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The Mets may need to acquire a new crop of players, because I anticipate them cutting ties with several familiar names from the last few seasons.
And so, having talked with people in touch with the team’s thinking, my sense is that they do not intend to sink all of their available off-season money in to just one top-flight free agent.
Instead, I anticipate trades, as well as one or two mid-level free agent signings to help round out the roster.
Also, I sense the organization sees Daniel Murphy more as a potential solution at first base, not at second base, despite his time in the AFL.
…if the Mets could trade for a big-time bat in left, i wouldn’t mind seeing murphy at first, with a defensive, back-up behind him…
The Mets will pick up Carlos Delgado’s option, as Omar Minaya announced in his conference call last week, but that by no means indicates he will 
be their starting first baseman next season. Instead, it sounds like Delgado’s future with the Mets will depend on what other options exist in the market place.
…in other words, like the Yankees did with Gary Sheffield a few years ago, it would not surprise me to see the Mets pick up delgado’s option, and then trade him to an AL team, though this may not be minaya’s first choice…
It sounds like there is only a small chance that Oliver Perez or Pedro Martinez will be re-signed.
Lastly, speaking of trades, I also sense that this team’s future closer will come in the form of a trade, not the free-agent market, which will mean parting with even more prospects.
…i have no idea who that guy will be, though names like J.J. Putz, Joakim Soria and Huston Street will likely be mentioned over and over again in the rumor mill…
…in other words, it’s going to be a busy off-season…
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Matt:
Did you mean to say “Oliver Perez or Pedro Martinez” in the quote below?
“It sounds like there is only a small chance that Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez will be re-signed.”
I think we know that they both wont be back. I think the question is whether one or the other will be back. I have a feeling that you meant that there is little chance that either pitcher will be back.
Pretty sure he meant neither will be back.
I’m not sure what makes them think Murphy is ready to be a first baseman. Seems like a big gamble to put this player at a key position for a team reloading for a playoff run.
Two words: Rico Brogna.
Why in gods name can’t Murphy play second?
First is not a problem, second is! AAARRRRGGGG!!!!
mainly because he is an awful fielder.
Look at his minor league splits from playing 2nd and 3rd
Scary thought of the day, compliments of Max Kellerman - Saves are worthless… anyone can get 30 saves on any team. According to Max, we could trade for Jose Veras on the Yanks and he would be our closer. Yikes…. how does this guy get on the radio??? I suppose it could be worse, though…. could be Fatty and/or the Rabid Puppy.
That guy is the biggest self surving jer k Yankee fan of all time
He’s actually right.
He’s not actually wrong. Look at the stats this year, anyone can probably come in and save a large % of their attempts.
Where he’s wrong is that there’s closers like a Jones or Borowski, who are terribly shaky and unreliable from season to season, and reliable guys, whom contenders generally have to shut the door,
Heck, Luis Ayala saved the majority of his attempts.
The only way i sign MANNY to a 5 yr deal is , 2 as a player and 3 as a hitting coach ! LOL
OMAR’s going to resign PEDRO MARTINEZ to a 1yr / 7 m guaranteed with incentives that will go to 10,11 millions depending innings, all stars bla bla blah.
Yup. Delgado is going to be the main trade chip. Bet on it.
Some trade chip… fair or not fair.. hardly anyone is going to think he can do it again…
Don’t expect much in return unless we eat alomst all of the salary
You’re wrong. He is very attractive to an AL Team. A relatively cheap, very productive DH. He’s better than the DH on at least half AL teams right now.
if the Tigers gave up real pitching prospects for Sheffield why wouldnt someone like the Jays give up some useful pieces for Delgado?
realtively cheap? at what 11 something million? And can only DH?
The mets will have to eat most his salary, and even then.. I dunno what you expect to get back from? It certainly won’t be a Joakim Soira or a BJ Ryan..
The best bet would be to try and sell him to whoever looses the Texeria sweep stakes out there.. but I really don’t see us getting much back for him.
realtively cheap? at what 11 something million? And can only DH?
The mets will have to eat most his salary, and even then.. I dunno what you expect to get back from? It certainly won’t be a Joakim Soira or a BJ Ryan..
The best bet would be to try and sell him to whoever looses the Texeria sweep stakes out there.. but I really don’t see us getting much back for him.
Relatively cheap, yes. If the Mets took care of 4 million … he is very affordable for the production he’s going to give an AL team as a DH.
He’s a solid trade chip.
And the tigers? Who just had a horrific season after trading away prospects for the likes of Sheff and Renteria?
That’s why teams won’t do it…
And the guy they traded I’m pretty sure got hurt and has yet to amount to anything.. so if you want another Burgos for Deglado.. not very much to get excited about…
Maybe we’re stuck on symantics here Mike.. who do you really think the Mets can get for Delgado?
What AL team do you think needs a DH at that price.. and what are they going to give up?
Toronto for one and they need a power bat desperately.
I think the Mets will get a marginal middle reliever and a mid level prospect or two, but that is about it. I have said it before that I just don’t see a huge market for him, especially when you see all these teams that are cutting salaries, etc…to go with younger guys. Also, what AL teams will want Delgado? I don’t see any that jump off the page that he could help get into the playoffs.
I’m not going to get into specific players since I’d have to go to every team site and look … I don’t have time to do that.
Baltimore, Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland and the Yankees are all possible teams that could use him. Oakland and Seattle might have interest. Minnesota, Tampa and KC are small market but you can’t rule them out.
I’m just curious what kind of player you think we’d get back.. that’s all..
Detroit has Cabreara st first now.. they dont really need another limited fielder…
Cleveland maybe since Hafner’s career is looking pretty bad…
Baltimore maybe too.. but Huff had a better year then Delgado…
On any of those teams no names really excite me that we’d get back..
some might say JJ putz.. but with Morrow pitching so well putz is probably staying put..
I agree with rogasm.. I don’t think he’s that good a trade chip…
I think Delgado can get you a mid rotation starter … maybe the type that had upside but has struggled recently.
I think he can get two pretty good bullpen arms.
I think a very good closer can be obtained if you add another piece to the Delgado package.
Gotcha.. I guess we shall see… I just think his up and down last two years will scare alot of teams off….
If Manuel can use him.. and we can find a guy to play OF and sub in for him at 1st (like we talked about last off season).. I think that’s probably the best bet for him…
Toronto rolled out the always scary Lyle Overbay/Brad Wilkerson combo at 1B and the equally scary Travis Snider at DH
CD has a great history in Toronto.. Perfect matchup
Delgado to Toronto would be very interesting.
Why would it be an even-up trade?
Delgado might be packaged with Heilman (who hurt his arbitration position with his LOUSY year, and therefore is a relatively cheap arm). Also, if Omar waits til later in the offseason, some teams might actually want 24th/25th man players like A.Reyes/Evans.
He is not going to be traded as a 1B, but a DH. Delgado is a better DH right now than anyone on the Rays, Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Royals, Indians, M’s, A’s…….And he costs 12 mil for one year.
He and Heilman should be traded for Scott Downs or Grant Balfour.
He’s better than David Ortiz? Are you on drugs?
I’d rather have Jim Thome too.
You guys are so stupid. Don’t understand the market. Mikey is the only one with a clue. Delgado is below market value, and an 800 OPS. Upside of a 900 OPS. I have heard plenty of talk from Toronto fans about BJ Ryan and Lyle Overbay for Delgado, to free up salary, and only take on one year of Delgado. Delgado is very attractice to a small market team like Oakland, Toronto, Minnesota…
I would like to keep him, but if a BJ Ryan is possible, which it very well might be, regardless of what some of you think, then you might have to go for it. Beats giving K-Rod a jillion dollars.
I would like to bet on it pause not.
Delgado for Soria a.k.a. the next Mariano Rivera? I’m in.
a more realistic trade would be Delgado for BJ Ryan of the Jays. a good fit for both teams
That’s not gonna happen…
that makes a lot of sense. Ryan is dominant, when healthy. Delgado would love to go back to Toronto. The only question is can Toronto fill Ryan’s spot.
Jeremy Accardo would fill the closer spot for the Jays because he did well when Ryan had TJ surgery 2 years ago and he has great stuff.
Toronto had 4 REAL Good young relievers in 2008.
can someone please educate me on soria…
jws366 said it well that Soria is the next Mariano Rivera. Joakim has a tremendous WHIP and also has a great k/9. He is on the Royals and only blew around 5 saves last year in close to 50 opps this last season.
He is young and in my opinion, the Mets should do anything they could to get this guy. A complete stud.
I’m not sure if there is any indication that the Royals would be willing to give him up, not sure where Matt got that from.
Yeah, exactly. I’m not sure why the Royals would give Soria up but I suppose tht when you’re the Royals, you should just try to keep making trades and getting more quality players. They’re just not a good team and seem to be stuck in that AL Central basement. They should ALWAYS be looking to make some moves. How’s about Church, Delgado, Heilman, Castillo for Greinke and Soria. I’ll save you all the time and energy: that is an awful trade for KC and they’d never do it.
If the Royals take Delgado for Soria, DO IT!!! Soria is very young and has raw talent. Put him in the hands of a guy like Dan Warthen (hopefully they bring him back) and great things could happen. Not to mention the excitement of playing in meaningful games on a team that can win it all.
However, I think it may take a little more than that, and I am not willing to part ways with guys like F-Mart, Niese, Parnell, Flores, or Holt. Our farm system was already raped once last off season in order to get Santana, so if there is any way we could avoid that this year I think we should consider that option first.
So, you guys really think the cost sensitve Royals want to take on 8MM for Delgado, an arb. case in Church and Heilman, and 18MM owed to Castillo for Greinke (their best starter) and Soria (great closer)??? Seriuosly, where do people come up with this. These are the only two guys in KC that are marketable and cheap. No way they get rid of either one. If anyone on the Royals is available and someone to look into, it’s David Dejesus.
Dejesus signed a 5 year contract worth like 13 million total back in 2006. He’s under control for like 2 mil a year until 2011. I can’t imagine they’d have much of a reason for trading him, at least not for anything less than a premium package.
Soria is an elite closer. He’s stuck in obscurity because he plays in KC but if you look at his numbers, which I’m too lazy to do right now, he is up there as possibly a top 5 closer in baseball. He’s absolute dynamite and would LOVE for him to be closing for this team.
all you need to know is that there is no way the Royals are trading him. Young , cheap closer with great stuff and great makeup. Maybe if we offer Reyes or Wright, but seriously, no way KC is moving him now.
I’ve seen him struggle mightily vs. the Yanks. I know it seems inconsequential, but that is probably the biggest spot he is put in all year. I’m not sure how many he blew vs them, but I know that he had the bases loaded and nobody out, up a run and got out of it (courtesy of Clutch-Rod’s double play ball).
I think it’s a great move to sign and trade Delgado - a GREAT move. There’s no way we’re getting in 09 what he gae in the 2nd half of 08. No way. He’s still getting older and if I’d have to put money on it I’d put it on Delgado having a worse season next year than last.
If you make that move, you pretty much HAVE to go after Manny to replace Delgado’s offense.
Delgado for Soria, sign Teixiera, Sign CC, Sign K-Rod, and this team will be in business. Sign them all. This is New York City. Sign. Them. All. I don’t care how much, I don’t care how many years, I want to turn on SNY and see superstars. Sign Them All. Yes We Can.
Why on earth would KC do Soria for Delgado?!?!
Say no to Manny. Too old.
“Instead, I anticipate trades, as well as one or two mid-level free agent signings to help round out the roster, especially in the bullpen, and possibly at second base.”
So exactly how are we going to replace Ollie and Pedro if we are not signing any FA SP?
this post makes me think we are in trouble
Let’s remember that just because Matt says it doesn’t mean that’s the way it is. I happen to disagree, I think we will make at least one big splash on the free agent market this offseason. Hopefully it will be on a closer, but a big bat is also very possible. I honestly don’t see us trading away prospects, since that is what we did last year.
SP by comitte from the following group:
Armas
Jason Vargas
Figgy
Neither Niese or Parnell are ready.
You want 2 of them in our rotation? The bullpen will be overworked and terrible again.
sarcasm, though one slot probably could be filled by them.
We need on quality starter (i.e. a 2 or above).
If they can trade for a legit closer I say Lowe is our guy.
SP by committee from these 3:
Armas
Jason Vargas
Figgy
—Dude, you’re INSANE.
If you have even 1 of those 3 in the rotation, there’s really no reason to play the season out, because they won’t even finish a close 2nd.
PS- Parnell for the pen. He’s a perfect fit
Pretty sure there are starters out there that are considered “mid level”. The argument can be made that Derek Lowe cla.ssifies as a “mid-level” signing.
He is a type A. Besides the comment was made that those signings would most likely be at 2nd and BP.
I think you’re reading into Matt’s words too much. There is no way the Mets don’t add a starter this off season.
Even in the very slim chance that they don’t sign a free agent starter … Maybe Delgado gets traded for one, instead of a closer.
Either way … Derek Lowe, Type A or not, is considered second tier when a guy like Sabathia is on the market.
That might be the best argument I’ve read from you yet, Mikey. Agreed 100%. I think people are reading too much into Matt’s spoken wisdom. Omar runs this team, not Cerrone.
Lowe is definitely a high-level signing. But I’d love for the Mets to sign Lowe. He’s a solid, veteran (but not old) starter, and he wouldn’t bring the unnecessary hype to the team that CC would. Also, with Santana/Lowe/Pelfrey/Maine in the rotation - it’s alright to mess around a bit with the fifth spot. See if Niese fits in, and if not; maybe Vargas.
I agree, to me Lowe is the most important signing of the offseason. This guy flat out pitches and will be a bargain considering the contracts that CC and Burnett will get.
Exactly. “Bargain”. That’s why he’s not condidered a “top shelf” free agent signing.
Lowe will not be a bargain. That is really wishful thinking.
You have to consider the marketplace, and put Lowe in that context.
Derek Lowe is 35, that’s not old? If nothing else it’s definitely teetering around old. And I don’t see why he’d sign for a bargain coming off the season he’s had.
I’d also be wary because of his home/away splits. The Dodgers stadium is known for being a pitchers park, and from what I understand the dimensions/alignment of citi field will make it more of a hitters park than shea was. There’s a pretty drastic change in Lowe’s home/away splits.
Home- ERA: 2.30, WHIP: 0.93, BAA: 206
Away- ERA: 4.42, WHIP: 1.39, BAA: 292.
Bargain in terms of over all contract. He will be looking for at most I would think 3 years 36 million. Perez, while having worse numbers, would be looking for 4-5 years 60 million. That’s 24 million dollars difference. Same with Burnett, he will want 5 years 15-17 million. CC will most likely want 6 years 120 million. Thus Lowe is a bargain. If you look at his numbers, however, he has the 2nd best #’s of any FA pitcher. Hard to call that 2nd tier.
If you think Lowe is getting 3 years and 36 million, you are nuts. He’s a Boras client, and rumor has it after this September and October run, he will be looking for more like 4 years and $70 million. He’s on the same level almost as a Burnett. As far as starters go, while I would love Lowe over Ollie, or even better both, it’s going to be one or the other, and maybe a guy like Jon Garland as the 5th starter.
it’s pretty funny how people here say lowe is a must-have and yet gloss over his age. great job, gina, in posting his splits. that alone should give the mets some pause.
Citi Field Dimensions:
Left: 335
Left Center: 379
Center: 408
Right Center: 383
Right Field: 330
Shea Dimensions:
Left Field: 338
Left Center: 371
Center: 410
Right Center: 371
Right Field: 338
Whoever told you Citi was going to be more of a hitter’s park was incorrect. It is actually going to be more of a pitcher’s park than Shea, keeping in line with Met tradition.
Lowe would be an interesting addition for the Mets. His age, however, is a definite question mark.
You’re right I confused the information I read. The article I read said the construction of citi field would turn shea into a hitters park because of the wind patterns or something. my mistake.
If we trade Delgado, you can bet Manny in LF really will happen.
I have been going back and forth on the Manny situation and what the Mets would do if they do sign him. I get Manny is expensive but if you put him in the current line-up with Delgado at first you have a legit world series favorite in the Mets as long as they get a closer and 1 other bullpen guy.
If the original thought is they are definitely trading Delgado well then I will certainly say they HAVE TO get Manny because they need a big bat in this line-up.
Personally, I think the bullpen only needs two additions….A closer, and a lights out type 8th inning guy (preferrebly lefty)….One mid-top rotation starter, and Manny would really round out a potentially excellent off-season.
Lights out 8th inning guys who are left handed aren’t built at Wal-Mart. They don’t exactly fall off the production line. Few teams, if any, have that kind of player and if they do, they aren’t going to come cheap.
Agreed….But there aren’t types that you “buy”….These guys are the product of scouting. Look for an under utilized guy, someone ready to turn the corner, etc.
Omar was able to acquire a lights out set-up guy a few years ago, for one Jae Seo, if you recall.
totally agree RAVI,
Need to beat the bushes for the under followed for the slot
I would agree with that. I would even be for that.
Reyes, Murphy, Beltran, Manny, Wright, Church, 2nd baseman, Schnider/Castro?
That lineup would be even better than 2008 because Manny > Delgado.
If we acquire Manny, trade Delgado, and pick up Hudson, our lineup could look something like:
Reyes, ss
Hudson, 2b
Wright, 3b
Ramirez, lf
Beltran, cf
Murphy, 1b
Church, rf
Schneider, c
*pitcher’s slot*
Of course, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…we NEED to address the bullpen issue no matter what!
The only problem with this scenario is that due to money commitments they would have Castillo back to bat 2nd and Murph 7th.
All of a suden you’re for many thereal??
Why do all mets fan want Manny now, when he has a contract and is not motivated?
But when I was on here in Julyl begging to trade for him.. that was a stupid move??
The time to get Manny has come and gome, the mets were asleep at the wheel.. as per usual.
Signing him as a free agent is totally different from trading your top prospects and then some for him. Money we got, prospects to give we don’t.
I, personally, am on the fence with the Manny issue. The more I think about it, the more I realize how likely it is that Delgado is used as trade bait, and if we get rid of Gado then we do need another bat in the lineup. I think it may work, but I wouldn’t be utterly disappointed if we didn’t get him.
All we have to do is extend our money to the draft..and the international market… and we do…
Some folks already have flores stock ahead of f-mart…
And oh yeah.. there’s the whole Manny and the Phils in the playoff thing.. while we’re sitting here talking about moves that can’t even happen until after Thanks giving…
If you didn’t want Manny on the Mets because of his attitude.. then guaranteeing him money isn’t the answer…
Manny playing for a huge deal.. seems to be working out quite well for the Dodgers…. would of worked out great for the Mets too…
Why does everyone think Manny needs a contract to be “motivated”. Can we look at the stats before we make as$umptions we have no idea about.
His most recent contract was signed in 2001.
From 2001-2007 All non contract years: 5 years had a 1.000+ OPS.
In 2 of the years he didn’t have a 1.000+ OPS. In 2005 one such below 1.000 OPS year, he hit 45 HR’s with 144 RBIs.
2007 is the only year that manny had anything close to a bad year (in manny standards) He was still close to .900 OPS which is still top in the game. He also missed nearly 2 months of that season do to injury.
No if I had my choices it would be to keep Delgado and trade for Holiday. However, if you do trade Delgado then getting Manny’s bat would prob. be a must.
Gotcha…
I can’t imagine who we’d get for Holliday…
We don’t have the pawns for Holliday. That is why I disagree when Matt says we will make a lot of trades, but when clearly don’t have what others want. Free agency is going to be huge this year.
saying manny isn’t motivated is one of the biggest farces ever. i’ll take a guy who looks like he doesn’t care but puts up insane numbers and was an integral part of TWO championships over guys who care and are nothing than utility players.
it’s only money and more importantly, it’s the wilpons’ money. i’m not saying i’m 100% percent behind signing manny but if they were to do it, i would completely understand why.
horrible idea. i’m sorry but Manny is the worst thing the Mets could do. Have we not learned our lesson with signing old players at the twighlight of their careers?
I agree that Omar will pursue trades, rather then relying solely on FAs.
I’m very leery of trading Delgado without replacing his production in the lineup. Down the stretch this year, it became clear that opposing pitchers wanted to avoid facing Delgado with runners on and the game in the balance. Not many Met players have that effect on the other team. None, possibly.
Short of Manny–who obviously brings the intimidation factor in abundance–I don’t know of anyone who would fill Delgado’s shoes. Not Murphy, not O-Dog, not Juan Rivera, certainly not Eric Byrnes (spare us). Well, Milton Bradley might. But I haven’t heard of any plans to pick up Bradley. He’s an injury risk and a defensive liability, but he rakes.
And at some point, I do think the Mets should look to Japan to fill one or more bullpen/rotation holes.
the lineup is unbalanced, which is why guys can pitch around delgado. we need a more solid lineup up and down, so that we don’t have these 1-2-3 innings after the other team scores on us.
Trade Delgado and Heilman to the Jays for BJ Ryan? Downs could be a closer for them and it would save them Ryan’s 20 million owed?
Delgado and Heilman for Nady and Marte.
Posada will be playing 1b in 2010, and for 2009 they have no one to play 1b, and doubtfully will want to sign anyone long-term with Posada 2010 and 2011 at 1b. Delgado with that short porch could hit 40+ and Heilman could start for the Yankees. The price of Delgado works out well for the Yankees too.
Nady in LF for us, and we sign Teixeira (29 yrs old) instead of Manny. Marte replaces Heilman in bullpen.
The Yankees will never take that trade. It’s way too one sided. I would love to see Nady in Flushing again, though.
The Real, Accardo will close for the Jays if Ryan is traded.
I agree we need Japan if nothing else to bring Japanese interest to the team. That means revenue for Wilpon and if he has more revenue then he will be able to spend more freely.
I think Hitoki Iwase would be a great addition to the bullpen He doesn’t have the same international appeal that Matsui and Matsuzaka have but he’s NPB’s best closer by far.
A Delgado for Soria trade would be outstanding.
That would not happen straight up for nothing. It makes no sense. None.
Thank you. I don’t understand why so many people think that small market, low budget, non-contending teams are going to spend their biggest trade chips on a veteran 1b signed to a one year deal.
Just because these teams (like KC or Oak or Seattle) may need power, doesn’t mean they are going to trade for someone like Delgado. They are not in “win now” mode. They need to either use Soria to build the team for the future, or trade him for a group young prospects.
If they get a pitcher like Neise or Parnell, along with Delgado … do you then think they consider trading Soria to the Mets along with a mid level prospect?
It could work.
I doubt it, even if we’re paying Delgado’s salary, what would be the point for KC? For one they already have a young first basemen and young dh so were would Delgado fit in other than blocking younger cheaper players. For two Niese, and especially Parnell aren’t exactly top flight pitching prospects so why would they trade a guy with value like Soria’s for a guy who grades out as about a #3 pitcher or a guy who grades out as a middle reliever? Where is the value in the deal for KC?
Not to mention KC already has a good amount of young arms. I would love to have Soria, but I don’t think it’s very likely.
I think you’re undervaluing Neise and Parnell a little. You make a good point about Delgado blocking certain players, but who are you talking about in particular? I don’t think they have any can’t miss type players serving as a DH. Besides, it’s only one year of Delgado.
Billy Butler is their young dh and Alex Gordon is their young 1b. And why would they want to slow down either of their growths for one year of Delgado when it’s not likely they’re going to compete anyway?
And I think you’re overvaluing Niese a little and Parnell a lot. At this point Parnell is a middle relief prospect, the only reason he was starting in our organization was because we have so little starting pitching depth.
How about further gutting the farm system in a trade for Soria and Greinke. Greinke could be our #2 starter, alleviating some of the pressure Pelfrey will undoubtedly face going into next season. I’m not going to suggest an actual trade because I dont even feel like giving a half-a$ds attempt at being a fake GM.
OK valid points. On the other side of the coin … if KC has so much young talent, why would they want more young talent? Wouldn’t they want some veteran presence to add to what they have … even if it’s just a ploy to sell more tickets?
I can’t imagine we’d have the pieces to make a trade like that. Like I really just don’t see a combination of players that would make sense for both teams.
There is also a money/control issue here. KC isn’t looking for “the final piece” to make a playoff run. So to trade away a young player who doesn’t have a high salary and who they control for a few years makes no sense to them. They would most likely want to get back younger players who they control for even longer (and pay less!)
I’ve been saying that I think Toronto makes more sense for him. They had a good season and may think his impact would push them into a playoff situation. And he has a history there so that helps. They also seem to have young players who could step up if, for example, they traded a BJ Ryan.
I also thought maybe the Angels if they miss out on Tex. Their lineup needs some help.
I agree with you guys in that there are absolutely better destinations for Delgado if the Mets were to trade him.
Just trying to discuss a way to get Soria here.
kc is not in a position where a “veteran presence” makes any difference. they’re all about stockpiling talent right now. the mets also aren’t in a position to give up much more of theirs. we’re not getting soria. there is NO reason for dayton moore to give him up right now.
Why would the Royals want Delgado? For Soria, they are going to want young cheap MLB ready talent like Murphy and/or FMart.
“my sense is that they do not intend to sink all of their available off-season money in to just one top-flight free agent”
1. I hope they have money for more than one top free agent.
2. First priority is SP, I’d sign CC and Perez. We need a solid rotation.
3. Second is CL, I’d sign K-Rod. The rest of the bullpen can be fixed with a few cross over pitchers (think AAA SPs), Smith, Ayala, Stokes, Feliciano.
4. Third is RH LF, I’d rather sign Juan Rivera or Vlad (if available) than trade for Holliday/Dye/etc. (we need to keep prospects).
5. Last is 2B, don’t care who plays as long as they play good defense and the top of the lineup scores like they did last year. Ideally Murphy.
6. Bench is Endy, Pagan, Tatis, Easley/Murphy, Castro.
If you sign CC and Perez you’ve basically used up all of the money we have coming off the books. Even if CC asks for 20 per, and Perez asks for 12 per, thats 32 million of the 33-35 million we have coming off the books used up. Adding K-rod is adding another 13-15 mil to this years payroll and that’s before you’ve addressed the rest of the bullpen or the bench. For example Tatis needs to be resigned. Even going into a new stadium I can’t imagine the payroll would jump 20 million, which is around what it would be, two consecutive seasons.
Well, the bullpen and bench players won’t cost much (remember I suggest filling bullpen spots with AAA SPs). And adding another 10 mil wouldn’t be too much to ask especially if your only other option is to trade the few prospects you have.
This is the thinking that seems to have gotten Omar in trouble the last few seasons: “the bullpen won’t cost much”. So he spends all his time/resources on other areas and then scrapes the bottom of the barrel to find bullpen help, when that should have been his focus.
The bullpen should be his focus but it doesn’t have to cost much. We actually only need a few cross-over pitchers and a closer. My thought is to get AAA starters that have high strikeout rations and aren’t specialists. That plus K-Rod and we’ll have a good bullpen.
You have to be kidding!!! they would need more than $300,000,000.00 “available” to cover points 2 and 3!!!
you couldn´t pull THAT off even if you were in a one team fantasy league!!!
Where’d you learn to do math? CC is 20/6=180mil and K-Rod is 15/5=75 mil. That’s 255 mil. And as long as they’re within their yearly budget who cares how much they are committing.
Did you say the same thing when we signed Beltran or Johan?
You forgot the 60 million for Perez.
Yes, you did say CC AND Ollie, and I´m not sure Olli will go for 60
I stand corrected, but still why does that matter as long as they’re withn their yearly budget?
once again, please read the rules of free agency, Mr. GM.
Translation:
“Why worry about fielding a competitive team when they can enjoy sliders from the Shake Shack at the new CitiField?”
“Sure, the Phillies have won the division the past two seasons, but we’ve got Mama’s from Corona, which beats Tony Luke’s hands down!”
Try not to choke on that sandwich every time Ayala comes into game, fellas!
Also, how are we making all these trades? Unless we’re trading from our 25 man roster, we don’t have that many prospects.
Murphy’s bat will almost certainly not play 1st base. I hope that Cerrone is wrong about this.
Delgado may not be as good as he was in the 2nd half of ‘08, but he’s a good bet to be pretty good.
If we bring in a big bat to compensate it won’t matter. Which is basically what Cerrone said.
It will matter. 1st base is a big bat position, and we have no business putting a potential liability there.
A team needs bats at 1B and LF; it’s not an either/or thing. If the team wants an edge, it helps to have a guy like Murphy at 2nd base. This is the difference between having a team with a bunch of holes in the lineup–and if we put Murph at 1st, we will have 3–potentially 4–liabilities–and putting a lineup that is strong throughout.
And with Murph at 2nd, you can pick up Delgado’s option and you only have to sign one bat for LF. With Murph at 1st, you lose Delgado and need 2 free agents at 2nd and LF–and soon, you will need a third at 1B, cause Murphy’s bat won’t be able to play it. So you waste money on 2 free agents you don’t need and you waste a talent like Dan Murphy because you foolishly didn’t leave a place on the diamond for him.
Unfortunately, you can always trust the Mets to make the worst possible decision about these sorts of things.
Don’t call him Dan.
I think we need to shake things up a bit more than that..
And no one can be convinced at this point that Murphy can handle 2B for any length of time.
Agreed with needing bats at 1b and LF…However, the Mets have far above average bats at SS, and CF, which are traditionally light hitting spots. (D-Wright is above average too, obviously, but he plays an offensive position)
Let’s compare arguments:
Biggie says that Murph can’t play 2nd. He knows that others have made the transition from 3rd to 2nd and he has never seen Murphy play 2nd–he’s played 3 games there in his career. But he states with no evidence that Murphy’s glove will not play it.
And because of this baseless claim, he does not mind totally wasting Murphy. We have seen what he can do with the bat, so we have good reason to believe that he does not have the power to play 1st base. I’d project him at 10-20 home runs per year. That won’t cut it at 1st–but combined with his doubles power and his good on-base ability, it will be excellent for 2nd. So it’s either give Murphy a shot at 2nd or waste a solid home grown bat for 6 cost-controlled years, while necessitating the acquisition of 2 extra free agents and wasting a ton of money, all because you didn’t give Murphy a chance to prove he can play 2nd.
i didnt say he CANT play 2B. I said since he admittedly only has 3 games EVER at 2B its a highly risky to write him in as the starter in 2009 because nothing has been proven that he CAN handle it for any length of time.
See my comments below.
He has about 18 games at 2B last year.
I stand corrected.. He played 17 games at 2B in Bingo and committed FIVE errors for a 949 FP
that still doesnt exude confidence in his defensive abilities to play the position
looking closer at his defensive stats..
he also committed 13 errors at 3B in 64 AA games (927 FP)and 35 E at 3B in 131 games at A+ (919 FP - OUCH!!!)
conversely be played 13 AA games at first with 1 error and a 989 FP.
4JO-
the above looks like pretty good evidence Murph cant handle 2B for any length of time. No?
He is a bit of a butcher at 3B as well.
His 5 errors were committed in his first few games in AA. (I forgot about his AA second base exp.) He played error free baseball afterwards. He also played 2nd through high-school and college.
I’m not giving up on him. It would be a shame to see his bat go to waste because there’s no position for him; and my opinion is that those are the only alternatives. At 1st, he seems like a comparative liability, perhaps even AAAA.
I’d still give him a shot, but your points are well taken.
Also, your stats reveal a highly significant improvement from A+ to AA; so it’s inconclusive. I’d say we bank on him making a similar improvement next year.
having a right side of the infield defense of delgado and murphy is basically like conceeding an extra run per game to the opponent.
guys, it’s not just about offense! the best teams have balance. and since when does the 1B HAVE to be some slugger/DH type. Have you ever heard of Keith Hernandez?
His fielding sure won’t cut it at 2B. I highly doubt he will have the necessary range and soft hands to play 2B. He’ll be Dan Uggla at best.
I’d sure take someone who projects to Dan Uggla.
Seriously. Is that supposed to be an insult? Who’d you rather him be, Rey Ordonez?
Speaking of Uggly, he might be on the trading block. Wonder if he could end up at Citi.
Dan Uggla is such as scary good defensive 2bman that teams are looking at him as a thrid baseman or outfielder conversion.
He is easily the worst defensive second baseman in the league.
I dont consider Murphy at first base a “waste”
If he projects to 40 doubles and 20 HR and hits 310 with a 400 OBP that would be a stellar first baseman offensively.
I think he has a better chance of being an above average first baseman defensively than an average second baseman defensively.
Plus there is a higher chance of injury at 2B turning DPs seeing as he admittedly only has 2 or three games at second. That would be a waste if he tore an ACL on a take out slide in the AFL or Dominican League playing second base.
Where do you guys come up with the 3 games stuff?
looking back at the thread 4JoeOrsulak incorrectly quoted ME as saying 3 games when I never said that..
what i did say is
no one can be convinced at this point that Murphy can handle 2B for any length of time
I posted his fielding metrics above which are NOT pretty for his games at 2B or 3B for that matter.
why are you guys picking on Dan (IRON GLOVE ) Uggla did you not see his handywork in the allstar game this year.
1. Sign Milton Bradley to play LF. 3/36
2. Sign Derek Lowe for the rotation. 4/44
3. Sign Juan Cruz and Koji Uehara to split closing/setup duties. 3/18 3/18
4. Sign Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon to incentive-based contracts. Leave Niese in AAA.
5. Move Heilman and Castillo if you can. If not, hold onto them and hope that their value increases with a strong ST. Start Murphy at 2B, if he has a successful AFL season.
Approx. expenditure: $38 million.
3. Sign Juan Cruz and Koji Uehara to split closing/setup duties. 3/18 3/18
You did just type that write? I’m not mistaken?
Is it that hard to realize that the reason the Phillies won the division this year and not tht Mets is the Mets’ bullpen? I don’t understand how this flies over peoples’ heads. I know everyone wants to re-haul the whole team and change everything around because we’re all fed up with the collapsing - but with a bullpen this team can and will compete.
Nice, don’t think we can get Bradley but I like your other suggestions.
I agree unfortunately, I don’t think the rangers will let him walk.
can’t be done. too many type A’s…….NEXT.
I like the sound of this plan
I also read that Freddy Sanchez may be available and Heilman could get it done. That would fill a 2B hole and be an addition by subtraction move.
Trade Delgado for pitching and put Murph at 1B .
Maybe do Manny for 3 years/80 mil to replace Delgado’s production.
I have no problem with them signing Perez, but why in the world would we bring Pedro back? If nothing else we definitely can’t bring both of them back, we can’t go into next year with this exact same rotation IMO.
what would be the limit on Ollie?
4/60?
Remember who Ollie’s agent is. He is going to want outrageous money, even though his was somewhat hit or miss for us this year.
I want no part of 5 inning Ollie.
I can see him ending up in pinstripes and being the next horrible Cashman signing.
bad start, fellas, bad start.
Bad start? Have there been moves made that i’m not aware of? Way to over react!
just listen to the tone from the team. not going to sign top line free agents, looking to make trades (with what exactly?), picking up an aging slugger’s option to trade him (for what exactly?), etc.
just reacting to what i’m hearing. this team needs top line talent in the pen and on the mound. what i’m hearing is small bandaids on big problems.
this team has been a failure for two seasons, it needs serious change. i’m skeptical.
Good bye F-Mart
I’m ok with the idea of trading F-Mart in the right deal. he hasn’t played a full season in the minors yet without injury and this year he had several.
He’s 19. Injuries to very young prospects are very common since they are still growing and learning how to play so many games. How many games do they play in AA, 142? Not sure on the number, but it is a lot of games for a teenager to be competing in. If you remember, Reyes was VERY injury prone as a youngster, but eventually got stronger and smarter, which is what Martinez will do. I don’t think he is as untouchable as Flores, but we need to give him more time and make sure we don’t rush him.
I think having an 18 year old who thinks he will play at Shea Stadium by the end of the season is nonsense, and I hope somebody sits him down and shrinks his ego a bit. He’s not ready, so we shouldn’t put so much pressure on the kid.
He didn’t get hurt at the end of the year because he played in a lot of games, he was hurt fairly early on in the season. i understand your Reyes comparision but Jose was already in the show while F-Mart seems to be light years away and many scouts are down on his prospects right now. I’d like to keep him and see what happens but in the right deal I’ll trade him in the blink of an eye.
You missed my point about him being hurt. I wasn’t saying he was hurt at the end simply because of the length of the schedule, I was saying that he is only 19 and has a fragile frame to work with. Maybe I worded it wrong, but what I meant was that it’s harder for him to recover from injuries he faces early on and be productive and healthy for the rest of the season. Like I said, 140 something games is a lot, and the older guys can still produce when they are banged up. Young projects can’t. Give him a little more time before you pull the plug on him. I agree that patience isn’t in abundance in NY right now, but I think the fact that expectations were so high in the first place is the fault of the scouts. They over hyped a 16 year old, put too much pressure on him, and now are questioning his stock. There’s the problem, not F-Mart.
Don’t get me wrong I’d like to keep him but he is one of the few pieces we can use to get better in 2009.
The bad start was signing Manuel, but we knew that.
Haha, yeah because Manuel had nothing to do with us over achieving in the second half and going 17 games over .500 under his watch. He had a horrible situation, but he made the best out of it. Our luck ran out and we got beat. End of story. Time to focus on the players, not the coach.
actually, you may be wrong. signing omar to an extension could be worse. i’m not sure he’s the right guy.
why couldn’t the team wait until the offseason was over to judge Omar and grant him an extension? i mean, to be fair, HIS season is really from Oct to April.
Why wait till the offseason? Would the last few games really make a difference on Omar or Jerry’s performance? They did their jobs, it was up to the players. As if the Mets came back to win on the last Sunday, then Omar and Jerry would’ve had something to do with it.
I said, “until the offseason was OVER.” not until the offseason.
Hmm, maybe, but then wouldn’t he be want to make trades just for the sake of his job.
so, he shouldn’t be judged based on his ability to improve the team via trades, call ups, and fa signings, then?
I’m with casey, the bad move was the 3 year extension to Omar. The 2 years to Manuel was just icing on the cake.
Im OK with Omar. The Wilpons trust him and he seems to evaluate talent well and fits well inthe NY market.
I cant envision anyone better at the job than him at this point. And I dont think Fred and Jeff have the ability to recognize a better GM even if he was sitting with them in the owners box.
Unfortunately I agree with your last statement, which is why I’m okay with them bringing Omar back because I don’t want Phillips/Duquette part III.
No, the bad start was extending Omar
First and foremost, for the love of all things baseball, fix the bullpen!
If I were the Mets, I’d jettison ALL of the dead weight, trade for a closer and deal Delgado IF there is viable option (doesn’t have to be a superstar either) for 1B. Like you said, put Murphy there and sign a legit backup.
No questions asked, wave goodbye to:
Marlon Anderson
Luis Castillo
Moises Alou
Pedro Martinez
Aaron Heilman
Scott Schoeneweis
Luis Ayala
Carlos Muniz
El Duque
Matt Wise
Tony Armas
Other possible jettisons, if other options are/become available:
Carlos Delgado (ONLY if a good deal/viable alternative)
Damion Easley (can’t keep having old players in key spots)
Brian Schneider (other than 2-week power spurt, USELESS)
Ramon Castro (his defense is AWOL and gets hurt too often)
Endy Chavez (has ZERO pop, use Pagan in this role)
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BOW TO IDI OTS LIKE FRANCESA AND TRADE WRIGHT, REYES OR BELTRAN
You never say never to any deal, but unless you are getting a bona-fide, same age-group, impact star, these guys should not go anywhere.
I agree with most of that.
I think signing Delgado is still a good move. Signing him and trading him may be even a better one.
I can understand if they keep Schneider, as there may not be any real upgrades at the catcher position anyway.
Castro’s still a good back-up.
Other than that…bye bye everyone!
I’m sick of having a bench full of 34-37 year olds.
The thing is they tend to get the job done….You definitely don’t want young talent rotting on the pine. I’d be in favor of retaining players like Easley and Tatis…They did well in limited duty.
Tatis, yes…Easley…ONLY if he’s stritcly a PH or a guy that starts maybe 4 times a month.
This team cannot have too many players like Easley and Tatis on the team. I’d take Tatis over Easley just because he’s about 6 years younger.
I think Easley is a good influence in the clubhouse, but the guy cannot be getting regular or even semi-regular PT.
And the team doesn’t see him as one. He was forced into starting duty becuase of injury/ineffectiveness.
I’d like to keep Ayala. He’s not a closer by trade…he doesn’t have the stuff. But he came in and threw strikes. He stepped up in a lot of big situations and saved some big games for us. Personally, I think we must land a closer, move Smith to the eighth inning role, and put guys like Stokes, Feliciano, and Ayala in the 6th and 7th innings where they belong.
You’re right about Ayala…I do think I would keep him too.
But Smith is not an 8th inning guy. Hopefully he’ll improve v LHs, but he’s always going to be susceptible to them cuz of his delivery.
Plus, IMO, you want your 8th/9th guys to be flamethrowers. If Sanchez is around come ST and is showing his velocity is back, I’d consider him again.
Or, hope that Parnell and Stokes, two guys who can BRING it, do the job.
Or sign a FA to fill that role.
The only reason I lean towards Smith is because he is proven. He was the only guy I truly trusted in that pen last year. He has nasty stuff, but I agree he must learn to pitch to LHH. In order to get them out, he needs to work his fastball in and use his changeup away. But his frisbee to RHH is devastating.
If Sanchez can make a complete comback, then yes give him the job. But for some reason I just don’t see that happening. I think you will see him be a 90-91 guy at best.
I agree. Smith is the one guy in that pen who I want back, no questions asked.
I also agree on Sanchez. He wasn’t ever flamethrower in the truest sense, but 90-91 is a HUGE difference than 93-94
Start your pen with Smith, Stokes, and Parnell.
You want Figgy as a long man. ok.
You REALLY want Feleciano as a LOOGY?
I guess.
That’s it though.
i hate that approach of going for mid-level free agents
Mets need upgrade at P, LF, 2B and catcher … Basic philosophy i guess, but i think team is better off with a GREAT player at one or two positions and fill in with best available Tatis type production at others, as opposed to getting merely GOOD players at all.
GOOD players show up … tatis, murphy, even evans produced nicely and no one would even have them on radar this time last year. If a GREAT player is available, pitcher, position player, whatever, go and get him…. let’s not get distracted by the orlando hudsons of the world.
I disagree completely. I think the problem now is we have a few stars with a lot of crap thrown in. I think we’ll be better off upgrading the crap than bringing in another star and more crap.
Gina, did you see the article in the NYT the other day? It was along the same lines and I agree. Basically the Mets have a lot of stars, who are really quality players. But there is a big drop off from those players to the rest of the roster. Which is why you end up with Ramon Martinez hitting 6th and Marlon Anderson playing left field (beginning of the year)
I disagreed with that article.. Marlon Anderson was like 4th on the depth chart in the pre season. And Ramon Martinez was off the charts.
Realistically the Mets had good backups except the backups were starting until they got hurt., Specifically Pagan and Tatis
Forget Loney, Ethier and Kemp. Dodgers are where they are simply b/c of Manny.
I disagree, they starting turning things around when Pierre and Jones got hurt and Torre couldn’t keep playing them over Either and Kemp. Those guys took them from sub .500 to very good/division contending. Manny took them from division contenders to W.S favorite.
And to add to my last point, while that is a MAJOR overhaul and a lot of legwork..isn’t that what this team needs??
I would also give serious consideration to trying to entice Lowe with a 3-year deal, sign Hudson and either trade for a closer. I’m not keen on Fuentes nor am I high on giving K-Rod a 5-year $75m deal.
No matter what people believe about this year (and it was a gag), they are not devoid of heart. They are missing something, but heart isn’t it.
Whether it was just things evening out or Manuel’s touch, this team went from a moribund, dead team that was 1 game under .500 and 7.5 games out of first to one that should have reached the playoffs and honestly, won the division.
The bullpen is what needs major work…and that is where Minaya must focus most intently. For obvious reasons, none of us want to see guys like Heilman or Schoeneweis ever again in a Mets uniform…but just for the sake of the team’s pysche itself, these guys cannot be back.
Those two alone cost the team game after game after game…particularly Heilman, but Schoenweis’ is useless too. If you’re going to keep him, then get rid of Feliciano because the major problem with the ‘pen is they are all the same pitchers.
No power, can’t cross over.
I can’t for the life of me figure out who the heck would want to give up a quality closer for one year of Carlos Delgado. I can see Maybe Huston Street because Beane is seeing that that the league is catching up to Street. Street really isn’t really that good, and I feel Delgado would give us more production.
I think JJ Putz can be had, but it might hurt a bit. I think the discussion starts either with Niese or F-Mart. That might be too much for a closer.
I’d give up F-Mart a lot quicker than I’d give up Niese. You can replace OFs a lot easier than pitching.
Niese has stuff that can succeed at this level. And after seeing the 180 Pelfrey did (not that it happens like that too often), I’d hate to give up on a VERY young, LH pitcher with a curve that drops off the table and who really isn’t a soft-tosser (he can get it up to 91).
As much as I liked seeing Evans come through, I don’t see anything special about the guy, so if there is one “prospect” who I can definitively see going in a trade (if one happens), it’s him.
Give Parnell and Stokes full-shot roles in the pen, have Tatis as your main power-threat/spot starter off the bench, sign a solid SP (Lowe is my preference) who is consistent and can provide innings, give Niese a chance to earn the 5-spot, sign Orlando Hudson, move Delgado if you get back something of value.
Additionally,
I think Carp should be traded to an AL team.
I would agree, but he hasn’t really shown enough power yet to have any value to them.
Interesting rumors Matt brings us….
If we don’t resign Perez, than that’s basically two unknowns we deal with in the starting rotation. Still need a closer, still need at least two good arms in the BP than can pitch to lefty/right.
Need a left fielder if Delgado is traded and Murphy plays first. Need to shore up the bench as we know a couple of those guys won’t be back.
That’s a lot of moves….
And I forgot to mention the all important closer we need….
Safe to say we have a lot of work to do, maybe more than one can expect in one off season.
It is a lot of moves, but you know what? The Mets have made their bed, sleep in it.
The first choke was horrible, but at least you could say it was a fluke. Last month, despite being more of a cough/gag, was a dozen flares shot in the air.
Changes need to be made and now.
Unlike Fatcesa, the core does not need to go. Without going into the “nobody is untradeable” cliche, I would not move
Reyes
Wright
Beltran
Pelfrey
Santana
Other than that, the roster should be turned over. Obviously I’m not talking about replacing every position, but people, this team has had a 7 and 4 (in the loss column) lead with barely two weeks to go in the regular season for two straight years and has gagged on it.
If Minaya has to rub his fingers raw from dialing on his cell phone, he better well do it.
well, you can argue three unknowns in the rotation because whenever you have a pitcher with an arm issue (maine), until he’s back on the mound showing he’s back to form, he’s an unknown.
we have santana and big pelf.
True, but a “shave-down” really isn’t that big of a deal. It was a spur that was rubbing on his muscle/joint…it wasn’t structural, which is the most important thing.
The problem is he really wasn’t pitching that great before the injury, although I’m not completely sure when the injured started.
He fell off hugely the second half of last year, started off very slowly this year. He had a low ERA but his WHIP and BAA were ridiculous and he was throwing so many pitches just to get through 5 innings you could tell he was going to start falling off sooner or later either from arm fatigue or luck running out. It’s really hard to say where he fits in in the rotation. Is he a solid #3 or a solid #5? If he’s only a #5 then we’re going to bring in better pitchers, if we trust he can be a solid #3 then it’s easier to fill out the rotation.
His control regressed from ‘07, but Lord, I have never seen a guy who gets more foul balls than him.
It was every start.
Maine, as of now, is an average 3/very good 4.
He’s much, much better than a 5th starter.
we need to stop treating maine like he’s a rock. he’s had a very good ‘06, followed by a great first half of 07 followed by a very shaky second half. in ‘08, he was no great shakes either. we still don’t know what john maine and he’s not getting younger either. to me, he’s a half-step above oliver perez when you’re talking perception/production.
it’s imperative the mets get something close to another stud in the rotation and have someone dependable as a #6
Maine is much better than you give him credit for.
He is not a stud pitcher but he has games where he can be and for the most part he was consistent.
His last 4-5 starts were horrendous for the most part.
The thing he must work on his lowering his PC. The guy was at 100 pitches by the 6th in every start.
If you see that improve, he will definitely be a no. 3 guy and a good one at that.
And about his age, he’s 27. He’s young.
I would like to suggest that Omar celebrates his 4 year contract with a drunken deal which trades Daniel Murphy for a pair of lifetime sub-.250 hitters.
Here’s what we do….Buy low on Putz who’s coming off a shaky year. Send them Delgado/Heilman/Evans. Seattle has absolutely NO power at their 1B or DH spots and have the money to pay him. Heilman gets his chance to start and Nick Evans can spot Delgado at 1st against a lefty or play in the OF.
Put Murph at 1st, lets be serious people….he ain’t gonna cut it defensively at 2nd. Dump Castillo wherever you can and replace him with the O-Dog. Sign Manny, let Church walk and give his spot to Fmart.
2009 Lineup
1. Reyes
2. Hudson
3. Wright
4. Manny
5. Beltran
6. Murphy
7. Fmart
8. Schneider/Castro
Now that’s a shakeup this lineup needs.
Rotation: Let Ollie Walk, sign Derek Lowe and give Niese the 5th spot
Bullpen: Putz closing, MR = Brandon Lyon, Smith, Ayala, Duaner, Kunz, Parnell
F-Mart will not be ready by Spring 2009. Church is a solid RF. I think too many people were on his case this year, considering what the poor guy went through. Anybody who’s ever had ONE concussion will tell you that it really does hinder your ability to compete at a high level of competition.
I’m actually a huge Church fan and it was unfortunate what happened to him as it looked like he was headed for a breakout season. I’m just trying to be realistic here and if they’re gonna go out and spend $$$ on FA’s like Manny, Hudson, and Lowe then you gotta shed payroll elsewhere.
Although I’m sure Church wouldn’t be THAT expensive in arbitration, they could always just bring him back.
Church is not going anywhere, nor should he.
He won’t be what he was the first 2 months before he got hurt, but what he can be is a .280 hitter who can hit 20 homers with 85-90 RBI (in a good lineup) as well as play very, very good defense.
He is up for arbi, so unless they go that route, I’d expect him to get a jump of at least $2.5 mil from his salarly of $2 mil last year.
REVISED LINEUP
1. Reyes
2. O-Dog
3. Wright
4. Manny
5. Beltran
6. Church
7. Murphy
8. Schneider/Castro
Money
Now the REAL question. How realistic is it?
Not very unless you’re pulling starting pitchers out of a hat.
Let Ollie walk, sign DLowe and make Niese the 5th starter.
That’s 3 type a free agents. Can’t do that.
Can’t be done, too many Type A’s…..NEXT.
MetsyMad keeps cuting & pasting at all of these “realistic suggestions”… I love it!
I believe that signing 3 FAs should not be a problem this year.
Whatever subtract Manny then.
That still leaves us with Wright and Beltran, 2 perennial MVP candidates who you can pencil in for 30-100. A premier leadoff hitter, an upgrade offensively at 2nd base, Church who was having a breakout year before his concussion and Murphy who looks like a professional hitter.
That should still be enough offense with a rotation + Lowe and a hopefully revamped bullpen.
The more I think about it, if BJ Ryan is available for Delgado, I do it, but then I sign manny and hudson. This lineup is balanced and pretty darn impressive:
Reyes SS
Hudson 2B
Beltran CF
Ramirez LF
Wright 3B
Church RF
Murphy/Easley 1B
Schneider/Other RH Hitting Catcher who is not Castro (im sick of him as im sure most are)
I’m not. And considering the “booming” market for catchers right now, I don’t think we have a choice. We don’t necessarily need big sticks 1-8 in our lineup. I like everything else though, except I would put Wright in the 3 hole. Think of the fat pitches he would get with Manny behind him. I trust Wright with mistakes more than Beltran.
I am not saying you just give up on Castro, but my patience with him is running extremely thin.
The guy came here and was a very solid defensive catcher. One who could throw guys out with regularity.
Now, he looks like Mike Piazza behind the plate in his later years.
Also, when this team has needed him and has basically handed him the starting job, he has gotten hurt at the most inopportune time.
Not only for himself, but for the team. That has been the knock on him and it rings true.
anyone ever seen Soria pitch? What kind of stuff does he have? He throws over 95mph? slider? change?
Throws hard…very, very good pitcher.
Only question I would have is moving to NYC and pitching in a pressure situation for a (hopefully) contending team.
The only Yankee game I went to this year I sat in the bleachers behind the Royals bullpen. I watched this guy warm up, look completely focused, and then go into a 2-1 game in the bottom of the 9th in Yankee Stadium and retire the side 1-2-3 with 2K’s. Yeah I think he could handle NY.
sweet…. let’s get him
Doesn’t matter. We wont get him.
Here’s one name that should be added to the list outside of JJ Putz, Huston Street and Joakim Soria: Jose Arredondo of the Angels.
If the Mets are to pursue a closer via trade, it should be someone who is setting up with a high K rate per 9 innings pitched. I think with Soria, it will take a lot whereas with Street, Beane will try to extract the most value for him.
With Delgado, if there is a trade market for him once the option is picked up… then trade him to fill other holes in the pitching staff. I would still look at the Rangers who have a surplus at catcher as a possible trade partner.
If they let K-rod walk why would they trade Arredondo? Also the Rangers are going to watching starting pitching back for any deal. We really don’t have pitchers to trade.
arredondo? are we just picking people out of a hat and refusing to take into consideration the plans for the team they are currently on.
arrendondo is the reason the angels aren’t having second thoughts about letting k-rod go. i really doubt they would trade him.
The only reason I am mentioning Jose Arrendondo is in the event that if the Angels resign KRod, that is a possibility (although slim) to consider. I’m just throwing his name out there.
Right now, whatever is being reported could be the Angels calling KRod’s bluff, possibily keep his price down with reports saying he lost a couple of MPH on his fastball…
With the Castillo for Byrnes straight up rumor (bad contract for bad contract), I do it in a heart beat and then sign Hudson. With Delgado, I’d probably add Heilman to it to entice a couple of teams in hopes of getting a better deal.
Manny Ramirez if I am not mistaken, is a Type A Free Agent. Jon Garland I do not believe requires compensation because he has pitched horrible for the Whitesox and Angels… so he is definitely a buy low/low risk with potential high reward pitching in the NL. If anyone should be in the bullpen, it should be Sanchez (if he gets in shape this off season), Kunz, Smith and Parnell. Definitely two lefties would be needed in the bullpen - a long man and a short man.
The idea of trading away Delgado is very interesting. I think a number of AL teams would be very interested. While he may not be “cheap” on a per year basis, the fact that an AL team could pick him up without being on-the-hook for a number of years makes him affordable. I think he would be very attractive to teams who believe they are on the verge of being competitive/making the final push but don’t want to get commited long term.
In particular I would see him being off interest to the following teams:
1. Angels–if they can’t resign Texiera
2. Blue Jays–so they can make a push to compete in AL East but not on hook long term if they realize they can’t
3. Seattle–thought on verge last year and were horrible, but due to moves probably don’t want to go straight to rebuilding
4. Oakland–Bean loves picking up older sluggers for short term, has a new one every year
5. TB–Delgado could play the Cliff Floyd role next year. May be willing to shell out the cash if they come close this year and feel they need an extra push
6. Cleveland–would be a good fit for them given their issues with Hafner. Delgado could provide insurance for them next year and if Hafner turns it around they wouldn’t be committed long term
FYI–I don’t see why the Royals would have any interest. They are not at all competitive at this point. Soria is a great get, but I don’t see them having interest in bringing on Delgado.
I don’t agree on Oakland. Beane likes to pick up those sluggers by signing them as free agents when they are left on the market. He doesn’t typically trade young players for them.
Is Tampa getting rid of Carlos Pena?
AL teams have this pesky position called DH…
Wonder if Delgado and Kunz would do the trick.
The key to everything is getting rid of Castillo. There has been a rumor swirling that because Hudson is leaving Arizona, and Byrnes is the odd man out in the Arizona outfield, that maybe you could work out a trade of Castillo to Arizona for Eric Byrnes. Then you sign Hudson to play 2nd base. That solves the problem in both LF and 2B. Also, if you do have Byrnes, it’s another trade chip if you are looking to trade for a closer.
I would love for the Mets to sign Manny, after reading Bill Simmons OTL column about Boras probably being the reason Manny tanked in Boston, and all the loveable stuff about Manny, I could see this guy taking over for Pedro as the goofy guy that everyone in the stands could love no matter what. Oh he is also a beast hitting National League pitching.
For starters you try and get Lowe, if that doesn’t work you re-sign Ollie, and for the 5th starter you bring in a Jon Garland (29 years old, always in the AL, numbers will improve in the NL).
I like the idea of trading Delgado for a closer (B.J. Ryan seems to be the best fit, although I would LOVE Soria), moving Murphy to 1st and having Manny patrol LF. Then if you did the Byrnes/Castillo deal, you could also trade Byrnes for maybe one good middle relief arm, and if not he becomes a hell of a bench player.
I also think we need to replace Schnieder, the guys bat is terrible and his being left handed doesn’t help balance this lineup if Murphy and Church are in there everyday. Maybe even Pudge could work.
Reyes
Hudson
Beltran
Manny
Wright
Church
Murphy
catcher
with a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez, Garland and a closer of Ryan or Soria. Could be good. Sorry if I am ranting, my friends are tired of hearing me play GM.
I’m not sure what Garland will be but they may be too many type A free agents.
would manny be considered type A?
on that list i see perez/hudson and maybe ramiez right?
I don’t think Perez counts, but yeah Manny is definitely type A, if they’re was a type A++ he’d be it. I’m saying Garland might be a type A which would put us over the limit.
ah ok
I believe Garland is type-A.
Garland is not a type a
and wasn’t there something in the trade to l.a. that precluded them from offering arbitration to manny so he won’t be considered a type a? can someone clarify that point?
You’re right, Chico, my bad. I thought I had remembered seeing Garland as an A last I checked but he is a B.
As for Manny, I remember the final two one-year options were bought out in order for him to accept the deal, but don’t recall anything regarding arbitration offers.
lol yes my friends are tired of me playing gm as well. You throw some good ideas but i dont think pudge would be an upgade over brian. BJ ryan seems like the best chance of happening as it makes sense for both teams.
As far as trading for closers your list includes Ryan, Sherrill and Street. Those are the ones that would most likely be avaliable.
I would rather sign Cruz and Everyday Eddie.
Cruz
Eddie
Oliver
Smith
Stokes
Ayala
Parnell/Sanchez
TRS86 & dirty- here are some other “decent” middle relief free agents who are B’s or not ranked:
Lyon
Beimel
Affeldt
Howry
Weathers
Ohman
Mota (avoids thrown objects)
Torres (Pirates option)
Jamey Wright
Farnsworth (hey, he misses bats… sometimes)
There’s no way the Royals trade Soria.
They just bought out and added options for his final 0-3 year, three arbitration years and 2 free agent years in May.
The next 3 years he’s signed for less than 9 million dollars total plus they have an option each of the next 3 years for between 6 and 8 million.
That means they basically have him signed for the next 6 years for less than 30 million dollars total.
But why keep him? I don’t think they’ll give him away by any means, but IMO, there are differences between small market teams hanging on to younger/cheaper players and SMALL MARKET teams.
If the Mets offered a decent enough package that would help them fill other holes, they might take it.
I think the point is we don’t have that package to offer.
Yes they do.
But I don’t think I would put it together for Soria.
This is totally random but how much do you think bringing back Tatis would cost?
i doubt that much. He signed a minor league contract with us to being with this year if im not mistaken…I doubt it will cost that much to bring him back.
I would think they could sign him to a $1.5-2m deal.
If he thinks/expects more, he’s nuts.
yea your about right on that figure..he got 560,000 this year, i dont expect it to go up by much.
I would guess the guy wants a Marlon Anderson type contract with an option year. Marlon got 2 years 2.25 million if I remember correctly.
Marlon Anderson was also a top-flight pinch-hitter for many, many years prior.
Tatis just had a comeback that could have netted him Comeback POY honors.
He’s in no position, IMO, to expect a 2-year deal.
Murphy at 1st base would be an awful idea. He’s a good hitter thus far, but he would severely downgrade the power production the Mets need from 1st base.
Give him a chance to prove he’s adequate at 2nd base the next few weeks in the AFL. That should be enough time to see if he can learn the position or if he’s hopeless.
In the OF he has a good bat. At 2nd base he has an outstanding bat. At 1st base he’s a subpar slugger.
He’s also “subpar slugger” in LF.
Murphy may develop more power if he continues to improve at the MLB level, but I can’t see his max being more than 20-25, and that’s at the high end.
He doesn’t pull the ball.
Why do you need a 250/ 35 HR, no defense and a big pull shift for a first baseman?
The Red Sox seem to do well with Youklis who was a good defense, clutch hitting, double cracking, OBP machine until he found his power stroke this year and added 29 HR to the mix/.
If Murph turns into a Youklis type player how would that be a waste?
I cant STAND that pull shift with the third baseman playing around 2B.
and I by no means thing Delgado will come CLOSE to 35 HR in 2009. If he hits 30 in his year 37 year I’ll be amazed.
what about a delcrapo trade for ryan, murphy at 2nd, and tex at 1st?
He’s 22. It’s actually a good sign that he uses the whole field at this point in his career.
I think it’s great. I think he can and will be a useful hitter. I was just refuting the original point about the power position at 1B.
LF is also considered that so what makes him any better there, if that is your criteria?
If this plan that delgado to another team for arms in return and manny to the mets play out, the power we got from delgado would be replaced by manny in LF. Daniel is a good hitter and we need to find a way to get him in the lineup every day. If they are making a play for murph at 1b im pretty sure its because omar wants odog for 2b….
I agree about the first half of your statement. If we could move Delgado for bullpen arms, idk if we can, and bring in Manny then our offense will be better with Murphy at first even if he isn’t slugging 500+.
he’s dave magadan all over again. he might be good, but never great at that position. i know he’s the darling right now, but he doesn’t have a natural position… might be good time to trade him.
He’s got more power than Magadan. If he does become an everyday player in the bigs, I would expect .290-.300 with 15-20 homers out of him.
Magadan’s career-high in longballs was 6 in 1990. Just by his body-type and swing, you can tell he’s got infinitely more pop in that bat.
Yea I mean what team would ever succeed with a high average, patient, line drive hitting, jersey dirty 1B man?
see year 1986.
Look, I really like Daniel Murphy, and I think he has a chance to be a good player. But now you’re comparing him to Keith Hernandez?
Are you serious?
This is a kid with barely over 100 at bats in the majors, who has played a grand total of 13 minor league games at 1st base in his career.
And it makes sense to argue the point to make him our everyday 1st baseman by comparing him to a guy who was a perennial All Star, a league MVP, and the greatest defensive 1st baseman in the history of baseball?
But if you still don’t at least see my argument, see Gregg Jeffries, circa 1989.
Theory- Can we just trade Delgado and offer them 15 mil to the royals for Soria. That way theyweill be able to sign another good player? i have no idea if there are rules to prevent this?
I vaguely remember people asking the same things last year about Santana and I remember hearing that it was severely frowned upon by the league. Bu Delgado and a lump sum of money still wouldn’t be a good deal for KC. especially when you consider half of that money would be used to pay for Delgado’s contract.
I meant we would cover delgado’s contract also.
Whats the point for KC? They get 15 million dollars. One year of an aging first basemen/dh who’s only going to serve to block their much much younger talented players at those positions since they’re not going to compete anyway, and they give up a closer who’s apparently been compared to Mariano Rivera. Why does it make any sense for them?
Mets will hold on to Delgado and go after the best hitting 1B in baseball…Albert Pujols…Count on it for 2010 when Pujols becomes a Free Agent
Forget Manny…Forget Tex….
Pujols will be in a Mets uniform
That would make sense, actually it wouldn’t but humor me, if the cards didn’t have an option for 2011.
i’d like to see murphy at 1st if delgado can be traded for something significant. i doubt that is the case, but that works.
yup, you are right
the team has a 16 mil option for 2011
o well
I guess if Delgado does well again, we could sign him for a 1 year deal
You guys amaze me with your lack of research. All these people saying that Murphy can play 1B for Delgado but can’t play 2nd because he has not had experience.
Take a look at this
If you take all the games Murphy played at 1B in the minors and add them to all the games him played in the OF you would get the same amount he has played at 2B.
But for some reason we are saying that we know he can play LF and 1B but can’t play 2nd. There is a reason he is at 2nd this fall and if he proves his worth he WILL be the starting 2B with Easley and an IF guy as his backup. Castillo will be dumped.
It’s the same as the ones who want to trade Church. No he is not an allstar but he is league average and cheap. Having a cheap guy at 2nd and RF frees up money for LF, SP and the pen.
It doesn’t take research to realize it’s a hell of a lot harder to play 2B than 1B.
But given time he maybe fine at it. Most of his errors came in his first 7 games. I agree it is not AS hard to play 1B but you guys make it sound like he is a 1B. He is not that either.
and also he played roughly 10 times more games at third base either 2nd or 1st and had 49 errors while fielding at a 919 clip.
the facts are
1. the guy is NOT a slick fielder by any stretch of the imagination
2. First base is an infinitely easier position to master than second base.
thank you biggie. it’s like people are convincing themselves that b/c they like him and we need a 2B that he just WILL be good at 2B. he has 1B written all over him. And to have 3 infielders who are impact players who came up through your system is VERY AWESOME. But you got to put Murph at the easier defensive spot, NOT 2B!
Again, give him time this winter to see. There is no reason to go out and sign injury prone Hudson to a 4 year 60 million dollar deal. If Murphy can’t play 2nd this winter then we can fill that “defense” position with castoffs.
i wouldnt endorse Hudson.
Id take Freddy Sanchez and a cheap relief pitcher in a deal for Heilman and Evans
I’m not sure if the Twins would consider dealing with the Mets again, but I think there’s a deal to be made around Michael Cuddyer (RH corner OF) for Daniel Murphy (as a 3B) and someone like Kunz or Muniz.
MIN needs to upgrade at 3B & SS; Cuddyer is expensive for that club ($8mm per, 2 years left) and they’re deep in the OF. But for the NY market, $8mm isn’t too bad; and with only 2 years left on his deal, the worst case is that they dump him in a year.
ummmm the Mets aren’t trading Dan Murphy.
2 words:
Yu Darvish
got a scouting report on this kid? i know he is 22 yrs old.
He needs to be posted, and it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.
I can see Delgado going to Tampa Bay for Edwin Jackson. Tampa needs another power bat, and needs to free up a rotation spot for David Price. Plus, Jackson wasn’t too happy being left off the playoff roster. He is a young, effective, cheap starter for the Mets. Would make for a nice, young rotation(Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Jackson, Niese). I can also see the Mets trade Luis Castillo to Arizona for Eric Byrnes. Byrnes does broadcasting, has a radio show, he might actually push for a trade to NY, which would be perfect for him. Hudson won’t be back, so AZ will need a 2B. Byrnes is looking at being the 4th OF for that team right now, which isn’t good for the Diamondbacks considering he makes the most money of any of their position players. Sign Hudson and make Murphy the Firstbaseman. I can see the Mets using Nick Evans, Mike Carp, and Aaron Heilman as trade bait for a closer. Many teams still view Heilman very highly and consider him miscast as a reliever.
there is also rumor of Freddy Sanchez being available for someone like Heilman. Id throw in Carp and a plane ticket down to Pit.
Sanchez hit like 350 the second half after fighting some injuries the 1st half.
His bat in the 2 hole would be sick.,
STICK YOUR FINGERS DOWN YOUR THROAT AND TOUCH YOUR UVULA. WHEN YOU’RE DONE GAGGING AND CHOKING, WIPE OFF YOUR FINGER AND THEN SMELL IT
SMELLS LIKE POOP
Hey Cerrone…I bet you’re wearing a long-sleeve, button-up shirt that is two sizes two small and have the sleeves rolled up.
Since the weather is getting cooler, I also bet you’re wearing a sweater-vest over it.
You and Matt Yalloff, that other BLOW HARD are made for each other. Yalloff is the biggest joke of a sports analyst for a pre-game show I have ever seen.
And your segments aren’t too great either.
I think the Mets should trade F-Mart. If they can package him with Heilman and Kunz, could that net Holliday? Could it net Soria? who knows, but I don’t think they can afford to wait anymore. Look at the Red Sox: they had Hanley, and decided not to wait, and sent him to FLA for Beckett and Lowell. When they look at Hanley now they probably feel sight regret, but then they look at the W.S. ring, division title, and possible second W.S. in 2 years, and they dont really miss Hanley at all.
That package for sure would get you Holiday, not Soria.
TRS86, I’m not sure it would get Holliday “for sure.” That may be where discussions end up, but I see Colorado holding out for Niese. I’d also need a negotiating window to try to extend Holliday before making any deal.
If the Mets are to trade for a closer rather than sign one, this will be one of the most irresponsible moves this franchise can make. You got a golden opportunity to get with K-Rod or Fuentes. I’m not asking for K-Rod. I don’t know if it’s practical. There may be injury issues we don’t know about if the Angels don’t want him back.
Fuentes is the guy who has to be a Met. He’s the guy who the Mets have to set their sights on. He has numbers identical or better to BJ Ryan and will command a similar salary. Instead of trading F-Mart or Church + other prospects for him, why not just lose a draft pick for Fuentes for a similar amount of money? It’d cost even more prospects to trade for Soria or Putz or even worse Street a guy who’s status as a closer is questionable.
Church and Delgado will be moved…..as will Heilman and probably Schoenweiss.
Probably see Evans traded also, with Castillo also a high candidate to be moved.
I won’t miss any of them
Delgado will be back. The reason why he’ll be back is because he’s a cheap option at 1B. It’ll be the last time the Mets have a chance to get a 1B who hit 38 HR’s and 115 RBI’s for 8MM until they develop better prospects. The only suitable ‘09 replacement I could see for him is Texeira.
The reason why the Angels are less interested in K-Rod is likely because they want to retain Texeira though. And they make a pitch at Fuentes themselves. Trading Delgado - unless it were at the right price does not make sense to me.
The hitting and starting pitching were not the problems. They put us in position for 100+ wins. Obviously there’s a void in the Ollie FA slot along with LF and/or 2B, so those needs to be be addressed to hold the weight up on this portion of the roster. I just don’t see how trading Delgado is necessary.
If the Mets are hovering .500 or not competitive come the deadline next season and Delgado’s doing alright, than you make the move. Plenty of GM’s are weary on his productivity going into next season like this one though so it may be a better gamble to hold onto him.
Church probably won’t be moved because his value isn’t high enough following those concussions. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see him be moved, but I just don’t know how likely it is. I do agree with you about the bullpen overhaul though. Not just do I want to see it, but I expect it.
so Delgado at 12 mil is a cheap option and Church at around 2 mil is a bad value?
You still have to pay Delgado his 12 million salary. It is NOT 8 Million on the books - even with the 4 mil buyout. And the Marlins arent picking up any of the tab this year.
Exercising the option and trading him is the best alternative. Saves 12 mil for a declining player and changes the clubhouse / leadership dynamic
If you think Delgado will give you another 38/115 year you are fooling yourself.
It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be open to trading F-Mart if the right deal were to come along, but I just don’t believe it’ll be necessary. Not at the closer’s position. This team needs to hold onto their prospects as best they can so we’re able to remain competitive for years to come without spending where we don’t need to.
I’d also think the possibility of re-signing Oliver Perez is some. He shouldn’t be included in the same sentence as Pedro Martinez. Pedro Martinez will not be a Met and if he is in our rotation, I’d be furious. I know the Mets can do better than Perez such as Lowe or Burnett, but if they got him back I would be alright with that. It’d depend on the contract of course, but holding onto a big game pitcher and your own picks is something that I wouldn’t mind.
NEVERMIND SORIA, THE GUY ON KC TO ACQUIRE IS GREINKE!
He’s going to be arby-eligible and then a FA after that I believe, KC may be thinking about how they can retain
Oh, and Omar needs to use the rule 5 draft SERIOUSLY this time, as opposed to the Register farce.
If there’s a decent reliever made available, grab him, throw him into the fire, if he can’t cut it you make a decision on him early on.
Last season they lost this guy - w/o ever seeing if he was any good!- because they had a numbers game with a reliever import who wound up doing zero.
I guess the Rule 5 talent flow only goes 1 way for Omar (see Flores, Jesus)
Exactly, Furioso. Soria was taken by the Royals in the Rule 5 Draft.
And here’s an OF target for you:
JUAN RIVERA
no way he’s a scrub!
We should make trades to fix the pen and the rotation cause there aren’t many good pitchers out there other than C.C, Lowe, and K-Rod. I think we should use free agents to fix the lineup. We can trade Delgado for a decent relief pitcher and Castillo for one as well.
Mets 2009
Reyes
Hudson
Manny
Beltran
Hudson
Church
Murphy
Schneider/ Castro
slider….stop ur posts!! U…R…STUPID…i truely hate u on a cyber standiont on a blog….please stop ur ridulousness. And i know ur thinking one hudson in olando….but whose the other hudson??
and idk….shouldnt ya know…the francise face david wright be in there somewhere??
HEY SCREW YOU!!!!!!!!!! WHO SAYS WE CAN’T MAKE THAT LINEUP?????? WE CAN TRADE DEGADO FOR A RELIEF PITCHER, TRADE CASTILLO, HEILMAN, AND SHOW FOR A PITCHER. THE METS HAVE THE MONEY TO BUILD W/E TEAM THEY WANT/
AND WRIGHT IS THE GUY IN 5 HOLE
Ok, after reading through over three hundred posts or so i finally lost my mind at the craziness of Mets fans at this moment and had to say something. Please take a look at the four teams still playing. Not one of those teams is made up of all high priced free agents. Not one of those teams is fielding a superstar at every position. Yes, every team does have some superstars. Yes every team did pay dearly for a few of their players. But great teams are built not just bought. Look across town and see what spending like crazy gets you! An overpaid team of aging players who played their tails off, got their big contract, and by and large got fat on that contract and are not as good. If we as met fans want to win, start looking at what teams like Boston and the Dodgers have done. Both those teams are loaded with their own talent. Lester, Masterson, Papelbon, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Beimel, Broxton, Billingsley, Kershaw, Loney, Martin, Dewitt, Eithier, Kemp. Its time to settle down and be real about this. If the Mets want to win, sign one really solid free agent that makes this team better, and to me its either CC or Tex. Keep Murphy, try Evans and lets see what F-mart can do. Bring up kids like parnell and Kunz to pitch in the pen. Make this a Mets organization. Make this a Mets family, full of players who want to win for each other. Teams win championships, not players.
This organization makes me laugh sometimes. Murphy a first baseman? Just what you want - a guy with no power, who should be a utility player, as your starting 1B.
Yeesh. :-|
okay … Sean Casey then (without the defensive skills) … nice hitter, and will have himself a nice career, but not a difference maker for big time position on a big time team.
5 step program to fixing the Mets…
1-RESIGN: Delgado, Ollie, Ayala, Tatis, and Stokes
2-TRADE/UNLOAD:
Heilman, Endy, Anderson, Feliciano-for whatever they can get
Castillo-in a package to get byrnes, rios, or a solid LF
Show-for backend starter or prospects
Delgado for Closer/good RP[Giants,Sea, KC, Oak, Balt, NYY?]
use Carp, Smith, Evans, or Pagan to sweeten the deals if needed…If FMart can bring back
3-SIGN:Texiera[$ is no object], 1 of Colon/Garcia/Garland
4-COACHES: HoJo to coach AAA, fire Sandy, Wharthjen, & Aguaya…
5-PROSPECTS: keep in the minors for atleast half a season-Evans[to develop power], Kunz + Parnell-to develop 2nd pitches, FMart-to play RF/LF fulltime + to work on hitting, Niese-to work on a better fastball and getting ahead
‘09 Mets:
1-reyes, ss
2-murphy, 2b
3-wright, 3b
4-texiera, 1b
5-beltran, cf
6-byrnes/rios/other, lf
7-church, rf
8-schnieder, c
SP-Santana, Pelfrey, Ollie, Maine, Colon/Garcia/Garland
RP-smith, sanchez, ayala, +3 FA, Closer[via delgado trade]
Bench-castro, a. reyes, pagan, easley, Tatis