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As noted on Sunday, OF Reed Johnson was released by the Blue Jays and his now a free agent.
According to both Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, and 
Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, the Cubs have expressed the most interest in Johnson.
Over the weekend, Omar Minaya told reporters that, while he and his staff will discuss Johnson, like with all available players, he is essentially content with Angel Pagan and Brady Clark.
Minaya planned to meet with team officials to discuss Johnson last night, according to Newsday.
…as i have said before, i believe the Mets are seeking a way to find a player who fits their overall needs better than johnson, pagan or clark, like Xavier Nady for instance…however, nady is far more costly than the team is willing to pay, which is why it looks more and more like pagan will be the team’s replacement for Moises Alou…
In a recent post to his blog for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark wrote:
“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 Nady, “They continue to kick the tires on a group that includes Reed Johnson, Ryan Freel and Juan Rivera.”
However, in the following day’s Daily News, citing team officials, Adam Rubin wrote 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.”
…i also can’t believe the Mets will trade heilman, especially with Duaner Sanchez likely to begin the year in St. Lucie…
…so, if nady is essentially unavailable, and thames and rivera are too expensive, that leaves johnson, who may or may not be better than clark or pagan, which is what Minaya and Company were likely discussing last night…
…now, if thames can be had by paying the way of Jorge Sosa or Scott Schoeneweis, he’s a strong play, but i just can’t see Detroit selling so low like that, especially with Curtis Granderson starting the year on the disabled list…personally, i’d rather have sosa or schoeneweis, because i value pitching, even mediocre pitching, far more than i value bench players…
In a post to MetsGeek, Dan Scotto explains why the Mets should acquire Johnson.
…the thing is, dan did not mention that reed is coming off back surgery, which is probably the single biggest reason he is a free agent right now…i guess they don’t list injuries on the stat page…
Meanwhile, at Mets Fever, Ed Ryan suggests 34–year-old, switch-hitting OF Jeff DaVanon, who is a free agent after being cut by the Padres.
…i’m not sure, but it feels like ed has recommended every single available and unavailable player to the Mets this season…
DaVanon hit .429 in 14 at-bats against lefties last season, but just .205 in 40 games against left-handed pitchers in 2006.
…again, though, are any of these players better than pagan or clark, and if they are only marginally better then where are they all going to play…SNY.tv’s Ted Berg has been writing about the team’s need for this sort of player for months now, long before any one else was discussing the topic…personally, though, i could go either way, and am fine with any of these choices, because i just don’t think this is the end-all-be-all of reasons why the Mets will or will not win in 2008…so, flip a coin, make a choice and be done with it…
I think it’s time for the Mets to think about, once again, opening up their wallet.
Let’s face it, they spent big bucks to try and win this year, and have mortgaged a lot of their minor league talent for the same reason.
Do they want to risk everything they’ve worked so hard to build worrying about a fifth starter inning eater and a steady righthanded bat needed in the OF/1B.
Time to pay up, and save some minor league talent, and trade for
Xavier Nady (3.5M plus 5+M next year)
and
Matt Morris (9.5M + 1M)
for a package of lesser prospects, and possibly a combo of Gotay/Sosa/Show/Pagan types
This trade benefits the Pirates because they lose 20M in contract over the next two seasons… for two guys who are not worth 20M.
The Mets overpay financially to make up for the lesser talent they have to give up… But, in doing so, they would:
A) Let Pelfrey start the year in the minors
B) Let El Duque start the year on the DL
C) Get a possible platoon partner for Church
D) Get a backup for Delgado
E) Add needed depth to both the bullpen (El Duque), rotation (Morris), and bench (Nady)
I’m pretty sure the Pirates aren’t giving us Nady without us taking on Morris.
So, ask yourself, is Nady worth $14M this year, although we also get Morris? That could be a hard sell to management, but one Omar might have to push for.
Reed Johnson is a younger version of Brady Clark, except he might have slightly more power, will strike out slightly more often, and have a slightly better chance of hitting the DL with a back injury.
The Pirates are going to hold out for a significant package for Nady, and none of the others are worth giving up a prospect like Niese. Hopefully someone interesting gets cut this week.
Nady is the guy we really need-badly. And if he costs Mike Pelfrey, so be it! He can bat fifth in a good lineup and not embarrass himself. He can handle NY. Sure, We’ll be alright without alou, but what happens when/if Delgado, Easley, Beltran, Castillo, aggravate their nagging injuries. If Easley goes down again (while Alou is out) or is Starting for another injured player our lineup and bench are pretty awful. Also, we need a first baseman next year and beyond texiera there aint much. Fmarts lefty bat will prob replace Alous righty bat in left next year, leaving Wright as the only righty bat in the lineup. Nady would be a nice way to balance the lineup this year and next-he would such a useful player for us. Mike Pelfrey is a mediocre half season at AAA from being considered a floip at this point. This spring has ended as poorly as last and the truth is he hasn’t done anything post college, not even in the minors. You can’t watch this guy fumble and bumble and play with his mouthpiece-struggling with his control of the one pitch he has and seriously think he’s gonna a top of rotation starter for a good NY team. Not even in a few years. Not even as a reliver, which is more fitting his repetoire, NOT IN NY- NO WAY-NOT GONNA HAPPEN! Let the pirates have him for Nady and a decent relief prospect while he still has any value. We already raped them on Perez for Nady. Even if Pelfrey ended up being decent or even good in the low pressure of Pittsburg, could any1 really say we didn’t win the trades as a whole regardless? Exactly what kind of “insurance” is Pelfrey going to provide giving up 13 hits and eight runs in 4 innings to Baltimore? At this point I’d rather give Brian Lawrence or Chan Ho Park another shot than let Pelfrey lose another 7 games to start the year. Shit, Nady might be able to pitch more effectively
Pelfrey for Nady. Nady is perfect fit for now and 09 to replace Degado (beyond texeira theres nothing at first base and Fmart replacing Alou leaves DWright as our only righty in the lineup). Pelfrey has done nothing in the majors, nothing in the minors, nothing since college except that 1 good game against the braves down the stretch. He has 1 pitch he can barely locate and after seeing him again this spring I’m convinced he couldn’t handle even being a set up guy- not in NY, not gonna happen. Nady fills so many needs for us, can handle NY, bat 5th in a good lineup, and he’d probably re-sign. Pelfreys stock is dropping each day, given that he has a million dollar per year contract, if we don’t get something for him now I fear all is lost. Just watch him fumble and bumble and play with his mouthpiece-this is our future no.2? Thank God we’ve got Johan and I pray that Pedro can pitch a couple more years. 13 hits, 8 runs, 4 innings, against Baltimore. I don’t care if Duque is throwing 40 mph. Pelfrey s gotta go
I think it’s time for the Mets to think about, once again, opening up their wallet.
Let’s face it, they spent big bucks to try and win this year, and have mortgaged a lot of their minor league talent for the same reason.
Do they want to risk everything they’ve worked so hard to build worrying about a fifth starter inning eater and a steady righthanded bat needed in the OF/1B.
Time to pay up, and save some minor league talent, and trade for
Xavier Nady (3.5M plus 5+M next year)
and
Matt Morris (9.5M + 1M)
for a package of lesser prospects, and possibly a combo of Gotay/Sosa/Show/Pagan types
This trade benefits the Pirates because they lose 20M in contract over the next two seasons… for two guys who are not worth 20M.
The Mets overpay financially to make up for the lesser talent they have to give up… But, in doing so, they would:
A) Let Pelfrey start the year in the minors
B) Let El Duque start the year on the DL
C) Get a possible platoon partner for Church
D) Get a backup for Delgado
E) Add needed depth to both the bullpen (El Duque), rotation (Morris), and bench (Nady)
I’m pretty sure the Pirates aren’t giving us Nady without us taking on Morris.
So, ask yourself, is Nady worth $14M this year, although we also get Morris? That could be a hard sell to management, but one Omar might have to push for.
Especially when Reed Johnson is available for 1/25th the cost.
I don’t see trading Sosa as an option. With Duque’s health and Pelfrey’s less than stellar performance, he’s one of the few guys in the system that is capable of filling in as a 5th starter.
I have to say that show has done really well in ST i think he may have more value than he did at the end of last year
Do the season tickets get delivered by DHL? I am still waiting and of course the old lady who picks up for the mets can’t even get me a tracking number…
Yeah, they come via DHL. Some people have gotten theirs, but most (like me) are still waiting.
I got mine.
Thanks – Any idea what zip code they were delivered from? DHL said they can track without a tracking number as long as I have the originating zip
Thank God people are at least getting them. There already has been a game played. Whatever. Im obsessed…
Can anyone tell me if the Shea replica is decent?
It’s not really a Shea Replica; it’s a Shea Keepsake Box and it’s actually pretty nice. It’s a Wood box that has a picture of Shea and Shea Stadium 1964 * 2008 writtin on the front. It closes with two magnets.
Nice. I’m assuming they didnt do anything special for the final game tickets like the Yankees did, right?
That should say written on the front. Anyway, here is a picture of it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-New-York-Mets-Shea-StadiumKeepsakeBox_W0QQitemZ310034162323QQihZ021QQcategoryZ25144QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Looks like it is getting decent money on Ebay. It actually looks a little nicer than it does in that picture.
What did the Yanks do?
That should say written on it. Anyway, here is a picture of it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-New-York-Mets-Shea-StadiumKeepsakeBox_W0QQitemZ310034162323QQihZ021QQcategoryZ25144QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Looks like it is getting decent money on Ebay. It actually looks a little nicer than in that picture.
I hadn’t noticed until you mentioned it but the final game tickets are a little different; they have a shiny silver area on the middle of the tickets where every other ticket is black. Other than that they are the same.
That should say written on it.
I’ve been trying to reply with a link to an ebay acution showing a picture of the box but it hasn’t been working. If you type “mets keepsake box” into ebay, it will come up. It actually looks nicer than in the picture.
I hadn’t noticed until you mentioned it, but the final game tickets have a silver area in the middle of the ticket that is black on every other ticket. Other than that, they are the same.
Its like twice the size of the regular tickets. Now look, I hate them JUUUUST as much as everyone else, but there is something to be said about the team recognizing the fact some people are into that sorta thing, and would like to frame the Last Shea-First Citi Field stubs. Its a nice touch from the Yankees. (I actually have one uncut one from Shea and the Polo Grounds as well that I’m gonna frame with them). I had hoped that the Mets did the same thing, but I’m not optimistic…
I meant the first game ever in St. Louis and the Polo Grounds….
the only thing they did differently for the final game’s tickets is that the background in the center section is silver as opposed to blue like the rest of the games.
shea replica is a promotional day this season. i can’t wait to get my hands on that piece of junk. It’s June 14 against the Rangers. I wish it was against the braves so we could have glavine pelted with 50,000 shea replicas.
You got yours you SOB…damn you!!!
Not like anyone cares, but I meant I have one from the 1st game ever, one from the 1st game at the Polo Grounds, one from the 1st game at Shea, will have one from the last, and one from the 1st at Citi Field next year….think itll look really cool….
the box is pretty cool. Alot better than that stupid shovel-pen ground breaking garbage from last year.
Is there anywhere on here where we can sell tickets to ensure other mets fans get them? I sold one for opening day yesterday using stubhub and I am going to be mad if I am sitting next to a philly fan.
I went to DHL to get mine last night…they tried to deliver friday..i wasn’t home..so i had em hold them
The box is cool and Sasser…i’ve been saying the same thing…
I do have a website with a phpbb forum…i wonder if i should just make a forum site dedicated to mets/metsblog fans and only us fans and selling seats?
It IS stubhub. It used to be that Mets Marketplace thing, but the Mets were like, um, ‘Why arent we making a profit on the resale’? and that went bye bye….
There has to be a way to do it over this site too, jut so long as you dont mind giving your email out to the whole world….
it would also be nice to buy/sell without the 15% commission on both ends of the deal, but I would gladly take less to ensure not having to sit next to a philly fan.
I think I should set up another email address to avoid getting spammed by people insisting I am not selling to “real” fans.
Yes..DHL is the official carrier of MLB…and Hey have also delivered my tickets last season and for the never played postseason.
Matt,
I was happy to see that you changed your original post. It seemed to me that in the original version you were taking a swipe at the guy who wrote the other blog, saying that it seemed like he had a case for acquiring every single available player. That’s as unfair as saying that you have an argument for NOT acquiring every single available player, which I have seen discussed about this site before.
At any rate, I enjoy reading that site and was glad that the little snub didn’t remain long. There’s a lot of fans who enjoy discussion revolving around acquiring other players regardless of whether or not it makes sense.
When I read through the post the second time I missed the remark I am referring to. It really isn’t a big deal, I just didn’t get the feeling from reading that site that the host has recommended getting every available player.
Whatever.
he also took a nice shot at the guys from metsgeek “i guess they don’t list injuries on the stat page” come on, matt. weak.
Not to mention that the writer did mention the injury. If he;s going to take a shot, which is his right, he should at least be accurate.
Where does Endy Chavez play into the group when talking about left field options? Does he still get the nod over Pagan and Clark? He seems to be left out of most of these conversations…
That is an interesting point. Last year with Green in right you would assume Willie was saving him for a late inning defensive replacement. Now I would think he is a more accomplished pinch hitter than Pagan or Clark and that is the role Willie likes him for, but obviously he might not come into the game after to replace Church or Beltran
I think it will be a platoon between pagan/clark and endy
Endy will get his time in all three OF positions. The reason everyone’s talking about Pagan and Clark (and others) is b/c they hit right-handed. The team is (understandably) uncomfortable about their outfield in games against lefties with Alou out. I don’t think that diminishes Endy’s role at all – he’s basically a 4th outfielder that will probably start a bunch of games in LF against righties…
Don’t assume that just because Endy bats lefty, he can’t hit lefties.
Look up his career splits.
Endy Chavez hits lefties better than righties
Yeah, that’s a good question.
We were all so crazy about Endy after ‘06, and then…
Yes, he spent a lot of time on the DL, but…seems like his star isn’t twinkling so brightly in the Mets FO. What gives?
Even before he went on the DL he was struggling. Right after Alou went down he played well but then trailed off eventutally hitting something like .175? for that whole month. Than trying to leg out that infield bloop pulled then hammy.
I don’t think the FO has cooled on Endy.
They always loved him as a bench player. He’s still a great defensive sub who, whilst not blowing anyone away at the plate, can make things happen in a tight spot with, oh, I don’t know… a walkoff bunt, say.
But they never liked him as a starter, and still don’t.
Is it my imagination or is Matt a little snarky today?
I think he, much like the rest of us, need the real games to start soon. At least then this will be more than just speculation.
it will probably be taken between pagan/clark and endy
More so pagan and clark?
http://www.johnmvp.com
Willie has a history of playing as he calls it “the hot hand.” At the moment that is Pagan as the season plays out though you could easily see more Clark or Endy out there.
We need X-Man back
there’s no doubt that fans will be annoyed when they get decent to less than decent production from the corner outfielders this year as milledge has a big year.
that being said, those positions aren’t going to determine the mets success this year. a strong, healthy front-four will. a slightly improved bullpen that benefits from extended inning will. excellent “up-the-middle” defense will. big years from the heart and perhaps the whole offense: reyes, wright, beltran will.
the bottom of the line-up will be weak: little power, little speed, decent production.
Milledge prediction: .270, 17, 75
Church?
.271/18/76
Yea I think we could be all happy if we got about that production out of Church. I think Church and Milledge will definitely put up really similar numbers this year. Church can’t hit lefties, Milledge can’t hit a breaking ball.
.284, 21, 85
Milledge is not going to have a break out season for a couple of years. This is his first year of serious playing time in washington and i just dont see him dominating anytime soon.
I’d take the guy who can’t hit lefties over the guy who can’t hit a breaking pitch any day.
Only one pitcher in 3 can throw lefty, there’s very, very few who can’t throw a breaking ball.
milledge hit .330+ at class ‘a’ ball, double ‘a’ ball a briefly at triple ‘a’ ball. he hit .271avg .341obs in the majors. think he can’t hit the breaking ball? scouts must be incompetent.
his pro-rated numbers from last year’s 7hr 29rbi would be 21hr 87rbi as a 21 year old
you can’t just extrapolate a guy’s numbers like that. otherwise if you had a guy who hit 5 bombs in 10 games you’d be saying that he would’ve hit 90 home runs in a season.
also, milledge can hit minor league pitching. good for him, so can david newhan and anderson hernandez.
So must every GM who passed on Milledge when we dangled him in front of them over the winter.
Anderson Hernandez is a good minor league hitter too…
Milledge is not going to amount to anything much. He is not the next coming of Gary Sheffield. More like Jacque Jones…
anderson hernandez wasn’t a top draft pick. he also has never been the offensive player that milledge had been.
saying he won’t be good is wishful thinking. he can hit. he can also play center-field. he will be a top 3 offensive player at his position (cf) this year in the nl behind beltran and andruw jones.
Milledge will not live up to the hype that everyone gives him. Why would the twins the pass on milledge for the best pitcher in baseball? That just doesnt make sense if milledge is “so good” why would they not include him in that package and pick Gomez over him. The reason is they saw what alot of people saw in that milledge will one day be good but his ceiling is not that high as it once was. Im telling you milledge will not have a phenominal season as most milledge fans think. Talk to me when he can hit a ML breaking pitch.
What’s up with them placing Register on waivers?
Register on waivers, likely headed elsewhere
Reliever Steven Register has been placed on waivers, two sources unaffiliated with the Mets told the Daily News. That signals that Mets officials intend to turn elsewhere – presumably to Joe Smith or Brian Stokes – if Duaner Sanchez is not ready to break camp with the team.
Sanchez is next scheduled to pitch tomorrow, but he has yet to make relief appearances on consecutive days. Back-to-back appearances are a prerequisite to Sanchez being on the Opening Day roster, Wiilie Randolph has said.
Scouts believe Register, a Rule 5 pick from the Rockies, is likely to be claimed off waivers and end up in some team’s MLB bullpen for the start of the season.
If he did clear waivers, the Mets, who paid $50,000 for Register, would have to offer him back to Colorado for $25,000. It’s believed the Mets at that point would try to work out a trade with the Rockies that would make Register permanently part of the Mets’ organization.
(Daily News blog)
At this point, Pagan, Clark and even Tatis in the outfield seem like not so awful a possibility to start out. Pagan and Tatis have been quite good, although I do know that Tatis is late to the party, due to visa problems and is not really an outfielder. These guys are hungry though and seem to be playing the game the right way (certainly Pagan is). Something that sticks out here as a trivia note is that DaVanon’s name has come up before in other offseasons, as I recall.