Daily Archives: November 20, 2008
Tonight on Mets Hot Stove on SNY, Mets GM Omar Minaya said Daniel Murphy will be ready for spring training, 
and will likely begin working out, doing outfield drills in Florida following the holidays.
Earlier today, the Mets announced Murphy had an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring.
According to Minaya, Murphy will spend most of his time in left field next season, and could occasionally back-up first base as well.
He did not mention Murphy as a second baseman. In fact, according to Minaya, Murphy would have played outfield during the winter league this off-season.
Speaking of left field, when asked if Minaya has considered acquiring an outfielder, he said, ‘Right now, we are focused on investing our dollars in pitching,’ adding, ‘We will see where we are after that.’
Lastly, Minaya said the organization still sees Aaron Heilman as a reliever, not a starting pitcher.
Howard Megdal at The New York Observer gives his reasons for why Pedro Martinez and the Mets need to part ways, writing: “In 2008, he pitched to a 5.61 ERA, or nearly twice his career mark of 2.91. Coming into 2008, he’d struck out almost exactly one batter per inning as a Met; that rate dropped to 7.18 [per 9 innings].”
SNY’s Ted Berg says there is no need to rush into signing a closer in his latest edition of Wireless Calling.
Wondering what Eric Valent has been up to? We Should Be GM’s interviews the former Met.
…i wasn’t wondering either…
At Page Six, they describe David Wright‘s recent ‘cougar’ attack.
Eric Simon at Amazin’ Avenue continues his list of top 50 Mets with Tommie Agee, noting: “Agee turned in three excellent seasons for the Mets. He was terrific in the 1969 NLCS and owned Game 3 of the World Series; his miraculous diving catch in the latter left an indelible imprint on a generation of Mets fans.”
…what about the home run spot at the late shea stadium…the concrete slab is actually up for sale…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |The following video, courtesy of SNY.tv, is of my recent phone conversation with Tim Dierkes from MLB Trade Rumors, during which we talk about the chances of CC Sabathia not signing with the Yankees, the Manny Ramirez market, and other offensive players drawing interest:
To share this video, or embed it on your blog, click the icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.
Daniel Murphy had an MRI today that 
revealed a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring, according to a team press release.
Murphy felt discomfort in his leg during batting practice in the Arizona Fall League on Nov. 11.
According to the team, Murphy will skip winter league ball in Puerto Rico so that he can be ready for Spring Training.
…yesterday, a league source told me it was a ‘knee sprain,’ which of course they had no way of knowing since murphy did not yet have the leg examined…i am not sure if a hamstring is better news, but at least he’ll have plenty of time to rest up…
Tonight on 
at 7 pm EDT, Kevin Burkhardt, Dan Graziano and David Lennon will talk with Mets GM Omar Minaya.
Call in and share your thoughts at 212-BUZZ-SNY, or submit a question to the show by clicking here.
Tagged SNY |The MetsBlog.com Confidence Rating has been added back to the left sidebar. The poll for this rating will appear every Monday and Friday through the rest of the off season.
In addition, I completed the All-Time Rating, which dates back to January 2004, which means MetsBlog.com will soon be five years old, which is crazy to me.
Here’s the full graphic, which you can click for a larger version:
The Phillies have announced that Chase Utley will have hip surgery next week.
The recovery time is an estimated four to six months.
…by my math, figuring time for rehab, etc., this could mean he misses the first month or so of the regular season…
Tagged Phillies |Here is where part of the starting pitcher’s market stands, based on reports from the last few weeks:
So far, only the Braves, Mets and Yankees have been linked to Perez.
According to Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, the Mets are only willing to pay $12 million per season to Perez, ‘who will probably want more.’
Perez is likely a four-year, $50 million contract, based on multiple reports.
The Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, Braves, Phillies and Orioles have all been linked in rumor to Burnett.
In a report for ESPN.com, Buster Olney says it may take a fifth year, guaranteed, to sign Burnett.
According to the New York Post, the Yankees could offer Burnett a five-year, $80 million deal.
The Yankees have been linked most to Sabathia, followed by the Angels, Giants and Dodgers.
According to multiple reports, the Yankees have offered Sabathia a six-year deal, worth roughly $140 million.
The Giants plan to offer Sabathia a six-year deal, worth around $120 million, according to Dan Graziano in the Star-Ledger.
Lowe has been linked in rumor to the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Braves, Red Sox and Dodgers.
He is seeking a five-year, $80 million deal, based on reports from ESPN.com and SI.com.
Tagged Oliver Perez |Today is the final day for MLB teams to notify the Commisioner’s Office of players who will be eligible for the Rule V Draft, which will be held on Dec. 11.
In an old article for Baseball America, Alan Schwarz wrote:
“Major league teams must protect players on their 40-man rosters within three or four years of their original signing. Those left unprotected are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks… Players who were 18 or younger on June 5 preceding the signing of their first contract must be protected after four minor league seasons. Players 19 and older must be protected after three seasons.”
For other rules and information, check out Mets Minor League Blog, where Toby Hyde suggests only Shawn Bowman be protected, for fear of losing him in the draft to another team.
According to Hyde, Mike Carp is not yet eligible.
In 1999, the Marlins picked up Johan Santana in the Rule V Draft, and then traded him to the Twins on the same day. Doh!
Tagged Mike Carp |In a report for the Daily News, Adam Rubin takes a closer look at Aaron Heilman, whose agent says the pitcher does not want to be traded, he wants to be a starting pitcher.
…well, my sense is that both may eventually come true…
Rubin writes, “There’s an organizational split about Heilman – with chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon wanting him to remain and other key front-office personnel favoring a trade,” according to a source with knowledge of the team’s internal discussions.
The Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, D’Backs, A’s, Rays and Rangers have all shown interest in Heilman, according to various reports.
…as i wrote the other day, from what i can gather, the Mets are working to trade for a relief pitcher who has experience as a closer…in addition to signing one of Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood…
…at the same time, i continue to get the sense heilman will eventually be traded…
…at the same time, the Rockies continue to be mentioned as having interest in heilman…
…so, as i suggested the other day, i’m starting to think the Mets could eventually work out a trade with heilman, and a prospect, in exchange for Huston Street, i.e., a relief pitcher with a experience as a closer…or so i hope…
As Rubin points out, Heilman is 5–13 with a 5.93 ERA in 25 starts between 2003 and 2005.
