|
|
|
Mets 3B David Wright, talking to reporters while receiving an award at the Baseball Assistance Team last night…
“When I think of an ace, I think of someone who you know is going to get you a win every five days. There’s not many of those guys. Johan is one of those guys – you know, that every fifth day, he’s going to eat up innings. He’s going to win…To have one of a handful of those guys I would consider an ace, it’s going to be pretty special…Not only what he brings on the field, but for our younger pitchers to develop under a guy like Johan, a guy like Pedro, you can’t ask for a better situation…He seems like a great clubhouse guy. If it’s true, we’re gonna welcome him with open arms.”
Mets LHP Billy Wagner, as quoted in the New 
York Post…
“What we lacked last year going into the season was that excitement and I think this truly puts us back into that top five in baseball…I think (the Phillies) are still ahead of us…I honestly think it’s really tight at the top. I’m not going to put us ahead of them because we don’t deserve to be there until we achieve something.”
…absolutely…i was a bit critical of wagner’s comments from Monday, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove Report, during which he said the Mets should be ranked third in the NL East…but, i hear what he’s saying…and, maybe i just feel better today because of the trade, but, the fact is, wagner is right…it’s only a trade…it means nothing unless this team can go out and actually win…
The Post also provides reactionary quotes from Phillies GM Ed Wade, Braves GM Frank Wren and an anonymous NL Executive.
 |
 |
 |
RSS 2.0 Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Wagner sure changed in a hurry, I think he was all cranky because Glavine (the guy who helped bring him to NY) left.
I cant wait for the press stuff with the t-shirt, cap, interview!
BRING IT ON!
Maybe Wagner plans on having another year of a 4.15 ERA against PHI.
meh leave wags along sounds like he was trying to push omar to get johan, even though he should no he really has no effect on these things. Seems like wags doesnt want to trash talk the phils so hes doing the exact opposite, just too loudly. i dont think he knows how to be quiet really
I would love to trade Wagner and get Nathan but that’s besides the point.
I think at this point we should go ahead an make a couple of small moves to go along with this trade. How about signing Mench and getting Fuentes from Colorado for a couple of B prospects. If I were Omar I would keep trying to improve this team. Needs right now, OF/1B back up and more reliable BP arm.
rockies want more than “b” prospects for fuentes guy…remember we almost had him earlier in the off season but our package wasn’t enough?
If we’re gonna add anybody, it has to be through FA, cuz we need to save prospects for mid season trades.
The Rocks are gonna sign Scott Podsednik, he mighta been a good backup OF, but i 1000000% agree with u. A Mench/CHurch platoon would be amazing for us
I thought we turned down Heilman for Fuentes?
I said it the other night and I’ll say it again.
Billy’s right.
They beat us fair and square last season.
When we win; then we are better.
It hurts. But it’s true.
Omar; good work!
Maybe so, but it comes across as Wagner setting us up for failure. So when the Mets fail to make the playoffs again in 2008 its because the GM didnt do enough and not because the team didnt perform… it just sounds lame coming from a player. I’d much prefer to hear him say what Rollins said.
Wagner should stop rating the team and worry more about rating himself. He did not have a good season last year and was certainly responsible for blowing quite a few games.
Jeez, every closer blows games. We all can’t have a closer like Rivera or Paps.
Actually, Wagner had a better ERA and more saves than Mo last season:
Wagner Mo
ERA 2.63 3.15
Saves 34 30
Record 2-2 3-4
Sure, career wise Mo is the better closer, but Wags isn’t bad.
Papelbon is another story.
Wagner should stop trying to rate the team and worry more about rating himself. He did not have a good season last year and was certainly responsible for blowing quite a few games the Mets should’ve won.
I don’t like Wagner’s comments either but maybe he is only trying to fire up his teamates to not be complacent and expect victory to just fall in their laps.
Ya, and by the way when did wagner get consideration as a top closer. He chokes every september and every postseason.
bxsci insight is quoted as saying: “Santana is the sh*t, he makes us the best team in the nl. I still think they should persue livan because he gives u 7 innings and rests your ballpen. He’s a perfect 5th starter.”
Wagner should just shut up. If Wagner doesn’t believe this makes the Mets the best team in the NL East, he has serious lack of confidence issues. The Mets should win 95 games next year while the Phillies scuffle to 90 wins (or, even better, 85 wins, if the Mets go 12-7 against the Phillies rather than 7-12). I think Wright or Reyes should step up and say the Mets are the team to beat, and the Phillies’ NL East championship last season was a fluke.
Welcome to the Yankees of 2008. Old school Met fan who believes in homegrown talent. So what if the Mets win it all, they’re winning with rented players and outspending everyone else in the NL. Most of the posters on this board don’t really understand what it meant to be a Mets fan in 69 and 86. Do you expect me to get excited about trading for a player who no one else can afford? He’s a Twin, and will always be a Twin. Do you believe you can trade for a Seaver or a Gooden? After canceling my season tickets, I was called five times by the ticket office. As it was explained to me, I wasn’t alone. The Wilpons blinked, and the pressure is on. Let’s hope they don’t choke ala 2007. If the Mets don’t win the NL, they’ll become the laughing stock of baseball, while Milledge and Gomez will be roaming CF for years to come.
I can’t believe people are still finding things to complain about after this…
Oh and I was there in 86, same way as I was in 99, 2000, and 2006. Times change. You just have to roll with it.
1st of all Millage stinks
That type of thinking will prevent the mets from winning the world series. In 86 carter, hernandez, oheada (excuse the spelling) were not in the farm system. I don’t think one single fan other then yourself was actually disappointed
In 83, the Mets were the only team that would trade for Keith Hernandez, because of the rumored drug problem.
In 85, the Mets were the only team that would trade for Gary Carter, because he grated on teammates in Montreal.
in 98, the Mets were the only team that would trade for Piazza, because it cost them three big time prospects for a guy in the last year of his contract (sound familiar?).
Even in 69, it was trades for guys like Clendenon and Cleon Jones who really put the Mets over the top.
There isn’t a team in major league baseball that doesn’t succeed without shrewd trades. The Mets just made one, for the best pitcher in baseball. Be happy.
the mets didnt trade for cleon….he was home grown…
OMG Cgpublic! You’re exactly right! This team’s full of rented players! We have no home grown talent at all! Oh wait….David Wright and Jose Reyes came up through our system. Your points are invalid and you sound more like a Yankee fan trying to make excuses. Have a nice day.
hi, idiot…
Yankees of the late 90’s…
yea they had the pettite’s and the jeter’s..
but lets see Wade Boggs..David Justice, O’Neill, etc etc…
The Red Sox of 2004 , Schilling, Pedro, Manny, Ortiz, etc etc
Sox of 2006 – Schilling, BECKETT, Crisp, Manny, Ortiz, Lugo, Lowell, etc etc
Do some research before you say a REALLY dumb statement
obviously I meant this as NON HOME GROWN TALENT!
Thank you Mrose for injecting some clarity….if you are a true Met fan, there is no way you can be unhappy today..
No problem cyclone…
And well said, true mets fan today are smiling bigger than ever…
And also, another typo..I meant 2007 Sox by the way too
either way, you can only have so much home grown talent to win the world series
WITH THAT SAId
LETS GO METS !!!
JOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN
who cares about home grown or not home grown… fans and organization just want CHAMPIONSHIPS period
not entirely, I think a large number of any teams fans want players then can relate to and keep track of as they go through thier careers. If it was a completely new roster every year I dont think many of us would care nearly as much. There has to be a connection to something more than the laundry they wear.
Are you serious? The fact that we can afford Santana has to do with the fact that we do have home grown talent in Reyes and Wright. We have an underpriced RF, LF, 3B, SS, 2 setup men. Come one. Not to mention that we are a large market team. It’s not like we are the Yankee’s. If you don’t like the fact that the Mets are willing to spend money to put out a better product for their fans then go be a Marlin’s or A’s fan. This is a great day for the Mets and their fans stop messing that up.
Yankees? Hmm, last I checked, our payroll is nowhere near $200 million. Oh, but you mean the amount of people we’ve acquired through trade/signings. Lets break it down. The late 90’s Yankees (up until last year, really) acquired:
1. Gary Sheffield
2. Jason Giambi
3. Hideki Matsui
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Johnny Damon
6. Bobby Abreu
7. Randy Johnson
8. Jaret Wright
9. Carl Pavano
10. ROGER FREAKIN CLEMENS x 2
11. David Justice
They were all all-star caliber talent when acquired, with HUGE contracts to boot. Who have the Mets acquired since 2005?
1. Pedro Martinez
2. Carlos Beltran
3. Carlos Delgado
4. Johan Santana
5. John Maine
6. Oliver Perez
7. Xavier Nady
8. Duaner Sanchez
9. Ryan Church
10. Brian Schneider
11. Paul Lo Duca
12. Scott Sho
13. Chad Bradford
14. Roberto Hernandez
15. Doug M
16. Jose Valentin
17. Luis Castillo
18. Moises Alou
19. Matt Wise
Now tell me, besides the first 4, who were huge all-stars with ridiculous contracts? Almost this entire list were cast-offs, or hidden gems that were not well known, or reclamation projects, or cheap options because they are on the downside of their careers. NO HUGE CONTRACTS for 15/19 of them. We didnt even give up F-Mart, or Pelfrey, or Rustich, etc for the Santana trade. So tell me again, how are we the Yankees?
And how could you NOT be happy today?
The game has changed since 1969, to say the least!
But that Met team beat a Orioles team that was historic in it’s excellence.
The Mets secret weapon?
A manager who lead and inspired and took no excuses.
I am surprised Willie will be given this very talented and very expensive team.
He needs to walk very carefully this season…
Give me a break … as if Gary Carter wasn’t a big profile guy the Mets traded for at the time.
Meanwhile Wright, Reyes, and FM will be regulars on the Mets while Pelfrey, Heilman and others will be keys to the staff. The Mets will continue to be as home grown as any competetive team in baseball.
I dont know what you would propose as an alternative, the Pirates/Royals/Rays plan doesnt seem to work very well when it comes to winning, now does it?
F-Mart could possibly make it to the majors this year, i wouldnt doubt it. if he’s hammering the ball in the minors i see him going from A to AA to MLB this year alone kinda of like what miggy cabrera went through his first season.
Seems as if I’ve struck a raw nerve. Sorry to piss on everyone’s parade, but I call it as I see it. The Mets have awarded/accepted long-term contracts for non-homegrown talent to Martinez and Beltran (2005), Wagner & Delgado (2006), Castillo (2007) and now Santana. These contracts are some of the longest and richest for their respective positions in all of baseball. What other team in the NL has spent anywhere near this sum for non-homegrown talent in the past three years. In Omar we trust? WTF, my six-year old son could spend the Wilpons money with the same results. The Mets were the only team willing to spend 130+ million for Santana, and that makes him a genius? Which starters on the 2008 active roster other than Reyes and Wright represent our own players? Heilman, who everyone can’t wait to get rid of? Pelfrey, the same? One poster had it right for present-day Mets fans, stating “…he didn’t care” where the players came from, as long as they win. Which is fine if that rocks your boat, but I’ll pass.
Is anyone else growing really tired of listening to Billy run his mouth? Do yourself a favor and shut your mouth. You know who didn’t show up last year down the stretch when we could’ve used a nice 9th inning tourniquet? Billy Wagner. And his buddy tom glavine. I see why he outwore his welcome in other cities. His opinions are just caustic and uninformed.
we really need to trade wagner he sucks, brings everyone down, and is way overpriced.
so shane victorino believes geoff jenkins, pedro feliz, and brad lidge make their team so much better, and that johan doesn’t necesarily make us the favorite. porr guy. maybe someone should tell him he’s out of the minors and doesn’t need to wear both earflaps.
I call Victorino: The Hobbit, because he is so skinny and small.
i have no grievances with what wagner said. the phillies are defending NL East champs and until we win the division back it is still their title. We have certainly gotten better from last year but they still have an excellent lineup and a solid rotation, and a bullpen that could be feast or famine (lets hope the later). Should be an interesting year. Although I gotta say Im getting gitty thinking about chase nutley and ryan howard flailing at santana changeups.
i wonder who wags puts into the top five in baseball…right now after this off season i see it ass this
BOSOX- they won it last year and have improved their bullpen slightly.
Yankees- they have a new manager, their pitching staff is stable with alot of young blood. you can never doubt them to win.
Detroit Tigers, pitching and fielding wise this team is one of the the best up the middle, pitching staff is incredible.
Mets- we just added a new spark plug to the team, we have pretty much havent changed on the offensive side and we probaly improved team chemistry this off season. If omar could add another spark plug to our bench or if F-Mart could provide that august spark will be in business.
now the rest are a pretty large group of teams…d’backs, Indians, Angels, phillies, a notch under those Cubs, mariners, brewers, and the Rox’s. Any of these teams can surprise and make it to the world series if they get hot at the right time. they have everything thats needed a balanced offense, ok bullpens, some have good to great SP staffs(D’backs, indians, angels) others are ok with an ace and a decent number 2.
its at lot tighter at the top than it used to be five years back in baseball or even 3 years back. the national league has improved leaps and bounds since the mets started amassing talent, which is good for us(we have to improve after ever year) and good for baseball. hey im really looking foward to next season its gonna be freaking great watching johan pitch on sunday night against the team from Philadelphia its going to be great.
Of course, Ed Wade is the former Phils GM, current GM in Houston.