|
|
|
According to Ted Berg, in a recent column for 
, “The Mets need a right-hand hitting backup outfielder with power.”
Berg lists a variety of options, ranging from Bobby Kielty to Terry Evans, as possible solutions.
…honestly, my brain is too fried to even think about this right now…which is why i am glad that ted is…
Follow me on
MetsBlog.com is owned and operated by Matthew Cerrone.
MetsBlog.com publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as accurately reported information from other sources. Information on MetsBlog.com may contain errors or inaccuracies - links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of
MetsBlog.com.
MetsBlog.com and Matthew Cerrone are not responsible for what is written by non-MetsBlog.com writers within the site's comment's section.
With the abilities of Easly & Anderson to play the outfield the righty bat I would like to see the Mets add is Mike Piazza. He could catch, play 1st, and DH. Having #31 back would be tremendous, especially late in a game when you need a HR.
Troll alert! Troll alert!
Even with Gomez, the need still existed. Gomez only played significant time last year because everyone but Shawn Green was disabled.
And as I said before, I don’t think that
Church = Green + Milledge
We know that Alou will be down for nearly half the season. Easly and Anderson are great off the bench, but they aren’t everyday guys. Endy is still Endy.
Someone new is needed…
I was thinking the same thing but he really ccan’t play 1st anymore and it would just be a waste of a roster spot. Kind a like what Julio Franco was.
Check out Buster Olney making the Santana contract discussions with the Mets all about the Yankees again. It’s impossible for him to write an article without mentioning the Yankees.
there is no dh in national league
They do for 6 games at AL teams. Do you not think he knows that the DL doesn’t exist in the NL?
Leave him alone.
Presumably, he could maybe, possibly play RF. His defense would be no worse than Shawn Green, though Flaco could at least pick it at first.
Two Words: Damion Easley.
Really though, I think our bench is pretty full.
Ramon Castro
Endy Chavez
Damion Easley
Marlon Anderson
Ruben Gotay
Plus our 8 starters, that makes 13 right there. Nevermind people like Pagan and Valentin as depth.
Piazza can’t catch anymore. Next time you see him in Queens #31 will be getting put up in CitiField.
Hopefully right next to #17
Kielty would be a nice pickup. What about Kevin Mench, isnt he still available. He would be perfect to platoon with Church or maybe start when Alou takes his mid summer injury sabbatical. Also, am i the only one that thinks it still might not be a bad idea to maybe try to sign Livan Hernandez to a 1 year deal and have Duque moved to the pen as insurance?
Nope. I’d actually like to see him churning thorugh innings in that 5 hole to keep the pen fresh, as opposed to Duque’s 6-inning max.
Kevin Mench is the perfect righty bat to bring into the fold. Gotay is really a guy you don’t need with Easley and Anderson already on the team. Both can also play a little OF if needed, a little 1st base as well.
Mench kills lefties and can give Church a break in a psedo-platoon when needed. He’s also a nice bat to have, who knows the OF well, when Alou goes down.
I’d like him on the Mets.
totally agree my man. Mench hits lefties far better and makes a perfect platoon. Plus he’s under 40 years old. Only other available FA that hits lefties as good and is not slated for the retirement home is Shannon Stewart.
Stop already. Gotay is the backup shortstop. Easley and Anderson just dont have the range to play second anymore let alone the most important infield spot. God, you guys are making me sound like a Ruben Gotay devotee. Would I like someone who can play a little bit better defense then him? Yes, but he really isnt horrible defensively and anyone else probably wont hit as well. The spot on the bench that could have been used for a Mench is Easleys. So you’d have to decide if Mench would be better than Easley at backup 1st, OF, RH pinch hitter.
I’m all for Mench too.
Right now the bench is Easley, Anderson, Chavez, Gotay, Castro. Also there is Pagan, Valentin and Ben Johnson. If the Mets add a RH outfield bat who gets bumped?
Anderson, Easley, Chavez and Castro are locks in my mind. Gotay is needed as a backup for SS and 3B. Do the Mets go with a 6 man bullpen to add another bench player?
Don’t think they can add anyone really.
Probably Gotay as he’s the one with options. Other 4 are locked into Major League deals.
Ben Johnson is gone, I believe….
I was just looking at the roster and wondered the same thing…who can give Wright or Reyes a day off?
we’ve got a million backup 2b’s, but no one who can play the left side of the IF.
easley can play 3rd, as can gotay. if you can play 2nd, you can play third. they don’t have to be gold glove caliber, it’s just 1 game every 3 or 4 weeks anyway…
Wright and Reyes played 160 games last season. Who played the other two games at 3B and SS?
I think Gotay played both, one at least. And Wright went out of his mind with boredom.
Gotay played 5 games at short, 2 at 3rd. No one other then Reyes played short. As for the comment just below this one, do you really want a guy who is 38, hasn’t played short in 4 years, and is coming off a major knee injury?
Valentin can always fill in at SS in a pinch (if he makes the team.)
I know I will get booed and am in the minority, but what about right handed hitter Sammy Sosa coming off the bench, He still has some pop in his bat would come cheap.
I don’t think we have anything left to trade for Nady.
i have actually said that before…i really think sosa would be an okay addition. cant realy play d though
Sosa said he was looking for 300-400 at-bats. Thus, he doesnt stand to be an realistic option for the Mets (Or, for well, anybody).
I’m on the same exact page as this guy – I wouldnt mind giving Sosa a shot – plus he has a great relationship w/ Omar – who founded the longtime slugger – BUT if we could deal for Nady (which from what I understand could be had on the cheap_) I would def go that route to start in RF against lefties – and to play LF when Alou is on the DL.
does anyone else’s eyes hurt?
Yes.
If anything happens, Easley would have to be traded or left off the roster if they want to add a RH outfielder.
Now that Santana is in the fold this is going to be a boring 2 months after Sunday.
Yay to boredom.
Kielty and Church would make an awesome platoon in RF. Kielty mashes lefties to the tune of .296/.379/.503, and Church is good against righties at .275/.352 /.481. They both have good power.
Mench is even better 314/343/558 against lefties. Gotay is brutal defensively anyway theres no chance he can back up reyes.
get rid of him and sign KEVIN MENCH
I think what we should do is sign Livan Hernandez for a year. make him the fifth starter move El Duque to the bullpen were he can be very good (2005 whitesox for example) also a spot starter. this way it saves him for the season it give Pelfry another year to develop.
Having two starting pitchers, Santana, LHernandez, that can eat up innings, will only help the bullpen get through the the entire season
Outfielders are easy to get wait until spring training!
I would honestly just trade easily for whatever it is you can get for him probably some balls or some pine tar (no offense to D easy but hes old as dirt and suffered a terrible injury) then sign kevin mench. if needed also sign livan to a 1 year deal to be that 5th starter and move duke to the pen. the way i see it is he’s way more reliable than sele and thus would be used more often than AS but not so much that he’ll break down then when needed he can start. this also allows pelf to stay in AAA. but hey im not the GM omar is and im sure hes gonna try to get through this santana contract so he can focus on these little tweak moves.
A different tact would be to bring back Tony Clark to back up at 1B and provide pop off the bench from both sides.
But I do like the idea of a Kielty in there. Chavez has to ALWAYS be the 4th OF, meaning you need a 5th OF who can jump to a starter’s spot in case of injury.
I’m more concerned with what we have available now if/when Pedro or El Duque go down for a few weeks.
Right now we have Sosa, Pelfrey and some less than exciting options like Vargas. (Would love if someone could post a list.)
I saw that Tony Armas is still available, I wonder if we can get him to sign a minor league contract. I know Omar loves his old players.
Time to get Bedard. :)
we should just call the orioles and tell them we will trade him back to them after we win the world series if they give him to us cheap for the year….can you imagine a rotation with santana, bedard, martinez, perez and maine? that is john maine, who was an ace in the first half last year as the #5 pitcher hahaha….that would be sick……not in a million years though, but whatever.
Forget about the outfield, what the Mets really need is a backup first baseman (as much as I’m going to love watching Delgado shank balls all season).
that is great point! A back up 1st baseman is more needed than an outfielder. Green is gone! Sign Green back. Ideally get a guy who can play first base and outfield. Shawn Green!
If they signed a lefty, I’d prefer Dallas McPherson who can play 1st and 3rd, or Wilkerson.
I tell you adding Livan to the back of the rotation on a one year deal wouldn’t be the worst idea. You can never have enough pitching depth and I think it would be pretty cool actually to have a Hernandez brothers tandem for the 5th spot. That’s some good marketing. Freddy Garcia though might be the better choice.
I have been beating this drum for a while. They don’t really have a true BU SS or 3B (SS being more iportant), and could use a RH hitting OF/1B. Hence the Mench idea.
Unless they go with a 6 man pen, Easley or Chavez would have to go. Gotay is the only BU MI on the team.
So, can Easley be a legit OF? Can Anderson BU 1B (or Easley to get a RH hitter?)
Hmmmm …. I remember reading a post once referencing Alfredo Amezega. Someone of that versatility would be a welcomed addition to the team.
Shannon Stewart would be a great right handed bat off the bench. He’s 33, modest numbers. Why not be a first bat off the bench and try to win a WS. He was .290 and 12 hr last season.
even if there are no other roster moves you have to assume Pagan is more of a lock than Gotay on this team, the need for a RH backup OF is more than a 3rd guy who can play the infield and Gotay has options and will need to get his at bats in AAA until Castillo’s knees literally fall off mid season.
Jason Stark reports Tom Brady eats small children as his afternoon snack
They should try and package a Gotay and maybe a Joe Smith for a legit RH OF, pinch hitter. By the time Castillo’s contract is up, Gotay will be elsewhere, he can’t hit right handed at all. And also Kotsay is a LH hitter….how does he fulfill the stated request?
Kotsay was traded to the Braves.
why trade for someone when you can sign mench who will probably be just as good as whomever you get in return for that package.
I think Kielty is the best fit.
(According to Keith Law) He plays good defense on the corners, can play CF in a pinch and mashes lefties.
I prefer him to Mench for two reasons:
1- Defense. Kielty is touted as a good corner OF with a strong arm.
2- Kielty is used to being a 5th OF for a contender. Mench is used to playing more than Kielty and I’m not sure how he’d adjust to being a rarely used player.
Kielty, as mentioned above, would make for a highly productive platoon in RF with Church. Or, if Alou goes down, you could platoon him in LF with Endy. He helps cover a lot of bases.
we need gotay….there is noone else on this team to play 2nd or 3rd….which is why omar was looking into alfredo amezaga at one point this offseason.
im trying to think of a utility guy that could literally play everywhere a la chris woodward from a few years back.
i think amezega would fit that mold he played CF last year but is a converted IFer.
amezega would have to be traded for though…i meant a free agent.
Although, I still like my Heilman to the Tigers for Inge idea.
He gives you the same thing Kielty gives you, except he can play regularly if Alou goes down (or if FMart isn’t quite ready for LF in ‘09). He also plays 3B, 1B, and C… so Willie could use Castro as a PH on the days he doesn’t start.
If Duaner is healthy, we have plenty of arms to replace Heilman: Sosa, Smith, Register, Stokes, Wise, Muniz, Kunz, Rustich, or even Pelfrey.
Lets pick up Super Joe McEwing to back up everywhere. he’s probably real cheap…although Kielty looks like a better option
heilman is more important to this team than inge would be…plus he has said that if he is traded he wants a starting role. we would not be offering that.
I think Inge wouldn’t mind coming to a contender where he would get a good chunk of playing time. The problem in Detroit is there is nowhere for him to play. Cabrera is at third. Guillen moved to first. Then they have Thames, Jones, Granderson, Mags, and Sheffield for DH/OF. No room.
But on the Mets Inge could spell both Alou and Church… he could even give Delgado a rest. Alou is almost a certainty to go down, and we had a ton of injuries last year. Inge would definitely find himself some playing time.
If Willie was creative he’d be able to get Inge plenty of PT. Heilman is important, but he’s still only a reliever and we have a lot of in house options to replace him.
There is no chance this happens, but just saying.
Inge would be very useful, but Heilman is way too much to give up…a quality setup guy is much more valuable than a utility/backup player.
What’s the deal with Jeff Conine? I thought he retired, but ESPN has him listed as the back-up 1B and 3B on the Mets depth chart.
What about X? He’s had some success here already, can back up Delgado and would make a nice platoon partner for Endy when Alou goes down.
mets acquired ruddy lugo from the a’s off of waivers today….anybody heard of him?
here’s a thought: Marcus Thames
he can play OF/1B…hits lefties…maybe detroit would move him.
this from RotoWorld:
“The Tigers are believed to have explored moving Thames following the Miguel Cabrera pickup, but it looks like they’ll keep him and use him as Jacque Jones’ platoon partner in left field. He’s delivered 44 homers in 617 at-bats over the last two season, though all of that power came with a .278 OBP in 269 at-bats last year.”
Here’s the thing about backups. For the most part you want them to be solid defensively, able to play multiple positions, and bring something to the table, respectively.
To my knowledge, Kielty has already proven himself to be capable of handling the job of a 5th OF. He played his part in Boston last season and would be a nice fit in Flushing.
I just don’t see Mench as being a good bench player, the same way Valentin struggled until he took over at 2B in 2006.
Omar’s agenda:
(1) Wrap things up with Johan
(2) Sign Livan or Freddy Garcia for the 5th spot
(3) Sign Kevin Mench
(4) Sign Odalis Perez to a minor league deal
well i do not know omars agenda number(2) but the rest are possible, why not sign tony clark or doug mientkiewicz or maybe even ryan klesco.
(5) Resign Oliver Perez
That should be # 2
philnym31….yes. yes. and more yes.
Mench looks like the best option, but he probably wants more playing time than the Mets are willing to give him. Hopefully a few dollars will ease his troubled mind.
the national leage east does have its fair amount of lefties so i wouldnt object to mench and he’d be getting more playing time than people potray to him having w/ those crazy #’s against lefties. i’d be great if he could work out first base into his repetour during spring training and btw i just looked up kietlies #’s and he hits .320 during day games! hes not great but could rest alou day after night w/ those #’s. i also think people underestimate pagan alittle bit. somebody please comment bak.
The Giants are in the Super Bowl. That’s kind of a big deal.
There will be plenty of Johan talk come Monday.
There is no way M&MD talk about Santana on Monday because they will rehash the Super Bowl. On Tuesday, they will have to interview players from the Super Bowl. On Wednesday, they will interview the concession stand workers. On Thursday, Dog will speak for three hours about a tennis tournament in New Zealand and Mike has to squeeze in something about his friendship with Parcells. By Friday, it will be old news and they are too hip and current to talk about old news.