Daily Archives: October 31, 2008
Damion Easley had the following to say today to MLB.com, when asked if Jose Reyes’s celebrations irritate the opposition:
“Jose has to be himself. If that’s what he needs to do to
get more out of himself, then he should do it… But there’s backlash to that. He has to understand there’s a consequence to it.”
Speaking of Reyes, during today’s broadcast on Comcast SportsNet of the Phillies World Championship parade through Philadelphia, host Michael Barkann asked his co-host, Mitch Williams, “I wonder if Jose Reyes is watching,” continuing, “Do you have anything to say to Reyes.”
Williams responded by saying, “This is what happens when you shut up and play.”
…thanks to Jason Mollica for the quotes…
…seriously, as a Mets fan, i don’t know if i am flattered or just disturbed by how obsessed the Phillies are with the Mets, such as this photo, which was sent in from Chris P, taken on the night the Phillies won…
…i mean, guys, you won…we should be making negative comments like this about you…not the other way around…jeez…why is that city so desperate for new york’s approval…
The Mets dugout has been ripped out of Shea Stadium, according to these photos from WCBS880.com.
Tagged Shea Stadium |
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Pat Burrell turned down a two-year, $22 million offer to remain with the Phillies.
Burrell is eligible to be a free agent this off-season.
…hat tip to Hot Foot for the link…
Last December, I wrote the following on MetsBlog.com:
…a friend of MetsBlog, who i trust, recently bumped in to Phillies OF Pat Burrell while at dinner in Arizona…her table was introduced to him as a group of Mets fans…he was much nicer than she expected he would be…however, according to burrell, he would be open to playing for the Mets when they enter Citi Field in 2009…upon hearing this news, our friend stopped talking and refused to shake his hand as he walked away…
…i don’t blame her, though i am sure he said this in an effort to get a rise out of people he knows must despise him…
…the thing is, the Mets should consider signing burrell to a ten-year contract, while sticking him in the stands and forcing him to sell foam fingers…seriously, i don’t want him on the Mets, but i also don’t want him facing the Mets…
In his eight-year career, Burrell has 253 home runs, of which 16 percent are against the Mets, as are 104 of his 827 RBI.
That said, he drove in just two runs against the Mets in 2008.
Tagged Pat Burrell |According to the Chicago Sun-Times, citing ‘several sources,’ the White Sox intend to trade RHP Javier Vazquez this off-season in exchange for a second or third baseman.
…thanks to Steve in NC for the link…
Vazquez was 12–16 with a 4.67 ERA with 200 strike outs in 208 innings pitched. He had a 3.74 ERA in 2007.
He will earn $11.5 million in each of 2009 and 2010, after which he is eligible to be a free agent.
…if you recall, Omar Minaya has been linked to the White Sox in rumors involving vazquez, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Jose Contreras, and others…if the sox intend to move vazquez, i would not be surprised to see these rumors continue…
Last off-season, several reports, including Ken Rosenthal’s at FOXSports.com, wrote that the Mets had expressed interest in Vazquez, while aggressively searching for a starting pitcher.
MLB teams can negotiate only with their own free agents between now and November 14.
However, while they can contact the representatives for other free agents, they can only ‘express interest.’ They are not allowed to negotiate financial terms of a deal until after Nov. 14.
From what I can gather, the Mets are able to add between $20 and $30 million to their payroll for 2009.
I do not believe the team yet has a definitive plan for the off-season, which is a good thing. I think they have a general idea, which will become more focused following next week’s GM Meetings in California, but there will be a lot of solutions available in trade, 
which will cause for a lot of activity, creativity, rumors and sudden turns in the road.
Based on conversations I have had with people close to the team, combined with the team’s past habits, my own logic, their needs, the market, and so on, my guess is that the off-season will go as follows:
- The Mets will sign a reliable, experienced, free-agent starting pitcher, which is why Derek Lowe’s name keeps popping up in reports;
- They’ll pick up Carlos Delgado’s option and consider trading him, though it will not be a priority;
- They’ll flirt with Manny Ramirez, who will be able to get more money and years from another team;
- They’ll scramble to find a ‘big bat,’ most likely for left field, but we will all be disappointed with what they get.
- They’ll try to acquire a new second baseman, keeping a very close eye on Orlando Hudson;
- They’ll try to trade Luis Castillo, Scott Schoeneweis and Aaron Heilman, either for another team’s ‘headache,’ or in a cash-for-low-level-prospect type of deal.
- They’ll bring in all sorts of relief pitchers, including a veteran or two, like a 2006 Darren Oliver, ‘because it’s all about having arms at this point.’
- Lastly, they’ll try to trade for a closer, specifically Mariners RHP JJ Putz, who, from what I can gather, likes the idea of pitching in New York.
The point is, it’s going to be a hectic off-season, 
mostly involving potential trades – and so, with so many blogs, reporters with blogs, real-time rumor mills, and with so many ‘guys who know a guy,’ I expect there to be lots and lots of buzz, and buzz about buzz, and buzz that contradicts buzz, and so on.
In other words, take your Dramamine, because we’re all going to be quite dizzy.
The Mets have picked up Carlos Delgado’s 2009 option, which will reportedly pay him $12 million.
However, as I wrote in early October, despite picking up his option, it sounds like Delgado’s future with the Mets will depend on what other options exist in the market place, as he can still be traded to another team.
…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 Omar Minaya’s first choice…
Delgado hit .271 with 38 HR and 115 RBI last season for the Mets, after starting the year with a .228 average at the end of May.
Delgado played in 159 games last season, fourth most in his career, and the most since he played in 161 games in 2003.
In a poll from the last day of September, 55 percent of people who responded said they would pick up Delgado’s option, while 26 percent said they would not and 19 percent were undecided.
According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, RHP Chad Cordero refused assignment and is now a free agent.
Cordero had surgery in July to repair a torn labrum, missed the rest of the season, and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
…i would not go nuts for cordero…i get that he’s been a very, very good pitcher, but you’ll be hard pressed to find any one who returned to form following that type of surgery…it’s a gamble…
…Omar Minaya almost certainly will have interest, seeing as reportedly tried to trade for him each of the last three seasons…
The 26–year-old Cordero has yet to finish a season with an ERA above 3.36 in his six-year career, during which he has been successful 83 percent of the time in save opportunities, while striking out 292 batters in 320 innings.
The Brewers have chosen Ken Macha over Willie Randolph to manage the team.
Macha, the former A’s manager, inked a two-year deal.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche, Willie Randolph |Oliver Perez filed for free agency yesterday, as did Damion Easley and Matt Wise, according to the Associated Press.
The early buzz from New York is that Perez 
will initially seek a five-year deal worth more than $10 million per season, while eventually settling on a three– or four-year deal later in the off-season.
I suspect the Mets will make a reasonable offer, which Perez will not accept, and then the Mets will move on – as they should.
Perez was 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA last season.
He had a great stretch during July and most of August. Otherwise, he was all over the road, i.e., great start, bad start, good start, bad start, and so on, just as he had been the previous few seasons.
This off-season’s buzzword has to be ‘reliability,’ 
‘consistency,’ etc., and Perez is anything but that, which is why I bet the Mets do not work hard to retain him.
As for Easley, he has a fan in Jerry Manuel, and he has a strong presence in the clubhouse, from what I can gather, so I would not be surprised to see him return on a one-year deal.
Easley is a good baseball player, who knows his role. He struggled to hit from the bench this season, but did do well as a starter. However, the Mets need to move forward and cut bait with people, to move on from the last two seasons, and if it’s not from the bench and bullpen, where will those cuts be made?
Tagged Oliver Perez |
