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According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Omar Minaya’s top priority is to upgrade his team’s bullpen, followed by catcher, the rotation and possibly the outfield, adding, “Second base is of lesser consideration.”
As such, the Mets have discussed trading for Giants C Bengie Molina, writes Heyman.
In 145 games in 2008, the 34–year-old Molina hit .292 with 16 HR and 95 RBI while batting clean-up for the Giants.
Molina threw out 34 percent of runners attempting to steal against him last season, his highest rate in five years.
He will earn $6 million in 2009, after which he is eligible to be a free agent, though he has talked about wanting an extension.
…i like molina…but, i remember talking to a few people in san francisco, a few years back when he was a free agent, who noted how sensitive he is…he does not take criticism well, from fans and reporters, this person noted…this may or may not be true…however, considering the new york market, this may be something to consider…
…that said, the Giants have a young catcher Pablo Sandoval, who was essentially Barry Zito’s personal catcher down the stretch, starting over molina, so it stands to reason that molina can be had…
…i wonder if a deal for molina and Randy Winn could be struck…
Speaking of catcher, according to Heyman, Boston will offer C Jason Varitek a two-year deal, but not the four-year contract he is looking for, suggesting, instead, they may try to trade for Rangers C Gerald Laird or Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
…if the Mets intend to upgrade from Brian Schneider, it’s going to have to happen with a trade, as the top free-agent catchers include Brad Ausmus, Josh Bard, Paul Lo Duca, Pudge Rodriguez and the 36-year-old varitek, who hit just .220 last season and, as noted above, wants a four-year deal…
Heyman also reports on the Yankees and CC Sabathia; whether Coco Crisp will stay in Boston; the cost of Matt Holliday; Mark Teixeira; and where free-agent Ken Griffey Jr. could end up.
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Molina and Winn… this sounds very plausible in the world of Omar.
I could live with Molina, as he is an upgrade over Schneider. But Winn…I don’t know about him. Anyone notice how Tampa turned it around a few years after letting him go? :-)
He was in Tampa in 2002… how is that at all relevant…
It was a joke. I just don’t think he’s all that good. He is certainly overpaid.
It was a joke. I just don’t think he’s all that good. He is certainly overpaid.
And old…no more old guys…except maybe Manny….
I don’t think Manny will ever get old. Although, it would be funny seeing him in a rocking chair with those dreds.
Yeah, in a few more years, the dreads might get caught under the rocker!
can’t the mets start looking for a player in his 20’s?
Yep, a 34 year old highly sensitive catcher…yep, just what we need in NY.
Hes too old. Unless we are giving up next to nothing for him. Trade prospects for young guys or let them develop.
I like Molina, but was catcher really that much of a problem last season? If I’m not mistaken, didn’t the Mets have the worst productivity from the 2B position in the league?
D Murph!
No Molina. Huge mistake. Why do we need a 34 year old catcher? Saltalamacchia has taken a backseat to Laird. The kid can hit, but seems to be a defensive liability. throwing out 17 of 94 runners isn’t very good. I don’t know how much thios can be improved upon. At best, Salty’s an everyday catcher, at worst, i think he moves to 1B, or eventually DH. Would I take a flier? Yes. I’d offer Heilman. i thnik it’s fair to both teams. risky, but with potentially good return.
Bullpen’s a priority? no crap. I’d prefer KRod, just to take the guessing out of the equation. Dude’s the real deal.
The rotation could be considered 4/5 full, if Neise slots in behind Pelfrey. Is Jon Garland enough? I hope so.
LF, 2B? I think these positions could be filled by non-tenders, and in house candidates.
I’m surprised no one is mentioning that SF doesnt have a 1bman and wouldn’t mind Delgado hitting a few into the Bay to relplace Molina…
SF has a first baseman in the minors that is supposed to provide JT Snow-type defense. They don’t need Delgado.
Can we stop with the older catchers who can’t run?
one thing about this post-season is catchers seem to really bear the heart and sole of their teams, they are steadying forces … Navarro, Varitek, Ruiz, Martin … I can’t say Schnieder really has that.
I totally agree and think this is why Omar is re-thinking the position.
34 year old catcher? Yeah, that’s the ticket!
I’m increasingly getting the feeling this offseason is going to be about change rather than improvement…
Sounds like you are talking about the election
Go away.
GoWrightGo to a political blog with that nonsense man. Seriously.
strike a chord with you sad sacks? It was an attempt at wit, not a legitimate discussion of the candidates. Get a freakin grip please!
Hey, you better get going…Ann Coulter’s waiting in the toolshed….
GoWrightGo - i thought it was both brilliant and accurate.
I agree — I think those that got upset about a joke that didn’t lean either way are a bit overly sensitive.
I prefer molina and Aaron Rowand. we get those two, and our lineu up is set.
Molina and Rowand…now you’re talking. Rowand would be the righty bat we need, with a hard nosed reputation.
Who would they ask for Rowand though?
Yea, get Rowand because you need those hard-nosed guys to win a WS right???? Remember how we laughed that Philly wouldn’t win anything because they let him go….oops, guess we were wrong. Can we please stop with the “this team needs a hard-nosed player” posts. They’re getting old. Hard-nosed is not what wins in MLB, production is what wins you games, and if you really want production out of LF, go get Manny……..as much as I hate to say it.
I’d love to have a catcher that can hit and throw guys out behind the plate. The age thing will be a factor of course, it’ll be interesting to see what Omar does this offseason.
They definitely need a bat, and some offensive role players, and I think Molina can be one of those guys. Certainly bringing in 2 above average offensive players may negate the need to get that one excellent offensive player (read: Manny). In addition, perhaps we would see a spike in power production, with Benjie moving from Pac Bell to Citi….
Personally, I think Molina, and another similar offensive role player would be enough as far as position players are concerned. I don’t think the cost would be very prohibitive either.
I agree, lets get molina and Aaron Rowand, both righties and two of our needs.
reyes
murphy
beltran
delgado
wright
church
rowand
molina
thats a pretty balance line-up
Rowand and Molina for …..
I think that’s the catch (no pun intended). I’m not sure who we can give up. Rowand may be considered more of a salary dump for the Giants.
Heilman, Schoeneweis, Evans, and Schneider?
And Carp??
I don’t think Carp will be on their radar. Word is they are looking at Prince Fielder. Would probably have to give up Matt Cain (that was the report on here this week anyway). I think they’ll be looking for starting pitching and lots of it. I think Heilman, Show, Niese, and Evans could get it done.
Can move Heilman into the rotation and give Niese a year to develop.
Heilman, Show, Niese and Evans works for me; they can even have Schneider too–he is OK, but really can’t hit and just doesn’t seem to be that great in any aspect of catching–pretty good at everything, but not great at throwing, blocking balls, or calling games….
Beltran, Rowand, and Church in the OF with hopefully Tatis back as the 4th OF when Church is feeling a bit lightheaded….
And the Giants can have Fielder; wouldn’t really want him….seems just right for them to get him and sign him to a 7 year 150/mil contract the day before he throws out his back lifting a 30 pound bowl of french fries.
That seems to me like a pretty high cost…The Giants are actually loaded with pitching…its young offense they need. Guys like Evans will be on their radar…Perhaps even Bowman, if he tears up the AFL. Obviously pitching would sweeten the pot, but I’d think that any package offered to the Giants would focus on hitters.
You may be right about the pitching, but I agree with There’s Always that they might be thinking they will try very hard to dump salary, and might be willing to take on some of our lovely bullpen to get rid of two high salaries…and I think the cost may be appropriate…Molina and Rowand do seem to be pretty hard-nosed guys who would be very good fits I think. They would not be looked at to be most of the offense as in SF and their contributions compared to what we got out of C and LF could make our offense awesome.
I like the idea of brining in Rowand, and Molina, but I would never give up niese for that package.
Niese has to stay, while maybe Parnell they should dangled out there.
I think a move for Molina would be a good move that would not be cost prohibitve, they could still get the bullpen back in shape and get a power bat for the outfield, I think the starting rotation is fine as is…this of course means D Murph is playing 2nd.
Santana
Maine
Pelfrey
Niese
Maybe Vargas/resign Perez
Until Maine can show he is effective….I can’t count on him coming off of surgery.
And to just slot Neise in to the rotation is not smart, IMO.
I think the rotation is just as important as the Bullpen for this team, as it has many question marks as well.
Give Niese the oppurtunity. If he fails then so be it, but give him a chance, The Mets have had great seasons that started with a bit of instability at the back end..I don’t think a 4-5 starter is the biggest issue we have right now.
Really? Just as important? Maybe you forgot the fact that the bullpen blew over 30 saves this season! Pelfrey, Santana, and Perez were great down the stretch, and we even got a solid performance out of the kid Niese. To throw a 21 year old into the mix during a playoff race in a testy town is dangerous, but I think what we saw was promising. Mark my words- barring a trade, Niese WILL be in the rotation next season. We would be foolish not to give him the chance.
More impotantly, we need to focus on the bullpen. We did not fail this year because of Schnieder/Castro. We did not fail this year because of offensive production. We failed because we could not close the deal in the late innings.
I wouldn’t say Perez was great down the stretch. Pelfrey was solid until September but that probably had to do with him pitching more innings than he ever had before.
well perez definatly did a 360 down the stretch compaired to his earlier starts wouldnt you say gina. Even ollie himself came out and said “this is the REAL oliver perez” remember….do you know a site where you can find a pitchers stats month by month btw?
Pretty much any sports site. yahoo sports is what I use, but Perez basically had one insane month in July where he had like an era under 2, an up and down August and then he was back to mediocre in September.
thanx. Yea i mean idk if he ran out of steam or what…it doesnt matter because it doesnt seem like the mets are going to bring him back anyway and just take the picks..
Yes, as much of a question. You mention Perez…..but barring Boras allowing Perez to sign with the Mets for cheaper…..he isn’t coming back. Neither is Pedro (not that we’re missing much there). Maine is coming off of surgery.
So next year….
Santana
Pelf
Maine (unknown)
?
?
Not to mention it remains to be seen how Pelf bounces back from his biggest workload of his career. And to just say yes, Neise is your #4 out of the gate……something will have had to have gone HORRIBLY wrong for that to happen.