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Earlier in the off-season, at SI.com, Jon Heyman listed Omar Minaya’s top priorities as being the team’s bullpen, followed by catcher, the rotation and possibly the outfield.
Yesterday, in the New York Post, Bart Hubbuch listed catcher as a possibility as well, though it was last on the list, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking.
However, according to WFAN’s Mike Francesa, based on an off-air conversation he had with Omar Minaya, the Mets are 100 percent satisfied with Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro.
In Francesa’s view, talk of upgrading at catcher in not true.
Speaking of catcher, according to the Easy Valley Tribune, several teams have expressed interest in D’Backs C Miguel Montero, who is not eligible for arbitration until after 2009.
Meanwhile, at ESPN.com, Buster Olney says the D’Backs could end up keeping Montero, and instead trade Chris Snyder.
Also, in a post to MLB.com, Rangers reporter T.R. Silluvan writes, ‘The Rangers have catchers to trade,’ but, for instance, in talks with the Red Sox, they will cost a pitcher like RHP Clay Buchholz.
Lastly, at MLB.com, Dodgers reporter Ken Gurnick quotes Dodgers GM Ned Colletti as saying, ‘We aren’t trading Russell Martin. I’ve never brought that up to anybody.’
Earlier in the off-season, Peter Gammons wrote on ESPN.com, “Some Dodger officials have spread the word that Martin will either be traded or moved to third base.”
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i dont see brian or castro going anywhere….
Agreed. Im sorry, but if we spend our time this offseason chasing a catcher, then it really is time for Omar to hit the road.
Yeah, I’d hate a GM who put any time into upgrading a mediocre position.
Especially when we have an obviously horrible situation out behind the right field wall…
If anybody thinks we lost because of Schneider and Castro, you’re out of your minds.
Neither one helped…Shcneider was pretty awful.. and Castro was his usual fat self
Met needs:
1) Closer
2) Rest of Bullpen
3) 1 or 2 Starters
5) 1 more bat
4) LF resolution
5) 2B resolution
Is improving catcher more pressing than any of the above?
Oops, kind of busy this morning and got my numbers messed up, but you get the idea….catcher being no higher than 7…..
No, I think you hit it right on the head Kingman. Our bat needs to come from 2B, (*cough Hudson *cough). Whole ‘nother argument though…we’ll save it for later when we discover we still have Castillo in 2009.
Please say no to Alomar2. Hudson is declining already and wants 4 years 46+ Stay away. That would be twice as bad as the Castillo contract.
Hudson is not Alomar 2. Alomar had been in the league almost twice as long as Hudson has, and I don’t see how you find Hudson to be declining. He’s been hurt, but the injuries aren’t nagging ones that hinder production.
However, if you uncited rumor that he is asking 4 years $46 mil, then YES, stay away.
For what it’s worth I actually heard more than that for his contract demands like 14 million per+. Although I do remember reading he’d take a discount to play for us so maybe the 46 million would be at a discount.
Castro and Schneider are a solid platoon…there are much much more pressing needs on this team (Bullpen, second base, left field, starting pitcher)
I agree. Enough catcher talk.
whats the prob with our catchers? Its pitching, LF and 2B that are the problems….I mean is anyone seriously more worried about Schneider than Murphy, Schneiders proven what he is….Murphy is a wild card.
I think Murphy, while still young, is somewhat proven. Granted you are right and he could stink up the joint next year, all signs point to him being a solid hitter. Remember, he posted so many at-bats that he has lost his rookie status, so his good average and clutch hits weren’t a fluke, IMO.
murphy is proven?
how? over 132 at-bats?
wow…
SOMEWHAT proven. Its not like we’ve seen him play 10-15 games…he played consistently good for 49 games, no ups or downs…just solid play throughout.
Maybe proven is a bad choice of words, but I think we’ve got a good idea of what he brings to the table.
that’s like saying jason phillips was proven because he hit .300 his rookie year.
look, i like murphy but can we wait to see how he does with a full year under his belt and see how he handles putchers adjusting to him before we proclaim him as a rock in the mets foundation? he didn’t do so hot when crunchtime came around and people started getting a handle on him.
I”m not more worried about schnieder or castro. I’m not worried about Murphy either. I want him at 2nd base, with a veteran as his backup. I know what I’m getting with Schneider, solid, not spectacular defense, and a .250 hitter with little power. Castro is a good hitting catcher with a .300 average and about 10-15 HR power, but not very good defensively.
Murphy could be end up being one of the best hitting 2nd basemen in the NL if he’s placed there, Probably the 3rd best behind Utley, and Uggla. Could be. Defense might keep him from playing there.
remember Shane Spencer and Kevin Maas? or Alex Ochoa? these guys came in and raked too for a couple months…and I didnt even get to Greg Jeffries.
Gotta treat Murphy as “we except nothing from him, and if he earns a spot, great” not “murphy is guaranteed a spot” cant dont that with guys with such little experience…I mean remember Church wasnt guaranteed a starting role before the season last year and he was much more established.
Awe, come on man! Look at the bright side! Be positive! Murphy and Pelfrey are about the only good things that came out of last season. Don’t take that away from us naiive fans!
Castro will never hit .300. But with that being said, who’s looking for that type of production from the #8 hole? And I actually disagree with you about where Murphy should play. I think we should keep him in LF and slide him to 1B in 2010. He’s a corner guy…those two positions are much easier for him than 2B.
If he is our 2B, I hope he proves me wrong ;)
He hits too lightly for 1b, and he’s not a good enough defender to make up for it. Someone else mentioned this a while ago and i agree. He’s going to be an average at best defender most likely anyway you put him. So put him at the place where he has a plus bat, which is 2nd base.
Who in our organization has a “heavier” bat than Murphy at 1B? I’m not trying to start anything here, but I just don’t get the whole “he hits too lightly for that position” kind of deal. I mean, John Olerud never hit too many HR but he had a high average and could find the gaps. Does that mean he wasn’t a good 1B? (yes, I know Olerud had a better glove than Murphy)
I think Murphy is capable of 15-20 HR, which is good enough in my book. As for defense, it is much easier to adapt to the other corner than to make a switch to a middle IF spot. If he is an average defender, why put him in the spot where we need a quick and mobile type of guy with Reyes?
That just means our organization is crappy, which is kind of is, not that Murphy should play at first base. And John Olerud was well well above average as a defender which is why he was a good first basemen, even though his bat wasn’t above average for his position. You can’t really compare the situations. Olerud was a plus plus defender with about an average to slightly above average bat at first. Murphy would be a below average defender with an around average bat.
And you don’t need quick and mobile guys if their bats are anemic because they’re going to cost you as many runs, if not more, offensively as they might save defensively. Murphy might cost runs defensively but overall his bat at 2nd base would be so above average it would outweigh it. And Murphy has played in the infield so it’s not like he’s making a complete switch. And like you said it’s easier to adapt to the outfield which is why teams usually put guys with plus bats there. Although to be honest Murphy might be a good solution at left field, he’d just be a better solution at 2nd base.
Ok, well we’ll just have to agree to disagree. Making the switch from third to second is a complete switch because it is an entirely different position (just ask anyone who’s played both).
Secondly, what’s the bar for a 1B? What’s wrong with having a 1B who hits .310-.320, 15 HR, 70-80 RBI in the #2 hole in the lineup, especially when we’ve already got 3 100 RBI guys in Wright, Beltran, and Delgado, and 2 more 70-80 RBI guys in Church and Reyes? Who says your 1B has to be your #3 or #4 hitter with a .330 avg, 35 HR, and 100 RBI?
Note that I am not saying we should settle for an Argenis Reyes type at second, as there are a couple of viable options out there that include a solid bat at 2B.
Gina has obviously never seen Murphy at 3B. If she had she wouldn’t say moving to 2B would be no problem, because he is very weak, to be charitible at 3B. He can grow into a LF guy or 1B guy but doesn’t have the mobility to even reach Dan Uggla (who stinks at defense at 2B).
And you are probably too young to have seen this either Gina but John Olerud was a very mediocre first baseman when he started at Totronto and made himself goodover time. First base you can grow into, 2B you are too critical to the D too be given the time.
Gonna be hard to get the MLB to let us have 2 1B at the same time. We may need them if it’s Delgado and Murphy.
My point, exactly Rod. You can teach somebody to scoop balls out of the dirt, but you can’t teach somebody to all of a sudden develop a quick set of hands and gain mobility. Not to mention, reading the ball off the bat up the middle is very different than the corner. I still think he should be our LF…
Just to summize I don’t necessarily think Murphy is a good long-term solution at 2nd base, just that no one who we have or who is available is a very good long-term solution either. At best we can get a stop gap and be back in this position a year or two from now. And that his bat is good enough to make him a better option than everyone else we have and that his defense, which actually wasn’t as bad as a lot of people seem to think in the minors his range wasn’t the problem at third it was his glove, wouldn’t be worse than the defense we got at 2nd last year, which was close to the worst in the majors so it wouldn’t be hard to be better.
So our best bet would be to let him play there and hope he can develop better defense, or that maybe Reese Havens can learn to play 2nd and then we can move Murphy into a corner outfield spot. The thing is first base and corner outfield spots are much easier to fill than 2nd base. Right now there are more corner outfield/ first basemen, which better bats and about the same defense as Murphy will give us, on the market than they are 2nd basemen and we have other corner outfield/1b prospects who could realistically give us the same or close to the same production at those spot that Murphy can. There is no one, on the market or in our farm system, except maybe Havens who lost basically half a year of development because of his injury and Furcal on the market, that could fill 2nd base long-term.
How long is “long term”? Regardless, I think this is a moot point anyway because Murphy will not be playing 2B for us next season. The only reason he is playing there now is because the rosters were set for the AFL before the season ended. I think our best option at 2B is to sign a guy like Hudson (only for a reasonable contract, not another 4 year deal) for maybe 2-3 years until the market produces something good or Havens works out.
For some reason, I see us starting Castillo at 2B next season…..
Next. Can’t trust Heyman.
i wish metsblog would stop using francesa as a source unless it’s for humor.
he’s not a reporter and doesn’t have real access to knowledge of the team outside of what eddie c. whispers in his ear.
Mike Francesca is the Rush Limbaugh of sports.
Believe me, I’d rather not.
I only use Francesa is a case like this, when HE is directly quoting Omar Minaya.
Otherwise, yeah, you get the picture…
A little bitter because Mike called you out on the air not too long ago? Haaa
Matt probably realizes what a completely mediocre hack and biased rumor-creating windbag Francesa is…..
Are you Matt’s mom?
Are you Francesa’s doughnut-bearing girlfriend?
Yep, you are his mommy. I understand, moms should defend their kids from other people.
Well, MrBill, I wasn’t really defending Matt, I was really just criticizing Francesa, who is a comic embara*sment to sports radio and NY in general, and I was just stating the obvious…..now I must leave this enthralling debate…..
Yeah, ok
fair enough.
Unfortunately mets fans only believe what they want to believe….
Mike Francesa- “From mets blog?” Matt who?
you can do a lot worse than Schneider and Castro…that being said, Castro has to stay healthy, which historically he has proven he can not
I don’t understand all of this “much more pressing needs” talk. Yes, bullpen, starting pitching, and a corner OF are higher priorirites, but does that mean you don’t even investigate upgrading at other spots?
Not until problems #1 and #2 are solved, no. But that also depends on how you define “investigating”. Looking is one thing, but pursuing is another.
You investigate upgrading at other spots once your priorities are filled. That’s what it means when they say it’s “a priority”.
Yeah but the market doesn’t always dictate you can fill your needs in “priority” order.
So if Minaya trades for Russell Martin today people are going to freak out that he did it before getting a closer? Who cares? The offseason runs til March.
Here’s the question though: What hole did we just create in order to trade for Martin? I don’t think anybody on this board would reject to having Martin, but at what cost? Filling shallow holes by creating deep ones isn’t going to fix anything.
Exactly, Martin while good is not worth what we would have to give up.
Thanks Dave27 for enlightening me about how the market works. Let’s just wait till March to fill our priorities.
Real, so what did your crystal ball say we would have to give up?
Let’s face it, the off season is long….there is plenty of time to constantly re-evaluate your team, however it is logical to address the most glaring weaknesses first and put the other issues on the back burner….not to say those issues will be ignored, but revisted later on in the winter
It’s hard to really get a read on what this team is doing this off-season. They are either directionless or schizophrenic. I just have a bad feeling they are going to land nothing of significance after getting KRod or Fuentes.
To be fair, they haven’t been able to say a lot about their plans because mentioning anything about a free agent before teams lose their exclusive negotiation rights is tampering. Also, a lot of this is other people saying the Mets are interested in this player or that player to try to raise the bidding wars. I confident Omar has a solid plan, and will continue to modify it as necessary, but who gives their business plan away before it’s been completed? Relax and give him time. Teams just gained the right to start talking to other teams’ free agents, this is where it all begins now.
Castro is a nice Catcher but the problem is he can’t stay on the field. He needs to lose some weight and get in better shape.
IMo, it isn’t a top or pressing need, but it certainly skews more toward a weakness than a strength (call it a push).
So, not a priority but if Omar can make an upgrade here too, why not?
Castro is an injury risk, so you know that there will be plenty of roster time for a 3rd catcher (at least!) anyway.
Plus, both are aging, and only signed though 2009. So, they will need a new catcher (or 2) in 2010. If he can snag one now, great.
I guess the reason to stand pat could be if they think one of the guys in the system can step up by 2010. If so, mabe they could phase him in as the back up in 2009?
Like any offseason, you have to work with what is available, and upgrade where you can.
I’m not a huge fan of our catchers. But I don’t see how we could get much of an upgrade without opening a whole somewhere else.
The only guy I would be interested in is a salary dump of Molina. He’s RH and would look nice in the 7 spot if no other offense is added to the team.
Reyes, Murphy, Wright, Delgado, Beltran, Church, Molina, Castillo is a winable lineup.
So is Reyes, Murphy, Wright, Delgado, Beltran, Church, Schneider, Castillo—- if we have a bullpen.
It’s just that bottom with Schnieder, Castillo, Pitcher is much weaker.
True…but the point I was making was that we would have won the East in 07 and 08 had it not been for our bullpen. Our lineup has a couple of minor issues, but the reason we blow games every night is our pitching.
Agreed. Never hurts to make some smaller upgrades. Our OBP was incredibly high thus our 7-9 left a lot of men on the pond each night.
I’d say the entire team left a lot of ducks on the pond.
just for fun, I looked at some top run scoring teams to see where we fell getting guys in (I only used guys with at least 100 plate appearances):
PHI: 14.8%
CUBS: 14.4%
BOS: 13.8%
NYM: 13.4%
these are all guys on base, not just RISP. I thought it was interesting.
Another interesting note is that only one of those teams listed plays in a pitchers’ park…and BOS should be excluded from any offensive ranking since a pop out to left is a double and a weak fly ball down the line in right is a home run.
true. I just looked at teams that scored the most runs. but I’ll look at a couple of others in pitcher’s parks (and it’s a bit wonky, because you have to consider the overall talent of the lineup)
We all knew what we were getting in Schnieder when it came to his bat, and no one had a problem with it because his numbers were good for the number 8 hole. The problem was when he was shifted to the 7 hole because Castillo came up anemic. I see no problem keeping him as long as he’s in that 8 hole.
so, some high scoring teams in pitcher’s parks:
CLE: 14.7%
FLA: 14.4%
DET: 14.5%
Mets still not looking great.
I think a #2 (or 2nd #1) is more important than a closer. I need a guy who can get to the 8th or 9th with some regularity. I hate the nights that 4-5 guys enter the game. It just wears the pen down over a long season.
I would overpay for CC or Lowe or Burnett because they are that guy. This makes the rotation better by sliding guys like Maine & Pelfrey down to 3-4 where they will pitch to favorable match ups. Vasquez is no better than 2 #4-5 (IMO) and doesn’t make the rotation stronger unless there is a guy like Lowe or Burnett in front of him. CC is a longshot, in most peoples opinions, so i’ll exclude him.
Santana, Lowe, Maine, Pelfrey, Vasquez is fine. If Vasquez costs us a good prospect, they have to take castillo back to offset the salaries. 15 for Lowe, net gain of 4.5 for Vasquez, still leaves 5.5 for Chad Cordero and a budget LF.
I am not starting another debate on Vasquez but there is not a team in the NL that he would be a #4 for much less a #5.
Wow. Isn’t this what we thought would happen this year when we signed Santana? You can’t expect a pitcher to give you 8 or 9 solid innings regularly…even if it is Sabathia or Lowe. And let’s just say that Santana and Sabathia/Lowe DO give you 8 or 9 every time out–what about the other 3 spots? How will they perform late in the season? What if they get hurt? What if they go 8 solid but we still lose 2-1 or 1-0?
Why spend all of our money on a guy who helps us once a week rather than a group of guys who could help us every day?
I’m not going to say it because it’s been said enough on this board, but we know why we’ve lost these last two years.
I agree, we could be just as solid spending our money on the pen and going with Vasquez and Perez.
Because the guys who help us once a week have more of an overall impact on our season than the guys who help us once a day. Hence how even with a terrible bullpen we finished 16 games above .500 because we had a very good roation. I mean does anyone in the Rays bullpen blow you away? They just threw together a bunch of pieces and saw what stuck, which they could do because they had such a strong rotation.
But question is would you rather have Lowe and Niese or Garland and Vasquez?
Hmm that’s actually a really tough one. I think Lowe is better than Garland and Vazquez by a fairly big margin but I don’t have much faith in Niese, at least not for this season. I think if it had to be between those two choices I’d take Vazquez and Garland just because you know pretty much for certain what you’re going to get from that. Personally I think Lowe and Garland would be the best option, especially since Garland is a type B. It would obviously depend on his asking price though.
I think you are underestimating the effect a bullpen has on a team. Do the names Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, and JC Romero ring a bell? You can’t sit here and argue that the Phillies rotation is the main reason they won the WS. They had a solid lineup that produced runs, but they weren’t unhittable in the first 6 or 7 innings. What separates us from them is the ability to FINISH games, since the final score is the only score that counts.
And we finished 16 games above .500 because we squeaked by on more than a couple of occasions, surrendering a 4 or 5 run lead and winning by 1 or 2. We had a great lineup with some big run producers bailing us out a lot of nights.
Just because relievers don’t win Cy Young awards or grab headlines (unless you break records or save 100% of your games) doesn’t mean their impact isn’t as big as the rotation.
I don’t think any of us are saying relievers are not important. They just become less important when your pitchers actually pitch into the 7th inning.
I would rather have Vasquez and Lowe for sure but I don’t see that happening. I just don’t think we can go with an iffy Maine and a rookie Niese in the rotation this season. It won’t matter who our pen is if that happens because they will be burnt out by June.
I wouldn’t mind having a guy like Lowe or Vasquez either, but a big three of Santana, Pelfrey, and Maine isn’t too shabby. Granted that does mean that Maine must make a full recovery, but if he returns to his 15-win form again I think a good bullpen and a lights out closer makes us the best team in the NL.
He has to get better at getting batters out. He will continue to have arm problems if he throws 30 pitches an inning. Right now he is another 5 inning pitcher that kills our pen. No matter what we have to get more innings.
I think Maine ran into trouble this season because of his injury. Who knows how long this has been bothering him? An uneasy motion can cause you to become inconsistent and wild, which produces a high pitch count. I agree 100% that he needs to re-focus on throwing strikes because that’s what made him so good in 2007. We’ve seen him with good command before, so there’s no reason to doubt his ability to throw strikes if he’s healthy.
Even in 2007 he still did not average 6 innings per start.
If I remember correctly, that was because he was lit up in 1-2 starts in June or July, and also once more in August. Other than those 2-3 inning outings, he was pretty solid. And 5.98 ip/9 is close enough to 6, lol.
While close it’s still not good enough.
Ok, well I may be the only one, but I am fully confident in John Maine.
Heilman to Texas…..
Good spot for him but for what? They are not going to send us a decent catcher for him.
These deals are seldom 1 for 1. I’m sure that there is another piece we could add. A. Reyes? Carlos Muniz?
Again, what type of catcher do you expect to get for Heilman, Muniz and Awful Reyes? Will they be ANY better than Schnieder?
A bag of balls and a couple of steers.
Texas will get better offers than anything we can give them. Likely even for Laird. Supposedly the Reds offered up Homer Bailey for him. And the Red Sox are offering Masterson or Bowden for Salty.
I would talk to Cleveland about Shoppach. I liked him when he was in the Sox organization. Has good pop
Why would Cleveland talk to us about him?
I heard rumors earlier that Cleveland was looking to move him
Most of these rumors were from the end of last season. Why would they consider trading him now that there’s so many question marks surrounding Martinez.
we are fine at catcher
since K-ROd is in the bag we need a #2 starter
Derek Lowe is the perfect fit for this team. We probably would have to overpay but he has every quality you look for in a #2 starter. (Low ERA, good K/BB ratio, eats innings, pitches well under pressure)
In my eyes, even though he is not as dominant as CC, if you take into consideration his post-season success he might be the pitcher available.
Problem is that he will wait until after CC signs and have a huge demand at that point.
i honestly think that overpaying for Lowe is a better decision than really anyone else on the market. I’d like to keep it at 3 years but that might not be possible
Lowe is the only guy available with no real question marks.
I agree, I wonder if we could get him with a high 2 year offer and a 3rd year option with decent buyout money? Something like 2/40 instead of 3/51? I just think he will easily get the 3/51 from some desperate team and that’s a lot of money and years for a 37 year old.
well Lowe will be 36 in June but remember Lowe didn’t become a starter until he was 29 so he has alot less innings under his belt than your average 35 year old SP.
He’s certainly a safer option than Sheets or Burnett.
Agree on that. Sheets may very well end up on a 1 year deal however.
K-Rod is in the bag? Please tell me where you heard this because I don’t want to get too excited yet.
Who else is going to get him? Think about it. The Tigers won’t spend that much. The Angels don’t want him, the Sox and Yankee’s don’t need him. The Dodger’s don’t need him and Cardinals won’t pay that much. Our only competition is the Rangers and I don’t see it.
I guess you’re right, but I’m just wary of this market. You never know what team could jump in at the last second and make a play for him once other teams back off….kinda like us with Santana.
As a fan of the back to back NL East Champions and World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies, Beasts of the Easts and best ball club…..
I implore the Mets…..please PLEASE get more free agents….yes, get Sabbathia, and K-Rod……..PLEASE…..
Alot of good your free agent signings and trades have done you under the Minaya regime…..please….BACK UP THE TRUCK….
LMAO……
Choke Much Mutts Fans?
I’m a Phillies fan, and I disown this poseur.
I hope the Mets make the right moves and push the Phils to a higher plateau. There’s just no reason the Mets and Phils can’t be in the playoffs every year.
Go choke on one, unless you actually have the intellect to talk baseball rather than smack.
I think you underestimate Heilman’s value as much as I underestimate Vasquez. 2005-2007, Heilman was very good, with no more than a 3.6 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.
He’s also 31 and coming off a meh season. And a flyball pitcher, which would likely doom him in Arlington. Not to mention it’s not about Heilman’s value its about his value vs other offers. The Rangers can and allegedly have gotten better offers.
No I understand that he was good. I am just saying that his value is at an all time low. Do you think that we could have gotten Vasquez for lower prospects after 2007? The reason we would trade for him is his value is down. Heilman’s value is way down thus we won’t get much in return.
i think vasquez would make a terrific #4 or 5 starter but we need a proven #2 starter and Vasquez is not the answer there.
I don’t think it has to be a proven guy for #2. We just need quality starts 1-5. I would love to have Lowe but if we had to settle for Vasquez and another guy who could get 200 innings of 4.5 ERA we would still have a deep rotation.
Getting Lowe and Vasquez for our rotation would immediately make it one of the best if not the best in baseball.
Johan, Lowe, Pelfrey, Vasquez, Maine
That would give you over 1000 innings. That would be incredible.
o absolutely but i would look to someone other than vasquez if a frontline guy is not brought in only b/c of his track record in big spots.
Another guy to look into is Dontrelle Willis. He’s been bad the last 2 years and i wouldnt gaurentee him a spot in the rotation but his value has to be very low.
So you would rather have Willis than Vasquez because of a few innings in the post season?
Your hate for Vasquez is unfounded and not statisically acurate.
Javier Vasquez in his final 3 starts of the season in the thick of the playoff race for Chicago and his lone playoff start
Sept 18 @ NYY 3.2 IP 6 ER
Sept 23 @ MIN 4.0 IP 5 ER
Sept 27 CLE 4.1 IP 7 ER
Oct. 02 TBR 4.1 IP 6 ER
10.34 ERA in the postseason, 4.91 ERA as a yankee
Not every player can play in NY and I feel Vasquez is one of these players and his track record supports this
Willis is nearly a lost cause. He might be fixable but with that contract and the amount of time/work a team would have to put in to fix him it probably wouldn’t be worth it to trade for him. His issues run a lot deeper than change of scenery or a few mechanical issues or luck or anything.
think detroit would take that one back?
The Phils just won the WS with Ruiz and Coste. The catcher position isn’t the problem