Matthew Cerrone

Blog: Tigers want Heilman for Thames
By Matthew Cerrone - Mar 19, 2008 9:14 pm

In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark writes:

“The Mets love Marcus Thames, but they’re not going to trade Aaron Heilman for him.”

According to Stark, while the Mets prefer Thames or Xavier Nady, “They continue to kick the tires on a group that includes Reed Johnson, Ryan Freel and Juan Rivera.”

However, in this morning’s Daily News, citing team officials, Adam Rubin writes that the Mets are unwilling to trade a young pitching prospect, such as Jon Niese, for a player like Rivera, “thwarting any potential deal with the Angels.”

thanks to Peter Wade for the link to stark’s blog

68 Responses to “Blog: Tigers want Heilman for Thames”

  1. stickguy says:

    Wonder how long it took the Mets brass to stop lughing before they could spit out the “no?”

    They need their precious few decent pitching prospects more than a spare body that isn’t even very good.

    Just make do with what they got, or find someone stuck in the minors that give sive them some part-time production.

    • Jefferies Fan in Jax says:

      Agree that we don’t need to trade one of our very few pitching prospects for a bat like Nady or Thames.

      But, I wonder how much Nady is worth? Not in terms of prospects.

      Look at this scenario.

      Matt Morris and Xavier Nady (Who combine for 14M this year, which includes Morris’ 1M buyout) for Sosa, Schoenweiss, and a lesser package of prospects.

      Morris could become our fifth starter, allowing Pelfrey to start the year in AAA, El Duque could begin on the DL (eventually taking over for Sosa in the long role), and we could get a better look at Wise, Smith, and Register in the pen.

      It makes sense for the Pirates as they lose approximately 9M in payroll this year, and Nady’s contract (figures to get $5M in arbitration)…

      The question for the Mets is… Do you want to pay $14M for Xavier Nady and Matt Morris? Or go with what we got? It’s not my money, but with our age and injury issues, and how close I think the Mets are this year, I think it might be worth it. Morris and Nady could sure up the Mets bench, rotation, and pen.

      Of course, I’m just speculating… but I’d rather dish out bucks than Heilman or prospects

      • mets8669 says:

        well id rather give away heilman for just about nyone cause i think hes garbage but i wudnt give him away for matt morris. he was terrible with pittsburgh this yr and i dont think hell do any better with the mets

  2. s-mets says:

    that would be an awful deal..obviously the mets wont pull the trigger…imagine trading our 8th inning set up guy, for a bench player?? Not like Heilman is a lights out reliever, but with our somewhat shaky bullpen, minus heilman, uh..

    Out of all the guys mentioned, I would love to have Nady back..but we would have to give up a lot to get him,,I don’t think it’s worth it…hopefully Alou will be back in the beginning of May, and we can go with chavez/pagan until then

  3. JSC1968 says:

    Sign Bonds.

    • christian warrior says:

      Yeah, because Alou might get lonely sitting on the DL…

    • BigDaddyKirk says:

      Sign Bonds and Jeff Weaver. Give Bonds an incentive-laden contract, say $1.5 million for every 100 plate appearances. We’ll have him while Alou is hurt, and if he gets indicted, we don’t have to worry about paying him a ton of money. As for Weaver, at least he’s healthy and good for 200 innings. According to MLB 2K8, he likes Willie’s managing style, and would be a good fit!

    • KinersKornerman says:

      In case you missed it:
      On Dec 7, 2007, Barry Bonds was charged with lying under oath about using steroids.
      On Jan 23, 2008, Bonds filed a motion to dismiss the indictment,
      On Feb 14, 2008, prosecutors indicated they would present evidence at trial that Bonds tested positive for steroids in 2000.
      He could spend up to 2.5 years in prison if convicted.

      Do you still want to hire this guy to play for the Mets in 2008?

    • VCarver says:

      No thanks.

  4. christian warrior says:

    Not for the price that is being discussed here, but I wouldn’t mind having Freel on the team. He’s pretty versatile, and another guy with great legs is not ever going to hurt you.

  5. Mr. Bananagrabber says:

    You know, I can’t stand Jayson Stark. All he does is laud praise on the Phillies and how they have the best lineup and blah blah blah. I can’t wait for the Mets to shut his stupid mouth. Of course, when they do, he’ll probably say he knew it all along.

    • itsmetsforme says:

      with your screen name you should talk to cw above, he’s always on the lookout for another guy with great legs.

      • christian warrior says:

        Oh, now that’s just great…

      • christian warrior says:

        After reading this on Freel in a Wikipedia entry on him I think I’ve soured on him:

        “Freel gained some notoriety in August of 2006 when The Dayton Daily News reported that Freel talks to an imaginary voice in his head named Farney.[1] Said Freel: “He’s a little guy who lives in my head who talks to me and I talk to him. That little midget in my head said, ‘That was a great catch, Ryan,’ I said, ‘Hey, Farney, I don’t know if that was you who really caught that ball, but that was pretty good if it was.’ Everybody thinks I talk to myself, so I tell ‘em I’m talking to Farney.”[2] Freel later said that Farney’s name arose from a conversation with Reds trainer Mark Mann: “He actually made a comment like, ‘How are the voices in your head?’ We’d play around and finally this year he said, ‘What’s the guy’s name?’ I said, ‘Let’s call him Farney.’ So now everybody’s like, ‘Run, Farney, run’ or ‘Let Farney hit today. You’re not hitting very well.’”"

      • Mr. Bananagrabber says:

        I’ve got those in spades.

        But the SN is from Arrested Development and has nothing to do with my sexual orientation. Sorry to disappoint.

  6. djm212210 says:

    If Thames does become a Met he is gonna need a new #…if anyone cares

  7. part09 says:

    What would it take to get Freel? That guy is like Eric Byrnes part II. I’d love to have him on the team - INSTANT FAN FAVORITE!!

  8. FireIsiah says:

    I agree CW, from what i’ve seen of Freel he’s a tough little guy-plays the game hard, I wouldn’t mind him if we could get him on the cheap. He’s gotta little Lenny Dykstra in him.

    What are the Tigers smoking though, our 8th inning guy for a career .241 hitter, please. I’m assuming also that the Mets like Thames over Nady b/c his price will be cheaper ultimately b/c the numbers don’t bear it out and he’s 2 yrs older.

  9. ASod1975 says:

    The Tigers need some bullpen arms with Rodney and Zumaya out, but the Mets shouldn’t give them one of their best. If they wanted Smith, I’d consider it. I’d also consider Sosa, but I have a feeling the Mets will need him with the uncertainty of El Duque and Pelfrey in the rotation.

    • Meddler says:

      I bet this is something we see shake out in late April or early May, once pictures become a bit clearer for different teams. We’ll know what’s going on better with Alou, shaky bullpens around the league will expose themselves. A lot of teams are going to be looking for relievers, and that is one thing the Mets might have a bit of a surplus of.

      I could see Sosa getting off to another hot start and then being used to fleece someone. Maybe if El Duque isn’t ready and Pelfrey isn’t impressive, he should be the fifth starter in April. If he goes 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his first few starts, I could see a team in need of a starter jumping all over that.

      The Pirates, Tigers, and Angels all seem like clubs that could have such a need. The Tigers and Angels would also love to have a future closer like Eddie Kunz to groom. If it May 1st comes around and he’s looking rested and strong and Sosa gets off to another hot start, I think those two for Juan Rivera could be a great deal for both the Mets and Angels. The Halos, who have the excess of outfielders, get a temporary SP solution who might ride a little hot streak for a bit to hold down the fort until Lackey and Escobar are ready and who’s also versatile enough for the ‘pen, and they get a longterm solution who could potentially slip right in and take over for K-Rod. If you can lock up Rivera quickly and affordably, even better.

      • stickguy says:

        maybe a minor league deal for Morales instead…

        Having someone to replace Delgado might be more important than another OF.

      • FireIsiah says:

        Good analysis meddler, Maybe I’m a typical impatient NY fan but I don’t want to wait until late April/early May (BTW isn’t that when Alou is supposed to be coming back-just kidding we know we won’t see him until June). Our offense is going to struggle and there’s nothing more frustrating then getting good quality starts and having your O’ do nothing.

        Look we need a corner OF, R/H, who can also play some 1B, the Tigers have a spare part in Thames. It’s not like i’m in love with the guy, but he does have good power, he balances our line-up and he has a role if/when Alou comes back as a platoon w/ Church or CAddying Delgado who I expect to be bruttle this yr. So I don’t see why Omar can find a way to pull the trigger before March 31.

  10. BSMITTYFDNY says:

    Heilman for Thames? NEVER! By the way…just got my sporting news magazine and there predictions have the Phillies winning the east again with us #2. There argument is that while we got Santana which will really help the staff, we still have our old injury plagued players will be our downfall. Claim we have no depth meaning no good replacements for Delgado, Alou, Pedro martinez, El duque, etc. We need to find some depth somewhere. Trades, free agents, wherever. But Omar needs to find a way soon.

  11. gottabeliev4evr says:

    If, and it’s a big if, our ST pitching is a real taste of what the Mets do to other teams for the next six months, then we will be able to win lots of close one-run games even with so many walking wounded. Not an ideal situation by any means, but what it should mean in the short terms is that management engages in no panicky trades.

    I have a sense that our BP may be the complete antithesis of last year, which means we will win games by endurance.

  12. gottabelieve07 says:

    They can simply wait to see the inevitible supply of decent to good players who get cut by another team at the end of ST and pick someone from that batch.

    Or, if they really feel they need a righty with some pop in his bat, they can sign a guy like Sammy Sosa.

    I mean, other than the versatility at 1st base and the OF, do guys like Thames offer the 2008 team that much more than a guy like Sosa in the OF and on the bench? Certainly not enough to trade Heilman or Sosa. A move like signing Sosa (if they felt they really had to get someone) would also allow guys like Easley and Anderson to be used almost exclusively at 1st base (when Delgado is hurt) and off the bench.

    It definitely makes zero sense to trade any valuable pen arm for a guy you expect to play only about 70 games anyway.

  13. anyone that watched tonight’s game notice delgado’s bright orange shirt that said “enough”?
    i wonder if today being the 5 yr anniversary of Iraq war had anything to do with him choosing to wear that shirt while the rest of the team was in uniform…
    He’s been vocal in the past about being anti-war so just wondering if that’s y he wore the orange
    (protesters supporting impeachment of bush/cheney and anti-war wear orange)
    am i reading too much into his choice of t-shirt?