Feliciano had a 2.92 ERA while opponents had been hitting just .154 against him.
…if you recall, he was being considered as the team’s MVP, 
with Billy Wagner referring to him as their best relief pitcher…
The next day, according to an excellent report by Peter Botte in the Daily News, Feliciano’s daughter, Josnelly, was born. However, in August, Josnelly was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, explains Botte. She underwent open-heart surgery in late October, and is now happy and healthy with the Feliciano’s in Puerto Rico.
Feliciano, as quoted by Botte…
“I know that everyone was very upset about what happened at the end of the season with (the Mets). But this was my little daughter, and when something happens like this, it changes how you think about everything.”
During July, August and September, Feliciano had a 4.44 ERA. Opponents hit .265 against him during his final 16 appearances.
…this is why i do not get bogged down in statistical analysis…stats are great, but they do not tell the entire story…i see this a lot during the regular season…i mean, i am certain even i pulled up feliciano’s splits, looked at the numbers and tried to figure out what was wrong with him in the second half…i recall writing about arm slot, not inducing enough ground balls, etc…meanwhile, his newborn daughter had congenital heart disease…last i checked, there is no stat that logs heartbreak or distraction, which is probably why i could not understand his inability to find the strike zone when only looking at the box score…
…thanks to Peter Wade, our resident eyes and ears, for the link…
Tagged Pedro Feliciano |
