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Matthew Cerrone, from MetsBlog: The most-popular topic sent in to me on e-mail was the bullpen, which I am sure is no shock to you. Basically, a lot of people 
referenced the Rays, noting how they were the worst bullpen in the league last year, but were able to be one of the best this year. So, it’s possible that a team can turn it around.
In short, people are wondering, is there anything that you can learn from other organizations, like the Rays, that you can apply to the Mets? You know, ‘picking up a player off the scrap heap,’ as they say, or refusing to give long-term contracts, as the results seem to be so sporadic from year to year?
Omar Minaya: The Rays are a great point. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the Phillies had a pretty bad bullpen for the last couple of years. Bullpens are made up of guys that are hot and cold and they are hard to predict – you do the best you can. The fact that we lost our closer, who we knew would be steady, that is something that we have to take into account.
It’s hard to predict any bullpen. My belief is that you have to bring in good arms; you have to bring on guys that are able to go take the ball on back-to-back days and sometimes three days in a row. All bullpens are works in progress. The reality is, while there are some special guys like Mariano Rivera, look at (Brad Lidge), and look at the closer for the Rays, some of these guys were almost out of baseball three years ago. So, it is a hot-and-cold thing, but I do believe in order to win championships you’ve got to have a bullpen, and you do the best you can to put it together. 
Unfortunately, for us, this year, our number one guy got hurt, in Billy, and other guys we counted on, Duaner Sanchez and Aaron Heilman, didn’t have good years, but for all we know they might be great next year.
Matthew Cerrone, from MetsBlog: Because it’s always a work in progress, as you said, should you keep it fluid. That is to say, is there a reluctance, in the current market place, is there now a reluctance to give a guy a three– or four-year contract? I would think that you would have to have some kind of hesitation to be locked in to a guy like that. I would think it would have to be the absolute right guy, is that correct?
Omar Minaya: Pitchers, like those bullpen guys, year in and year out, are going to get three– to four-year deals, that’s just the way it is. But, you are right, I mean, in the ideal world you would rather not give a long-term contract. But, if you want a guy you are going to have to pay that price – it’s just the way it is. But, in an ideal world, I would rather not.
The final question, regarding ways to balance a win-now mentality and developing young players, will post at 2 pm.
To read a full transcript of this entire interview, click here.
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so omar said, “But, if you want a guy you are going to have to pay that price – it’s just the way it is.” k-rod???
Actually it could be him or any other proven reliever as they are all wanting longterm contracts. It’s smart for middle relivers and closers to hold out for these for as we know there stats fluctuate so much. If you want Fuentes, who is terrible, you are still going to have to go 3 years 33 million. If you want Juan Cruz I would bet it will be at least a 3 year deal.
Fuentes is not terrible. A bit old, but not terrible.
If the Wagner fiasco and the Percival situation with Tampa teaches one thing, it’s that you can’t be too reliant on one big-money bullpen arm. You need depth in the bullpen more than starpower. The Rays had it and succeeded. The Mets didn’t and failed.
The failure of the Mets was not a result of not having star power in the bullpen; it was a result of total incompetence throughout the entire pen with the exception of Joe Smith–and perhaps Sanchez and Stokes. I would prefer that Omar focus on having solid pitchers throughout the pen than focus on acquiring one expensive star. I am fairly confident that some of our in-house options–particularly Parnell and his 95mph fastball–are viable.
Good news that Omar understands that Heilman just had a bad year and is due for a rebound. He’s not inclined to sell low–although I would sell high at the first opportunity, as his peripherals have declined consistently since the very beginning of his MLB career.
agreed. Heilman has not flurished in the reliever role. I would look to trade him if he can but pitch him as a starter..as all his scouts said he would be better at
I agree about the Heilman part. As far as Fuentes, you are talking about a guy who lost his closer role 2 times in 3 years and you want to pay him 3 years 33 million? That’s not great at all. This guy is just as likely to have a down year next season as Heilman is to have a good one.
Not to mention he’ll probably be a type a free agent and will cost a draft pick. For that price it would make more sense to go after K-rod.
Yup, as the Mets are we really that concerned over 5-7 million a year? Fuentes is NOT a PROVEN closer.
I didn’t say that I wanted Fuentes; just that he wasn’t terrible, which is eminently true.
i agree with omar. The bullpen is a crap shoot. How many people had i said brad lidge would go perfect in save ops this year would have banished me from this site. You never know what your going to get. That being said i think omar made a few mistakes with the bullpen but others situations with the bullpen cannot be explained…for example how heilman can go from 80 appearances or so a year before and finish with a 3.06 era and jump to a 5.12 era a year later is unexplainable…Bottom line if heilman had a decent year we would be in the playoffs. Not to mention we lost our closer during a very important stretch. Now i know our biggest problem was getting to wagner…the problem is omar was hoping that someone would step up but nobody ever did. Thats a bad backup plan but thats the reality…the players have to get it done and that was not the case this year.
But we do know that Heilman had struggled in pressure situations before. We should have traded him and Show for Fuentes in the offseason if that rumor was true.
well we dont know if that had merrit or not buy why trade for fuentes if we had a L closer and already had 2 L situation guys. Heilman had similar numbers if im not mistaken to fuentes but heilman came from the R side…in a season going in depending on sanchez to be the setupman after surgery and 1 1/2 years of not pitching we needed that insurance. Hindsight yes of course we should have done that, but since we didnt know what would aaron be like this year…i could understand why omar didnt persue that rumor…if its true.
I would have done it still. Just for the change of scenery if nothing else. Fuentes would have been fine as a setupman. That’s all I view him as anyway. You would have had 3 LHRP just like you had when you had Wagner, Feliciano and Show so that would not have changed.
yea but my point is when 07 was done his numbers were not that bad real…We had smith(who ran out of steam at the end of 07)/sosa(idk why)/matt wise(not your strongest option) and sanchez(off 2 surgeries and has not pitched in 1 1/2 years)….based off the end of 07 numbers, heilman was your surest thing from the Right we had in the pen..
Eh, for some reason I could see it coming. I wanted that trade done in December and said so many times then. I wanted a guy who wanted to be a reliever and had closing experience.
yea but my point is we were weak with our RHRP options in the pen. While heilman was not “dominant” he gave us the most reliable performance numbers wise in that pen. Like i said if we knew he would jump 2.17 in era for 2008…then yea probably make the play for fuentes..but then that leaves us more dependant on the likes of smith/sosa/wise/sanchez who have the imposing threat of a kitten.
Wise was coming off a decent year. Burgos was supposed to be healthy right? Also he would have had to add a BP pitcher to replace the 2 that left so maybe he makes another trade. Or I guess Register would have stayed? Still if you have the chance to dump a guy that clearly would never be given a real chance for success here he should have done it.
yea i would imagine register would have stayed then. But the thing is he has been given a chance for “success” just not in the sense that would be ideal to him and prior to 2008 the guy was not soo bad. Its hard to remember that time based off the year we witnessed from heilman in 2008 but look at the numbers..he wasnt lights out but he wasnt horrible either. He finished with a 5.21 era for 2008. he finished with a 3.04in 2007. Thats a HUGE jump and one that i dont think was predictable. Wise finished 2007 (59 ap) with a 4.19 era…Burgos in 2007 (17 ap) had a 3.42 era (in 2006 had a 5.52 era in 68 aps) and heilman in 2007(81 aps) finished with a 3.04 ERA…we were weak with RHP and while it is hard to remember..heilman was the most solid option we had….
I’m most concerned about the part where Omar said, “A relief guy could have a bad year and then be good the next,” and then he cited Sanchez and Heilman as examples. Does that mean HEILMAN IS STILL ON THE TEAM IN 2009? Nooooooooooooo!
its a possibility…i would take that from his response.
or a way to up his stock..who knows…
Of course it’s a posibiilty. Not to mention it’s not like Omar is going to just cut Heilman. His option will be picked up and he will field offers. Can’t hurt his trade value even more by saying we have no intention of keeping this craphead.
lolll
Not that I expected Omar to even remotely detail his plans for changes in the bp to Matt during this interview but….
I certainly did not get a warm and fuzzy on this that we’re going to see any changes other than getting a reliever. I certainly hope that’s not the case and either he’s understandably not tipping his hand or has just started the wheeling and dealing….
i think thats what omar will do in any interview…the politician in him wont allow him to give up his hand and strategy…hes knows how to give enough bs to have an idea and speculate what he want to do but not enough bs to give a definitive answer. I think its a good tactic and a necessary one to be gm.
Or just in life in general.
I’m getting a really bad feeling that most of the team we saw last year will be the team that opens Citifield, barring a new pitcher maybe.
We will fill the current vacancies which are bullpen, and 2 SP. Anything more than that I think will be done by trade.
thats the plan..even though i am begining to think we are going to have 1 sp and the other spot will go to niese….(i believe everyone knows my position on that one)
Depending on the other acquisitions you can THINK about Niese there as long as you have guys competing for the spot in ST. If your only other starter that you sign is Garland then you would be foolish to do that. If you sign CC (warranted or not) then you can get by with that more.
Its true that bullpens can fluctuate in performance year in year out. Omar’s call out of the Phils pen is an example. When looking at the relievers currently under contract, to me, the major issue is, who is the real Aaron Heilman?
Is he the guy that had a 3.01era over 239 innings from 2005-2007, while averaging 24BB’s a season, and maintaining a cumulative .221BAA, while lefties touched him up for a .224 avg?
Or is he the guy that yielded a 5.21 era over 76 innings during an injury plagued year, with walk totals about eqaul to 2006+2007 combined, who was hit to the tune of .258, with lefties hitting .308 off him?
Look at the track record, and you have got to believe that ‘08 was an aberration. This wasnt a steady decline over a few seasons, but was a sharp decline in a few areas, from one year to the next, suggesting that injury was a bigger role. Clearly, the major increase BB’s show that his control was way off, and that may explain how the lefties hit him so much better than in the past. Omar was justified in relying on Aaron last season, and he deserves a second chance.
On the otherhand, for Omar to count on Duaner Sanchez, coming off a year and a half layoff, with a surgery that no pitcher had ever had before was quite foolish. Perhaps he may deserve a second look, particularly increased velocity, but in no way should Omar plan the 2009 bullpen with Sanchez in a major role. If he can do it, then great…the more the merrier.
agreed..omar cannot go into 09 as he did in 08 in regard to sanchez. Omars backup if sanchez was not restored is a rested smith who did fine before he got injured and a aaron heilman who in 81apps had a 3.04 era. Omar imo could not predict that number to jump 2.17 in one season. Now that omar does not have that safety blanket of a reliable reliever he needs to have more distinguished relievers in that pen and there are some arms in the FA market
I think Heilman’s problem this year were two fold.
He was hurt most of the year. It is now known that he has had a knee issue all year.. Now granted Santana pitched on a torn meniscus but we dont know the extent of Heilman’s injury. I read somewhere that it was preventing him from working out all year.
Second, I think primarily Willie overworked most of the BP this year (and last too) Now I know the starters didnt help things by going 6 innings most of the year but a lot of times pitchers were up and down in the BP during games and warming up not to be used.
I just think these guys arent as bad as they seemed. And having 3 or 4 guys around 80 appearances is just unheard of in a bul pen.
Before Metsmady comes back on and tells me about the unwritten rumor about the number of Type A FA you can sign, I still think our pen would look much better the way I have said sense the end of the season.
Juan Cruz (RH)
Everyday Eddie (LH)
Stokes
Parnell
Oliver
Smith
Sanchez/Kunz/Ayala
That’s only 1 specialist in Smith. The other guys have decently even splits.
i really think they should persue cruz for sure..is eddie a FA?
No
Wait I can’t read. I thought you ask if he was a type A FA. He IS a FA and is NOT a type A.
Yea I think Cruz would be a must….However, his numbers may be a bit deflated playing in the NL West, with a majority of light hitting teams (Giants, Pads, Pre-Manny Dodgers) and pitcher’s parks (Pac-Bell, Safeco, Dodger Stadium)
Against the NL East this season he had 10 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 17 K’s. That’s just silly numbers in a small sample.
I know your all going to dismiss this as its been discussed a million times, but i expect Heilman to compete for that 5th starters spot in ST this year.
Think about it logically and rationally before you rip me apart. We all know his rumored dislike for relief pitching, and his abysmal (although IMO abberation) year in ‘08.
We are going to need two SPs (most likely), and we cannot rely on Neise as the 5th man. I like the kid and he has potential, but we need depth in that area and until he gets a little more polished, should be looked at that way for ‘09.
I see Omar working his “magic” out for 2B and LF, and signing a Garland/Lowe for the 4th pitcher and having Heilman and Neise compete for that 5th spot. Heilman will be a Met in ‘09, and hopefully will return to form if healthy. At the very worst he will be an avg 5th starter and could be moved back to the pen or traded for help by the deadline.
The rest of the pen will be built through the normal means of in house, trade, or FA.
Agreed it’s only logical. Best case he proves he can start and we trade him with higher value. 2nd best, we have a decent #5 starter or at least have made Niese work. Worst case he ends up traded for nothing which is not much below his current value.
Exactly. Due to his less than stellar year in ‘08, I really dont think there is much downside to letting him start, or at the very lest compete for a starters position in ‘09.
Here’s to hoping that heilman becomes an “off the scrap heap” pitcher for us in the starting role in ‘09!!!!
Agreed. If the Mets don’t see it this way then the FO should be fired and we should be the new GM’s. LOL.
I agree let him have his shot at starting. Its what he’s wanted for years. Lets hope he can go deeper than 6 innings.
If he did he would be MUCH better than Oliver Perez and would average more innings than John Maine.
I think the innings is important, too many starters going 6 innings. I know the game has changed, but I think the Mets need to go deeper when they start. Pelfry showed signs of that this season and I hope his growth continues
Hey the Rays bullpen could fall apart next season just like the Mets bullpen did after 2006. In 2006 the Mets bullpen was great all year long. So it is a crapshoot..
That being said if the Mets want to be in the postseason and be a top team next season they can not count on Heilman having a bounce back year. They can not count on Sanchez pitching like he did before his ride in a Florida taxi cab.
Going into 2008 besides Wagner they were hoping that allot of these bullpen guys would have bounce back years and what not.
Did not work out for them. They need a proven solid closer and need guys who if asked to close out a ball game can go in and do a decent job.
Cant “Hope” and cross our fingers with the 2009 bullpen. We need solid guys up and down the bullpen who can get outs in big spots in big games and frankly no one in the Mets bullpen has ever proved that they can.
In 2006 there were no pressure games during the regular season. IN the playoffs they swept threw the Dodgers, against the Cardinals in big sports guys like Heilman and even Wagner failed.
Bring in some arms who can get big outs in big games.
Point of interest: the Mets bullpen of ‘07 that collapsed wasn’t nearly the same pen as ‘06. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe in the offseason of 2006 we lost: Bradford, Wheeler, Oliver, Hernandez, and Sanchez was injured. The 2007 bullpen was vastly different outside Wagner and Heilman.
You are right we lost Oliver and Bradford after 06. Oliver I think is going to be available again at the end of the season if so the Mets should take a look at him.
But my point was they got to get some more solid proven arms going into 09 rather then hoping for Heilman and Show to turn it around, hoping Sanchez can get back to his 2006 form.
The Mets can not go into 2009 wit the same cast of characters in the bullpen besides maybe a new closer and go ok let’s hope they all turn things around. If so good for us if not we are screwed.
Heilman has never gotten big outs in a big game never.
They need to do more then go get a new closer and pick up a Matt Wise (that worked out good).
I turst that they will. I think at least 3 or 4 new faces in that bullpen next year.
OH GOOD LORD- did I really read that Omar thinks Aaron Freaking Heilman might be great next year?!?!? We have already given him TWO undeserverd years….now I’m sick to my stomach…you know, not EVERYONE is Brad Lidge….not everyone is going to go from HORRIBLE to WONDERFUL….
Relax, he’s most likely just trying to increase Heilman’s trade value. I highly doubt Omar is going to overlook trading one of our biggest piles of garbage.
I may be up for flames here.. but Im against selling low on Heilman. Granted he had a bad year but he was hurt all year and was not the same. He was dreadfully overworked mostly by Willie over the past two years. I know he spit the bit a few times but there was a time in 2007 when he was our best reliever
IMO neither K-Rod nor Fuentes will be worth what they’re asking (and likely to get) in both years and $$$.
If necessary, Omar MAY have to go after one of them, but I’d rather look to trade for someone already under contract. My #1 target would be Soria. Of course, he might not be available, but if KC is willing to trade him I’d build a package of young, low-salaried guys that the Royals seek.
Hopefully, without giving up Murphy or Martinez, some combination of Kunz (to replace Soria as Closer), Evans, Parnell, Niese, Heilman (if KC is one of the teams reportedly interested in him as a SP), would do it.
If Soria is not available, I’d look at other closers who might be, at lower prices. Maybe even look at Hoffman if he’d take a 1-year deal.
That’d free up FA $$$ to go after Hudson and re-sign Perez or go for a top-tier replacement.