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According to El Nuevo Dia, free-agent 2B Jose Valentin is close to re-signing with the Mets.
…from what i can gather, this would 
not be a guaranteed deal…i would think if he’s healthy, playing well, and there is space on the roster, the Mets would love to have him since he’s highly regarded within the locker room…
Valentin had season-ending ACL surgery on his knee in late September, which he initially hurt in April.
He told the newspaper that he still not 100 percent, and may need to begin the year at Triple-A, but of all the teams he is negotiating with it is the Mets who have shown the most interest.
The Mets declined Valentin’s $4.3 million option for 2008 during early November.
…thanks to Sam H for the link…
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Where is the roster spot?
Well we certainly seem to be addressing our pressing needs.
Seriously, no kidding…
I’m just glad it’s a non guaranteed contract. Ijust don’t see where he would fit in with Easley, Anderson Chavez and Castro/Schneider and Pagan if he is not at AAA.
AA
He won’t start at AA.
A?
Don’t forget Gotay on that list.
Thanks forgot him.
Don’t worry he will part of the trade for Johan.
YES MORE SCRUBS!!
The 2008 Mets: Your offseason has come….and gone
GUESS omars next move- signs JOE MCEWING or WOODWARD
Trades for Fonzi
Trachsel for $21/3.
No………..Kevin Appier 4/$44
considering what everyone else is getting, trachsel at $21/3 is a bargain
Cool. Easley and Gotay were both great for us last year, but they’re both more likely to turn into a pumpkin than to turn in a repeat performance. I still like Valentin, and I’d welcome him back as a utility option.
But isn’t he like 50 years old?
This really is becoming a joke, isn’t it?
omar is mad at us for something.
I think this is a great move. A lot of people where concerned that there was some leadership lost when Lo Duca left, and I think Valentine can displace some of that. If it is non-guarenteed, then that makes him a perfect spot-start/depth player who can be tossed on our 40 man roster later in the year when we are really looking for some veteran precense (Yes, precense, not starters, precense) for the push.
If (Or perhaps I should say when?) Catillo goes down for a bit and we plug Gotay in, Valentine would not be a bad backup for late in the game.
Overall, I like it, but then again, sometimes I still imagine it is September 2006…
total bs… i’m sick and tired of this old and boring team.
its not the valentine we need…..
You want Ellis back? Now he’s old!
Whoever backs up 2B (whether the starter is Castillo, Gotay, Easley), must also back up short. In a pinch, Anderson (Machado or Hernandez) would do better than Valentin.
Regardless, as a backup or late inning option, at the very least he can play flawless defense. That’s worth something considering Easley and Gotay are lacking in that aspect.
Does 0 for 18 ring a bell to anybody? (JV as a bench player in ‘06) Perhaps if he’s willing to hang out on Bourbon Street until Castillo’s knees give way…
Does 0 ER in 14 IP mean anything to you? That was Scott Schoeneweis’s numbers at the end of 2006 with the Reds. Point is, 14 IP and 18 AB are too small of a sample to make any conclusions.
If Valentine can play 1B, 2B, and 3B, I think it is a good move. Mets need a versatile player like that. . . Oh wait they have Damon Easily.
Though I don’t think it is a bad move if it is a non-guaranteed deal. Give him a shot. Maybe he’ll play like he did two years ago.
Maybe Omar discovered the technology to put the good parts of Jose Valentine together with the good parts of Castillo. The Mets would have a great second baseman and not have to give up a roster spot.
with the signing of valentin, omar’s masterpiece offseason would be complete!
what a bunch of IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!
Why would we sign Jose Valentin? He’s ANOTHER LH hitter. We have plenty of those already (Endy, Marlon, Gotay [can't hit RH]. Easley’s our only RH threat. You can’t use Castro being the only reserve catcher.
This baffles me a bit. The only conclusion I can come up with here is that there are trading chips. Maybe not necessarily Valentine, but other other acquisitions. Still, I am not too sure what is going on here. I have been patient and haven’t been entirely disappointed with the off season, but adding or considering to add these types of players doesn’t make too much sense.
thats why we’re not getting santana. imagine our unbalanced our lineup would be when he pitches.
*how unbalanced
who cares…Valentin is getting a non-guaranteed deal, for peanuts. Plus Jose is a switch hitter.
Throwing crap at a wall and seeing what sticks.
Man you people are all CRAZY!!! Where in that post did it say he was signed?? “…but of all the teams he is negotiating with it is the Mets who have shown the most interest.”
“Interest” is not a contract.
“i would think if he’s healthy, playing well, and there is space on the roster, the Mets would love to have him since he’s highly regarded within the locker room…”
you have as much of a loser mentality as omar and the wilpons. f the locker room….valentin is a waste, and would do nothing to make a real difference. idiots!
Mets fans are silly.
There’s nothing wrong with signing a player of Valentin’s caliber to a non-guaranteed contract. As important as it is to build a solid team, which Omar has done, it’s equally significant to build up reliable depth.
Seriously, if the Mets have injuries to Alou, Beltran, Schneider and Castillo all at once, they will still be able to field a solid lineup. Not many teams can say that right now.
Ruben Gotay is not going to stay on the Mets.
Carlos Gomez
Aaron Heilman
Ruben Gotay
all going to be traded this off season.
seriously, when did all these whining Yankee fans jump ship on their team and bandwagon up with the Mets? This is pathetic and that’s exactly what you’re all acting like. I already know the answer to my question, it was in ‘06 when the Mets were fun to watch and the Yanks weren’t. Complaining about a move like this is useless, and simply demanding Omar make a trade for a starting pitcher like you all are, is not even coming close to fully understanding the situation at hand. Just do it Omar! right…that’ll work…other teams just LOVE giving up their prized pitchers, so why can’t Omar get one? Also, blaming Omar for not having prospects is one thing, but being able to understand the reason we dont have many is because he used them to build the team that everyone loved in ‘06 is another. The entitlement displayed on this board is embarassing, as if the Mets have somehow earned their time in the spotlight and SHOULD be competing yearly is ridiculous, when did that EVER happen? 2 things have ruined Mets fandom, the ‘06 season, and metsblog, you people have too much info, you don’t know how to process it.
just want to add one thing….READ THE POST, NOT A GUARANTEED CONTRACT, ie minor league deal.
i have to disagree with you on the idea that fans think we should compete every year is ridiculous. we are a big market team, the red sox yankees angels are all big market teams also. they compete every year. so why is it ridiculous to expect this team to also?
I think anyone who roots for this team is allowed to express their frustration with the fact that it seems as if Omar & Co. have been spinning their wheels in mud for the last year and a half. Heck, since the trading deadline of ‘06, what real upgrades can you point to?
Don’t mistake frustration for entitlement. We haven’t won anything in 20+ years now. I think every Mets fan is very aware of that and I doubt many at all feel entitled to anything but a competitive team.
So wait, this team wasn’t competitive last season? Does anyone seriously expect them to not compete next year?
Sure, they were competitive last year and it can be expected that they will be in ‘08. I was just responding to the accusation that fans had started to feel like they were entitled to things. My arguement is that I feel all Mets fans feel entitled to is a competitive team.
Agreed. Except don’t shoot the messenger & blame metsblog, which is informative and fun (most of the time).
The growing Yankeeness sense of entitlement displayed in the last year or so is quite alarming. That is a main reason why it was so easy (and fun) to hate the Yankees, and I would not like to see that happen to the Mets and their fans.
REMEMBER WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE CAME FROM.
We were playing sub .500 ball for five years until Omar & Co. came along.
I have no problem with el mustache being signed to a non-guaranteed contract (If it happens). He is credited to keeping Jose’s head in the game when he played beside him and is insurance for injuries. And he was in large part a reason for our success in 06.
Everyone knows we need an Ace, but that doesn’t mean Omar should stop signing other position players to improve the team and formulating plan b’s & c’s. Mark my words, If we are able to pull off a trade for Santana this site will be flooded with posts like; “Omar is a fool to trade the farm”, how could he give him 6-7 year deal”, “If Santana gets hurt we are done” etc. etc.
No news is good news, and just be happy if we are able to get a bona-fide ace.
Reyes is starting to get to an age where he should be able to keep his own head in the game. He isn’t 18 years old anymore and this isn’t his rookie - or even sophomore - season. He’s been through two healthy and complete seasons. Its time he takes responsibility for himself.
I understand your point. But he is still young and from what we saw last year, he still is a little immature and lost focus.
Having a father figure/mentor on the team or accessible has huge psychological advantages, and not just in baseball. For instance, i have been running a large company in conjunction with my Mentor from 2000-2004. He retired in 2004 and i have been running it myself. It is very comforting knowing that if I have a serious problem or need advice I can always call on him. I do not consult him for every problem, but just knowing I can gives me more confidence.
I certainly don’t blame Cerrone, I love his blog, its just the commenters who have changed so drastically over the period of maybe only a year. It’s the people who nitpick every last thing they see on metsblog or take everything they see on here as some sort of truth. Don’t get me wrong, I love metsblog and what Cerrone has done. To someone else who says fans should expect to win every year because we’re a big market team, I say, being a big market team means little if you don’t take the time to truly build a winning team, which, get this, does not happen over night. Omar made us a winner far sooner than i’m sure even he imagined, but I still think we’re headed in the right direciton, collapse or not, trading for an ace this offseason or not. The Mets have gone from bottom feeding spenders, to respectable competitor in a few years, not bad in my eyes. They had a down year, it happens, but I don’t see how forcing trades will make us any better down the road, when we have a real chance to make this team a consistent winner.
“The Mets have gone from bottom feeding spenders, to respectable competitor in a few years, not bad in my eyes. They had a down year, it happens, but I don’t see how forcing trades will make us any better down the road, when we have a real chance to make this team a consistent winner.”
Dude, a-friggin-men.
I remember reading a few months back a rumored Endy Chavez for Jason Marquis deal. Then I remember Matt talking about the Mets looking to build depth before making a big “splash” trade. While this move could end up being just what it is, I have to wonder if there is some sort of trade value for Endy and between acquiring Pagan and now Valentin, Omar is trying to shore up the bench for Chavez’s potential departure. Whether Endy goes as part of a Johan package (unlikely) or for a back-end guy like Marquis once we drain our minor league system of Pelfrey, Mulvey, Humber ect., you’re going to need someone who can hit from the left side and can play multiple positions.
The mets had a lack of power off the bench last year and stache gives them that . . . he’s also adequate or plus defensively at 3 of the IF positions. We’re not talking about a guaranteed contract. I’m sure it’s not for a ton of money. How can this be a BAD deal?!?!?!?
I hope he’s learning how to pitch…
I mean, how many backup 2nd baseman does a team need? Castillo is starting and the Mets already have Gotay, Easley, Anderson Hernandez (sucks anyway), Marlon Anderson. Granted it’s not a guaranteed contract for Valenting, but it’s just a complete waste of time and whatever money is doled out. Fire Mianya, Willie now. Oh wait I forgot- you can’t fire black or hispanic people because of the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, etc.- they get a lot longer leash than non-colored people do and it would take 3 or 4 more epic collapses to rid ourselves of Willie.
is this a joke? Do i really need to make a list of black coaches who have been fired in any number of sports after bad seasons?
The Packers fired Ray Rhodes after one 8-8 season.
“If he’s healthy, playing well, and there is space on the roster”
That is a pretty big set of if. But, IF they all happen, it means that he is a worthwhile addition, and they need him. IOW, he adds some depth.
The key if for him to not be ready off ST and start on the DL, or to accept a minors deal and start at AAA to play his way back into shape.
I’m also thinking Gotay is on the way out. Endy too. They are basically the only experience ML quality position players that the mets can spare in a trade. Endy is a little older, but Gotay could be a real nice pick up for someone.
Young, cheap and contolled for years, some pop (just don’t let him hit RH), and the defense can improve (hopefully).
Has to be some team that can use a discount rack Chase Utley! Just not the Mets of course.
Endy also may not have a role if they get a lefit RH power bat (pagan doesn’t qualify) like Mench.
Should Omar fail in landing a frontline starter and we still have Endy and Gotay on our bench, you can bet your bottom dollar Omar (Valentin’s close friend) and veteran-lover Willie will squeeze one of those two out. We’ll have to watch as Valentin eats up precious ABs popping up or grounding out…
SO true…I was thinking the same thing. Gotay has NO CHANCE making this squad with Willie as manager. He will take Valentin, b/c he is one of “his guys.”
I’d rather have a Metsblog member manage this team than Randolph. He is the worst.
maybe we can do it real time off the chat room? Or pick a “manager of the day”?
Yeah, we can vote for the next move to be made. It likely would be something that Randolph would consider ground-breaking - like taking Schoenweis out as Pujols is stepping to the plate.
It would improve our bench and our depth at second base.
The most important thing is he is supposedly a very good influence on Jose Reyes.
How many second basemen do we need?
Anderson Hernandez is not a factor.
Marlon Anderson is horrendous in the field.
Easley is more of a utility guy since he can play the corners in the IF and OF and 2b.
Ruben Gotay looks like he may be dealt.
Plus, this is not a guaranteed deal anyway. And if he can come back, I welcome him, the guy plays solid D, plays hard, and has some pop.
They should have made him a first base coach instead!
Man you guys are negative…
One game away from the WS in 2006
And it took the worst collapse in history for us to miss the playoffs and possibly more in 2007.
OH NO!!! We lost Glavine Milledge and LoDuca…please we are better off without them. I’ll take Pedro, Chruch and Schnieder over them any day.
you are simply out of your mind
He’s probably right. Just based on performance at the end of the year, those are the better players!
Don’t forget, we also ditched Sele and Mota, so that is improvement right there.
why is it so hard to believe that we will be better in ‘08 than in ‘07?
That’s a real good argument you make. You sound like a long time suffering Mets fan.
Still, keep in mind that a big piece of this part of the off season is collecting various spare parts (non roster invitees, minor league contracts) to have enough bodies to run ST. Generally, most of them disappear without a trace, but sometimes you get lucky and get a valuable player out of the deal, or at least some viable AAA depth.
Valentine in ST 2006 came in this way, didn’t he? Can’t remember about Feliciano.. Heck, David Ortiz was a waiver wire pick up, and that worked out OK.
Until the add hm to the 25 man at the expense of a better player, this is just no risk, possible reward.
Although they should just make him a coach, or even the manager (he at least has some experience with his DR team, right?).
the only way i see this working is if omar somehow manages to trade for a frontline starter and includes gotay, valentin, castillo, easley, or marlon anderson in the deal. maybe this is good news afterall…loading up before “the deal” happens
Cerrone I seriously thought that was a joke post when I first read it. Man…good to see this team filling all the holes that need to be filled!
Where exactly is the roster spot for Jose Valentin? I’d rather give some hardworking rook down in 3A a shot if thats how were going to fill roster spots. Omar hasn’t grasped the concept of 2006 LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE. Appreciate it while it lasted..and move on.
I don’t care how highly regarded Valentin is in the clubhouse. The Mets really need to get off this chemistry / image thing. You already lost Milledge because of that. Valentin’s clubhouse demeanor doesn’t put rings on their fingers. Good players do that…and I’m pretty sure Jose Valentin is no longer a good player. He would make a fine 3rd base coach….I don’t need him playing for the Mets in 2008.
valentin’s obviously not going to make the roster. who care if they throw a little minor league cash at him.
lol +1
unfortunately there are fans that vote in those that are completely dilusional and think that this team as presently assembled is a playoff team with the ability to win a pennant.
If Matt starts charging a $.10/month posting fee will you leave us alone too?
Seriously…did you go to kindergarten? The first lesson they teach is if you have nothing good to say then don’t say anything
You guys are all Bitter…Relax. It disgusts me. Sometimes I wonder if the people posting on this blog are even fans….
THE OFFSEASON ISN’T OVER YET.
No, they’re fans, but like in everything else, it’s the vocal minority that always gets heard. Same deal whether it has to do with the Devil Rays team name, or the Janet Jackson nipple slip. Rational human beings don’t get worked up over minutiae and random events. It’s those who have either way too much time on their hands or are incapable of categorizing events into “significant” or “insignificant” categories who don’t shut the eff up about these things.
It’s getting ridiculous on this blog. Everyone is whining and b1tching and crying. I’m so sick it. Grow Up Kids. It’s not easy being General Manager…Stop making your FANTASY TRADES. Sit back and let Omar due his job like I said The offseason is not over yet. Until then, I guess everyone will keep on crying the season starts…You freaking FAIR WEATHER FANS!
First off, I agree that this isnt huge news one way or another, but give the haters some leeway. For those of us that hoped we’d have a good offseason its getting pretty close to the midnight hour. I think a lot of people were able to get over last year by saying, “Its OK. They’ll have a better team on the field next year to attone for this embarassement.” Its quickly becoming clear that may not be the case. Its “significant” more in terms of now small a move it is relative to what people thought(whether realistic or not) was gonna during this offseason, combined with what DID happen 4 months ago. I understand people wanting a lot of the people here to stop freaking out, but honestly, after what happened last year how can you blame them. Some mentalities are ‘Whats past is past, lets move forward’, some are ‘Well, that didnt work. We better make some changes” Give the people that wanted change(justifibly so) some space to be anxious.