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Rangers SS Michael Young told Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com that he asked to be traded in December, after the team told him he’d be moving to third base to make room for 20–year-old prospect Elvis Andrus.
According to Rosenthal, ‘Young has given the Rangers a small list of teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause.’
The Angels and White Sox could match up well with Texas, Rosenthal says, adding, ‘the Mets and Dodgers have expressed interest in Young this offseason.’
In December, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Mets, 
Royals, Dodgers and Twins had discussed Young with the Rangers.
During the Winter Meetings, Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports said the Rangers were ‘quietly shopping Young in exchange for young pitching.’
However, Rosenthal believes the Rangers are looking for a young third baseman.
In case you’re thinking it…
“Young would consider returning to second base, his previous position, for another team,” Rosenthal reports.
…young is gonna cost more than Mets 3B prospect Jefry Marte, who is just 17 years old with 150 career minor-league at bats…instead, if you want Michael Young, i bet he’d cost Daniel Murphy, who initially played third base in the minors…in addition, the Mets would probably have to part with a pitcher…
Young is due roughly $15 million each of the next five seasons.
The 32–year-old Young, who bats righty, is entering his ninth full season in the major leagues, during which he has a career .300 batting average, and a .346 OBP. He hit 22 and 24 home runs in 2004 and 2005, but is averaging just 11 HR and 90 RBI in each of the last three seasons.
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keep murphy and the pitcher instead
Agreed. Trading Murphy for this guy would be incredibly stupid.
Murphys upside is basically what Michael Young has been to date. Not sure if it makes sense or not but that is the right level of player for a deal like this to get done. Murphy plus a pitcher like Stoner or Antonuzzi or some other decent pitching prospect.
I dont think I do the deal though cause with the budget the Mets seem to be operating at….$145M or so tops……they are going to need some good production out of players cheaply like Murphy so they can pay the big money needed to get other spots filled
Michael Young’s contract is atrocious. Just look at his contract … ask yourself what he’ll be in 2-3 years from now … then you’ll realize how dumb trading even Murphy alone for him would be.
pretty expensive for a 2B… but the boy is good.
I really don’t mind trading Murph for him. I guess it would depend on what kind of pitching they would seek in return.
bayside are you serious? Murph for Young? What you smoking?
NYMF718:
ARE YOU SERIOUS?? how you or anyone here knows how murphy will turn out?? we don’t know that for sure, this guy is a good player, if texas says gimme murphy we’ll tell them, as a gift here’s a bag of sunflower seed and luis castillo.. done!!
alex, come on man, we all know murphy is gonna be special, besides we all ready have and overpaid aging 2B with a huge contract. Dont forget he plays in a bandbox in Texas as well. Also look at his stats, they are on the decline.
Wasn’t the same said about teixeira?? please gimme a break.. he’s a WAYYYYYY better option than anything else. i agree we should keep murphy, but if the right thrade comes up (i think this is) is worth doing it.. i’ll even trade delgado for this guy.. (if it means getting manny of course)
Maybe I’m missing what everyone else has seen that says Murphy will be “special”. Was it his utter lack of power or his terrible defense? Yes he is a patient hitter but that’s not enough. He projects as Ty Wigginton with a higher OBP.
Alex,
Tex is not an aging overpaid 2B whose stats are on the decline.
rowjamie,
since when do you have to hit for power to be a successfull hitter. This guy has serious skills with his bat. High AVG. High OBP. Like a John Olerud type player.
how do you know he is gonna be special? young is a proven hitter and an all-star every year. the problem is he plays for the rangers and we know when you play for those kinds of teams your name doesnt get out. He will give short stop defence at 2nd base. If it was me pack your bags young blood murph. lets bring young in.
You got to pull off a trade like this if it’s possible. I’d try to hold on to my pitching and see what it would take to get a deal like this done. I love murphy but I felt the same way about Jacobs when he came up. I’d love to keep him. But not if your talking about the mets getting a player like michael young. Maybe we can get castillo involved in that trade.
Noooooo.
Young is extremely overrated and overpaid. I wouldn’t trade Murphy straight up for Young.
I’m not sure I’d even trade Castillo straight up for Young. $15M per year for any 2B not named Utley is disgusting.
wade:
u reall put up good post, but that one was a lil insulting.. young is the best 2b in the AL and is playing at SS go figure that one out..
Alex … he already peaked. The best he was going to be was 2-3 years ago. He’s going to decline and the contract will be nothing but a nuisance.
I find you GMs quite funny. Most of you want a 35 year old Derek Lowe who you don’t think is too old but you don’t want a 32 year old Young because he is too old.
First: Don’t speak for me as if you have any idea what I think.
Second: I have been very open about my opinion on Lowe. I think his value is 3 Years, $36M. Anything over that I don’t want him.
Third: If you are about to make an arguement that Michael Young is a good fit for the Mets, do that, rather than berate other people’s posts.
Hey RodKanehl …
I think you missed a very SIMPLE point here. Look at the years and dollars that is owed to Michael Young. Try to comprehend.
Kanehl, I find pretty much every post I have ever seen from you to be a negative, rude joke.
Lowe has not shown signs of serious decline. Young has. Does that make sense, genius? And Young is signed for about $75 mil, tens of millions more than most folks here are suggesting giving to Lowe.
Get some facts to go with your daily dose of impressive negativity and rudeness.
I think Matt should include a “Hell No” as one of the voting options.
The only way I do this is if they take a deal like this
Murphy, Parnell, Castillo for
Young, CJ Wilson and Marlon Byrd.
TRS:
we’d be lucky if texas don’t hang up the phone as soon as we mentiong luis castillo’s name.. .are u serious???? luis castillo is not wanted by ANYBODY in the MAJOR LEAGUE!!
If you are Texas would you rather pay Young for 5 years at that rate or Castillo for 3? If they trade Young they will either have to take on another big contract or pay at least 6 million of is salary or more.
Max Ramirez is a MASHER catcher.
Not sure how his D is but he can HIT.
I wouldn’t. We can get Orlando Hudson for “just money” right now – less money – and not much lower production.
Keep Murphy.
I can’t figure out why everyone is obsessed with Hudson.
He is Castillo redux.
He is 31 years old has broken down coming down the stretch 2 years in a row.
His numbers are not blowing me away either.
TALK ABOUT OVER RATED
He is a career .282 singles hitter – 25 doubles? We will get that out of Murphy.
GO BUY A Righthanded hitting LF already and stick Murphy at second.
Mets just don’t view him as a 2B. Wish they did but, sorry.
They don’t view him as a 2B because he’s
not. Again,problem w/this kid is he’s got
no position AND because he’s neither a speed nor power player it’s difficult to clear
a position and put him there.
Agree, if I could trade him for a pitcher I would. He’s not going to have the bat to replace Delgado. Seriously do you really want to go with Murphy at 1B and Fmart in LF next year with no other offensive guys brought in or no room to bring them in? You better have a LOT of pitching.
Maybe Murphy for Sanchez with the Giants?
I’m not a Hudson obsessive – just pointing out that if we wanted Young, we could get similar for Hudson without trading anyone away. That’s it.
I know you’re furious, but let’s relax. It’s only Monday morning.
Furious, I heart your tag.
I like Young but he is a declining skills player who is owed a TON of money for a long time. I would take him on in exchange for Castillo and Texas picking up some of the salary difference.
Do you even have a clue why Texas is talking Young?? You don’t of course. They have a kid they feel is ready for 2B, but you want to trade them Castillo. Deal with the facts or hush up.
Actually, Andrus, who they want to make room for, is a SS.
It would be irresponsible for the Mets to trade Murphy to the Rangers for Young. Kind of a Yankee move.
Murphy=knock off version of Gregg Jefferies.
BUT, He’s untouchable to many of you?
disagree.
Murphy has serious plate discipline.
You can not teach that & Jefferies never had that.
Murphy = a young John Olerud at the plate.
Please, Olerud stepped out of school and
into the pros as a polished middle of the order hitter for a title contender with b/t/wa position to play.
OMG!! did you just say that?????? let him get 400 at bats before we go crazy talking like you just did!!!!
Not talkin”bout that, What I mean is this
kid looks like a pretty good hitter who has
limited power and speed AND no position.
Further,many of you are making him the second coming.
All im saying is that we have young talent that we need to keep. We have to give him a shot. So far he has proved to be a great hitter. Why do what the Mets always do and trade young talent before we give them a shot. Trading a 23 yr old hitter for a 32 yr old aging decling 2B is not that smart. If we did we would just be doing the “Met” thing.
Jeffries had 472 career walks against 348 strikeouts, a ratio of 1.35 walks for every strikeout. For comparison, Albert Pujols, arguably today’s most disciplined hitter, has a career ratio of 1.37. Jefferies never struck out more than 46 times in a season during his entire career, and in 1994 struck out only 26 times in over 650 plate appearances.
Granted, the guy was a tool, but how can you say he had no plate discipline??
Only if we got rid of Castillo first and they paid part of Young’s salary- otherwise its not worth it.
I would argee that if the Mets can get Hudson for 3/24 then trading for Young makes no sense unless you are unloading Castillo in the deal.
man, his offensive stats (OPS notably) have really taken a dive over the last 4 years.
Someone on MLBTR posted that in 2008, his OPS was only IIRC .741, and that it was only .015 higher than what Nick Punto put up!
So, he is aging (and the Mets don’t ahve a great track record with 32YO+ 2Bs), wildly overpaid, D is slipping (natural at age 32), and doesn’t hit that much anymore.
Hey, what’s not to love!
It isn’t really so much about Murphy (I would trade him in the right deal) as it is about trading anyone (other than maybe Luis stright up) for the guy.
Man, talk about a terrible contract. Young ranks right up there with Helton on the albatross scale.
Just sign Orlando Hudson and keep your young players.
WORD
As an aside, It’ll be a complete joke if upon
his last chance JIm Rice doesn’t make the
HOF this afternoon.
AAgree . the most fearsome hitter in the AL in his era.. imagine what he could’ve fif had him take steroids!! baseball writers (stark and co) are a F*****G joke.. is a shame that is not the baseball players who vote players in.. writers
Jim Rice does not belong in the Hall of Fame, the Hall of very good maybe but not the Hall of Fame, but it will be diluted further today b/c he will make it….he was a little better than Dante Bichette
Sorry my friend but yoy either never saw the
guy play or you just dont know what you’re
talking about. Jim Rice was the most dominant/feared power hitter of his day
which b/t/w may well have been the true
hey-day of this great game.
Agreed, this guy was a stud.
How old are you?? how can u even mention dante bichete in the same sentence with this guy?? he average 30 HR’s per season and 115 RBI’s with an 298 BA.. in an era where pitching was dominant.. PLEASE!!
Thank you Alex.
Dante B had his good years playing at coors field. Gimme a break.
Jim Rice had Great years playing at Fenway, he was awful on the road and the only man who’s reason for getting into the Hall of Fame is b/c 20 years after he retired a rumor about how feared he was became his best argument for getting into the hall of fame…he was soooo feared he was never had more than 10 IBB in a year.. Again his ncounting and rate numbers in 2 more seasons are slightly better than Dante bichette’s, you let him in and the Hall is immediately diluted and every other very good hitter for 6/7 years is that much closer to turning the hall into and even bigger joke….
I now know you are under 30 because you
obviously saw no baseball in the 70s.
Bichette=Rice that actually would be funny
if it wasnt such an insult to both Rice and
serious fans who saw both guys play.
As much as I agree he should be in the hall of fame. You are way off on the career numbers. You are correct on the .298 BA. But for his 15 year career he’s more around 25 HR and 97 RBI. That’s a big difference.
I always thought it was called the Hall of “Fame”, not the Hall of Great Stats.
Young is coming off his worst year in a long time (.284 with 12 home runs). It could be a fluke, but it could also be the start of a decline. Risky to take him on considering he’s got 5 more years and a ton of money owed to him.
I am not saying Dante Bichette is as good as Jim Rice, Im just sayin their numbers are comparable and by letting in Rice because he was feared in the 70’s will open the door to alot of other unworthy players who only argument for the hall will be: He has better numbers than Jim Rice.
Yeah.And lee Smith.Jeff Reardon and johnny
Franco have more saves than Fingers&Eck.
So what?
Young may be coming off a rough hitting year, but remember he had a broken finger. Yes, he has a big, five-year, $80m contract. But the dude is a top hitter as middle infielders go, and an excellent fit for the two spot in the order.
I was roasted last time I spoke of Mr. Young so I’m going to keep my mouth shut..but I like his numbers when compared to Castillo, anyone would…he’s not worth Murphy though even if the numbers for Young are better, just because of the expense.
The Mets should try and do what that Dodgers did with Andrew Jones to minimize his contract to Luis Castillo and then trade or release him. Then sign Hudson
Agree, I just wonder if there would be SOME team out there that would take half of Castillo’s contract for a LHRP or utility IF. Then sign Hudson for 3/21. He wants 4/40 but anyone giving him that would be insane.
i’m up for getting hudson at 3/21. but to be honest nobody is gonna take castillo we are STUCK with this BUM!!
No thanks…..limited defensively (despite GG) and not as good offensively as you think…on the down side and his contract is HUGE….I’d give up nothing to take on that contract….his numbers combined on the road for the last two seasons: .288/.340/.378, 5HR, 64 rbis in 650 ABs…..not good at all, those slash #’s we could get from Castillo for a lot less money and time…….and I’d dump Castillo for just about anything but a bigger, worse and longer contract no thanks
When this was first reported i was gitty. H-e-ll’s yes i was thinking. Then i was reading some posts how’s he’s over-rated and on the decline, so i went and looked for myself. And go look for yourself.
He’s basically a .315 hitter with 15 homers, the last 3 seasons. He’s basically Derek Jeter. Hey at least he’d only be 15 million though. Also his Home away splits are ridiculous. .305 home. 264 on the road. And pretty much for his career he has been a 30-40 point better hitter at home then on the road. And more recently his power has come at home at a 2-1 clip.
Now if you could give up nothing like Castillo and a low level arm or 2, I’d say go for it. Mets can indeed absorb the contract, and if it gets rid of castillo, i’d love to take a declining Young. At least he hits line drives, not slow rolling singles.
Also he’s not the best second baseman in the AL. Kingsler is better on his own team. So is Pedroia. So is Hill on toronto.
Mark,
Very very good points throughout, i totally agree.
Mark good point, sorry i even said he was the best 2b in the AL.. but i just get a lil exited when i hear we have an opportunity to get a 2b but then i wake in reality and see that this bum we got is killing EVERY single chance we have at getting better at 2B
Trade young, cheap (though unproven) talent for older expensive talent on the decline? No thanks? Murph may turn out to be nothing, but I still don’t take the risk, because it really does look like he can hit.
I completely agree with you on Murphy….. Every at bat he has a professional At bat. Works the counts, takes what the pitcher gives him. You don’t see young players doing that.
Look my take on Murphy is he will never be a superstar. NEVER!!!! but what he reminds me of is a Nick Johnson(without the injuries) or a Kevin Youkilis.
A guy who will walk a ton, hit over 300 and have 20+ Doubles and a chance at 20+HR. If he’s as a good at first/3rd as he’s supposedly is i think he is the 1st baseman next season as there is nothing on the market.
Not saying I’d make the young deal BUT
Again, Murphy is alot more likely to be
a Magadan type then a Youkilis type.
“Now if you could give up nothing like Castillo and a low level arm or 2, I’d say go for it. Mets can indeed absorb the contract, and if it gets rid of castillo, i’d love to take a declining Young. At least he hits line drives, not slow rolling singles.”
Thats true you are right, I can’t I just can’t bear to see this man swing allyear again, seriously do you think he hit more than 20 balls to the OF all yr?? I’ll take Young and Vincente Padilla’s contract and eat half Castillo….
Tvators, I’d take NOTHING back just to get Castillo off this team.
No, no, no to Young. $15m for five more years for a THIRTY-TWO year old who has demonstrated over the last three seasons that he is already on the decline (perhaps even had been ‘roiding?)?
No, no, no. Not for Murphy, not for anything that the Rangers would want.
Yes exactly the point. If they take on Castillo, and i’d consider it. I mean last season might be an aberration. And he could return to the .315 hitter with decent power and be a solid #2 hitter. He’d still be over paid, but then Yankee fans would notice exactly why every met fans says Jeteaaaaa is over rated.
Michael Young: Age = 32, Remaining Contract = 5 Years
2005: .331/.385/.513
2006: .314/.356/.459
2007: .315/.366/.418
2008: .284/.339/.402
Luis Castillo: Age = 33, Remaining Contract = 3 Years, $18M
2005: .301/.391/.374
2006: .296/.358/.370
2007(MIN): .304/.356/.352
2007(NYM): .296/.371/.372
2008: .245/.355/.305
You make the call.
Look at Young’s away numbers:
279/323/404
He’ll be Luis Castillo in 2 years if he leaves Arlington.
[Edit: Forgot to mention remaining dollars on Young]
Michael Young: Age = 32, Remaining Contract = 5 Years, $60M
2005: .331/.385/.513
2006: .314/.356/.459
2007: .315/.366/.418
2008: .284/.339/.402
Luis Castillo: Age = 33, Remaining Contract = 3 Years, $18M
2005: .301/.391/.374
2006: .296/.358/.370
2007(MIN): .304/.356/.352
2007(NYM): .296/.371/.372
2008: .245/.355/.305
You make the call.
PAGING MICHAEL YOUNG… MICHAEL YOUNG.. PLEASE REPORT TO METS ORGANITAZION.. MICHAEL YOUNG…
Here’s the thing Alex, unless they are taking Castillo then you are paying 18 million for Young to start and Castillo to be benched or cut.
When you most likely could have Hudson and Castillo for 13-15 million on a shorter contract.
Now again, if you could get them to take Castillo in the deal then it becomes much more clear.
Im sorry, other than 08, i dont see a drastic difference. And im not commiting to a 32 yr old 2B for another 5 years.
when is omar going to go back to boras with another offer?
When another offer is actually made to Lowe that is more that what he offered.
Ah, but did he actually make the offer? Or is it all happening in the Boras’s wonderland?
Way,Way off topic here…I just received and watched the dvd shea goodbye last night…man if you are a die hard met fan…mid to late 40’s (well any age I guess)…this is a must see!!!Really chokes you up…such a great history all the good and bad…I wouldn’t change a thing.(well I wouldn’t have traded Seaver in 77…but other than that).
What about Ryan?
Ryan was never gonna be Ryan had he stayed here BUT that said, he was moved
too early.
Please, and how do you know that? Kazmir wasnt going to be kazmir either right?
Wrong!, We all knew what Kazmir would be
except The Jacket of course But both Ryan
and his wife wanted out of here.
Yup. Another dumb trade – didn’t have the patience for Nolan to settle, thought he was too wild (remind you of Ollie thinking somewhat – notice I didn’t say Ollie, just Ollie thinking).
I remember thinking to myself when that happened – ‘this is gonna come back to bite them’. Sure enough…
Worst part was they(we) made no attempt
to get him back when a FA and he was then
The Nolan Ryan.
Well got a little of point but what the hell…how about giving away Amos Otis (wasn’t he traded for Joe Foy)…or Mickey Lolich for Rusty Staub!!!
Still love these guys and so do my french bulldogs…Agee & Shea…DieHard All The Way!!
I’m with ya. My dogs a Boxer, who wears a
Mets collar and whos name is Rickey(henderson)who was one of my favs and
should go into the Hall today BUT boy was
he a dog sometimes.
“Really chokes you u”
Carefull man.. that word is banned in mets blog..
Young is tight with Mr Jeter. I will be willing to bet money they go get Young and a prospect for Cano and Kennedy. Just watch.
I’d Rather have Cano than Young anyday of the week. Let them do that stupid trade.
Hey i’d rather have Lowe then Burnett and look what they choose. And i’d rather have Johan then CC and they chose the latter on that one also.
I’d also rather have Camron in CF then Melky/gardner/Damon….. Again looking like they are choosing the wrong one there also.
That was exactly my point.
Oh i know. I was just proving it could/would happen.
Trade Murphy to the Giants for Sanchez and use the money to sign Manny.
Johan, Pelfrey, Maine, Sanchez, Redding would not be dominant but would be servicable. You would still have about 20 million left to spend on Manny this year.
ABSOLUTELY a great point..
If you are trading with the Giants try to pry Molina away while you are at it.
And sign Bonds!
ur funny
I agree, but they think they will compete this year so I don’t see them trading him. However, I see Lowry or Sanchez being traded. I would do an Evans for Lowry trade if you could not get Sanchez.
But is Lowry any better than Redding at this point? Not that I wouldn’t consider Evans for him..
Also, Molina might have to be a salary dump if they really are signing Manny!
This guy just casues too many problems, just trying to figure out how to fit him on a team. budget wise.
Maybe, maybe not. But he is younger and cheap. Worth the risk for a guy like Evans and a couple of nothing prospects.
manny, Manny Manny.
I still go back and forth on this. I will stick with my 2 years max for an NL team, but I can’t decide if the Mets are 100% out, or somewhat laying in the weeds waiting for his price to dop enough to make it viable?
ALthough more likely, if any team is goning to get him at a “discount, it will be the other NY team!
I would do Manny for 3/65 that’s about tops
15, 25, 25.
That wouldn’t be Bad…..
Though i do tend to lean towards keeping Murphy, because he might be the Mets 1st baseman next season.
Now i’d go and give them something else for sanchez. Church/Evans/ Delgado/Castillo…. someone. Murphy looks like he will be a solid productive major league player.
Sanchez has nice #4 stuff. If they could get him and sign Lowe, move Redding to the Darren Oliver role. That would be awesome.
Sanchez is like Ollie, except younger and throws harder.
isn’t he coming off elbow or shoulder surgery though? Or am I confusing him sith someone else?
Let’s just hope and pray Redding doesnt
take the El Duque role.
No way can we count on Murphy for 1B next season or can we trade Delgado for Sanchez unless we are 100% going to get Manny.
Now if we could get Molina and Sanchez for Evans, Kunz and Delgado then sign Manny and another pitcher it could work. We would have a much better lineup.
Oh i agree TRS,
I have wanted delgado gone since last season ended. But I don’t see it happening.
But if it did happen, you need to either sign Manny and/or Dunn to replace him in the lineup.
Also i could see Murphy Manning first base. Most people didn’t think Youkilis would be a first baseman in the Majors, he would either be a defensive 3rd baseman with a decent bat. But he’s been a star at 1st. That’s what i think Murphy will be.
A good First baseman which is where he played in the minors. No he won’t ever put up 40 HR. But it is looking like he will be an above .300 hitter with Good power. He had 9 doubles in 150 ab’s. Translated into a 500 AB season is 30 doubles.
So i can see Murphy at every season .315, 15-25 HR, 30+ Doubles, 80+ RBI 80+ BB.
A nice solid hitter. And if the mets win a world series or 2 an superstar, best 1st baseman of all time. A MET GREAT. The consummate Professional. Any other jeterisms i can throw out there.
So i can see Murphy at every season .315, 15-25 HR, 30+ Doubles, 80+ RBI 80+ BB.
W-O=W!!
Agree, at best I see
.285, .375, .475, 15 HR, 70 RBI 30 2B’s. At BEST.
to be fari, those are nice numbers, and porbably worth more than Delgado getting 35 HRS but nothing else.
And the RBIs is not worth posting, since that will depend much more on where he hits in the line up. 80 would be great if he is in the 2 hole. But, if he took over Delgados spot in the order, and put up the rest of that production, he would almost certainly have more.
Put any decent hitter behind Reyes, Beltran and DW, and I bet they will have 100+ RBIs!
Hey look,
ESPN 1050 is reporting the Mets and Redding have agreed to a contract……
Way to be 5 days to late ESPN.
LMAO!! i guess they wanted to make sure the contract was sign.. are the mets holding a press conf for him??
sanchez seems to be a good answer if we lose perez, plus i’m sure omar will look at him based on his last name.. sanchez.. lol jk..
Con Cuidado Alex, One could get banned
for talkin’ like that about Don Omar.
si… pero no me importa!! just kidding.. i wouldn’t force the issue..
Just a heads up ’cause it happened to me
(a couple times). Then you’ll have to be
Alex243.
Happened to me too, but im still here !!!!
Yeah, well atleast theres always the back door. Or a window.
LOL, thanks for the heads up. i will have a new name.. I AM CHOKING.242
Thanks Alex, that leaves”we are choking, again” for me.
lol, ok.. lol..
I would rather have him than Perez. Younger and MUCH cheaper. Would allow us to still get Lowe or Manny.
or SHEETS and MANNY!!!
Alex, I’m at the front of the line with Manny
BUT what do we know about Sheets’health?
TRS have said it million times.. is a mistery.. i wish we sign him, but we’re going into a much safer direction with lowe and perez (based on injury)
I’ve been patient(this off season)w/Omar
BUT its getting friggin late early.
Still need a frontline SP, a Corner OF bat &
Castillo insurance.Wastin’ alot of time with
Boras.
Fong, who is really gone? I know it’s later than normal but every target is still out there. Now if Lowe signs with the Braves and Manny with the Giants or Dodgers then I will agree. Until then, it seems Omar is playing the market well.
Patient my dear friend.. PATIENT.. that is the best virtue..
Here’s a novel idea.
Sign Manny, and move him to 1B! Wonder how he would do over there? Might have to pay a little more attention to the game though.
j/k with this, sort of. He probably could play a decent 1B when he isn’t spry enough to cover LF anymore.
Manny’s defense in LF would not be as important though. He has the best CF in the game to help him cover some ground.
718,
i think this is ur first post today that makes sense.. good point..
alex,
im glad i can contribute, lol
Lol, ok.. i am glad for you to help our cause..
OR just sign Manny and play HIM at 2B.
stickguy, you drinking this early?
LOMAO, i thought he was joking!!
Only because of the cost and age of Young would I not do it. For the 13 million that young is going to cost with Murphy and some pitcher going the other way we could sign Hudson and keep Murphy.
Agreed, unless they are taking Castillo back in the trade.
Why are so many people talking about Murphy as if he’s THIS DYNAMIC PLAYER? He’s never been one of the Mets top 5 prospects, never been in the top 100. But for some reason people really KNOW he is going to be a great player? I’m sure many felt the same way about Timo Perez or Jay Payton.
Young is overpriced, but he’s a gold glove winner, and a straight out masher. I wonder how some of these people felt about Reyes, when he couldnt stay healthy, or Pelfrey when he was like 0-7? Let him do it for more than 131 at-bats, before we start saying, he is something special. He can probably hit, but he definitely isn’t know for defense.
I am also concerned that we are overvaluing Murphy. He has show great patientce at the plate. However, once pitchers know his weaknesses will he still have that same approach. It’s easy to take a walk when you are hitting .400. When you are hitting .225, not so much.
First off, you dont have to be a highly touted prospect to be a good player in the Bigs. Second, You can always teach a kid how to play defense, especially LF, but you can never teach a kid how to be a great hitter. What im saying is we have to give him a chance before we ship him away .
Lets stop being the Mets for a second and lets give our young players a chance to play. Especially ones that have played very well in their chances. Lets stop giving away our young talent for another overpriced aging 2B.
I’m not saying lets trade him.. I’m saying he’s only had 131 at bats. Mets fans were saying the same thing about Nick Evans, till he stopped hitting.
When and if Murphy stops hitting, i wonder what everyone will be saying then.
No one ever said much about Nick Evans.
Depends on his value. If it could bring back a guy like Johnathan Sanchez then I will pack for him. If it does not bring back much then of course keep him.
Why, when you could just sign ollie? Without giving up anyone?
Really? How hard is this to understand.
Sanchez is under control for cheap for 4 more years. Perez is going to cost us at least 4/40 a 1st round pick and a compensation pick.
Lots of major leaguers, good major leaguers, and Hall of famers, were never listed in the top 100, top 10, top 5.
That should hold no bearing to what was witnessed on the field. People didn’t think Murphy would be good in Double A, and all he did was put up his numbers. And that’s all he keeps doing at every level. He just keeps putting up his numbers.
Will Murphy ever be a Hall of Fame player. Probably not. Can he be a very productive MLB Player for 10-15 years YES!!!. He has a tremendous approach. He had 150 Great AB’s as a rookie called up from AA. Not many can do that. Look at the difference between him and EVANS.
And to my origional point. Mike Piazza was never in the top 1000 Prospects. Neither was Pete Rose. And Many Many Others. All while top prospects got to the majors and FLOP.
It’s a toss up game. Go Look at great players and when they are selected. Even David Wright wasn’t a 1st round Pick, he was a supplemental pick.
What you don’t get is that he may not be able to keep that approach. Once pitchers realize where his weaknesses are in the strike zone he won’t see as many pitches and will be forced to actually hit more. As I mentioned earlier it’s much easier to take a walk when you are a 1st year player hitting .400 than it is when you are a 2nd year player hitting .225.
the real,
the key is his patience at the plate, if he stops seing good pitches to hit he wont swing. He has great discipline, he forces pitchers to throw him strikes cause he wont just swing at anything. How many times has he worked an 0-2 count to 3-2?
Again, it’s hopeless. You don’t get it. Most players, unless they are super studs, have a weakness IN the strikezone. Murphy will see a lot more of those pitches next year. This year pitchers did not know him. Again, when you are batting .225 no one is going to walk you. When you are batting .400 you will see a lot more pitches.
the real,
i dont think you get the whole concept of patience and discipline.
I do get that he might not be able to keep this approach up. But why do you think he is all of a sudden a .225 hitter.
Oh it’s so easy when your hitting .400. Well you hitting .400 for a reason. It wasn’t like he had a cup of coffee in the Majors. He had 150 AB’s. and hit 313 with a less then 2-1 KK to BB ratio.
You and many others are so quick to dump this guy and many others because he either A isn’t a top prospect, or B have been burned by other top prospects. Were probably on the “TRADE JOSE REYES” fan club when he was having Hammy issues. Probably wanted to Trade DAVID WRIGHT when he came up and hit only .293 with 14 homers in his first 300 AB’s his rookie year.
Why does a rookie with success who wasn’t highly touted have to be traded or moved. And i know you’ll be on here right away if he has a bad season saying SEE WE SHOULD have traded him when his value was the highest. Same was said about milledge, and he had a pretty solid pro season as his first full season.
Mark,
YOU DA MAN!!!
Also if you read the scouting reports on Murphy it wasn’t his hitting that people were scared about. It was what position will he play. He doesn’t have First baseman’s power, and he was blocked by David Wright at 3rd.
Every scouting report on the kid was great compact swing. Great command of the strike zone. Great hitter, with possible 20HR power.
Also back to your origional point. In 2007 Scouts.com had murphy listed as the #30 overall prospect in baseball as a 3rd baseman:
http://mets.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=2&c=708482&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fmets.scout.com%2f2%2f708482.html
Since i think it’s the link to the story causing it to be awaiting moderation… here is my post without the link
Also if you read the scouting reports on Murphy it wasn’t his hitting that people were scared about. It was what position will he play. He doesn’t have First baseman’s power, and he was blocked by David Wright at 3rd.
Every scouting report on the kid was great compact swing. Great command of the strike zone. Great hitter, with possible 20HR power.
Also back to your original point. In 2007 Scouts.com had Murphy listed as the #30 overall prospect in baseball as a 3rd baseman
Type into google, Daniel Murphy, Mets, Scouting report and see for yourself.
I am not quick to trade him. Sanchez just fits the teams needs more.
And I completely understand plate discipline.
Mike Jacobs in 2005 had an OBP of .375. We all know he has NO plate discipline and Murphy has much more than him. However, point is that MLB pitchers learned how to pitch to him and he was never a high OBP guy again.
And don’t say that Jacobs was not an OBP guy in the minors. In 2003 and 2005 his OBP was over .370. He was injured in 2004 so that does not count.
Listen no one is saying Murphy is a scrub, but he’s had 131 at bats, not including the walks. That is NOT alot to go on. Sure he made things exciting and had a good approach at the plate, but he had just 131 at-bats. Before i endorse him being a great player, i wanna see him play more.
As for no one mentioning Nick Evans, thats not true. Maybe not on this blog, but on the CBS blogs he was being mentioned. ESPECIALLY when Delgado was struggling.
I’m just curious what kind of numbers you think Murphy would put up if he played a full season. He’s a good player, but not SPECIAL. Wright, Reyes and Beltran are special players, because they can hit, run and field. Murphy just showed us he can hit in 131 at bats
My opposition to trading for Young is not that I feel Murphy is untouchable; my opposition to trading for Young is that the Mets would be paying a guy $15 million a year when he’s barely worth $5 million at this point in his career. Everyone who his singing his praises has evidently stopped paying attention to what he’s done since 2005. He’s a .280 singles hitter with mediocre defensive capabilities. Kind of sounds familiar, huh?
Again, IF they would take Castillo then the deal makes more sense.
and 2 years from now (if it takes that long) we will be having the same discussion about how to get out from under Young’s contract!
I don’t like Hudson either, and don’t want them to get into any more big $ long term contracts at 2B with older players (and 30 is old for a 2B.
I would be fine with the Murphy experiement. Just wish they could try it in AAA for a couple of months 1st!
Actually, Murphy might be a better LT option. The 2Bs that last longer are the non-traditional types (bigger, more poser centric than speed/agility). Think Jeff Kent here!
Heck, Utley was a low-power 3B that moved to 2B to be a weak D guy, and that turned out OK (through a lot of hard work on his part). And he moved for the immortal David Bell!
the reality is that Castillo will be the starting 2B for the mets this year, Manny will not be in LF, and it looks like Lowe is an outside shot if Omar does not pony up more cash, which he may likely not do.
there are alot of things we do not know about here on this blog, such as the real value of Lowe or Murphy throughout the majors, the prevailing thinking on Sheets health, the market for Perez or what Mets braintrust feel about their pitching prospects.
in additon, it is important to recognize the economic factors that will become real over the next few years, such as the corporations that were being counted on for luxury boxes (merrill. chase, AIG, Goldman, Lehman bros, etc) and the high paid employees of said firms that could actually afford season tix.
you may not believe it, but NY baseball will be hit the hardest because they have become so dependant on that type of fan to cover the payroll. Omar may be more constrained than you think and while many posters here seem to be flush with Fantasy dollars, the Mets may have good reason to think differently
If only Castillo would just GO AWAY! The world would a better place.
I give the odds at 50/50 (if not higher) that he ends up hurt and on the DL again anyway.
having his knees give out and going out for the season is pretty much the same as just cutting him!
And a real good reason to get a legit BU MI this year (someone that could be a servicable FT player at 2B if need be).
Castillo is such a liability… I bet in the first gme this year Reyes gets on board, castillo grounds into a DP, and blows his knee out on the way to first.
Young is terrible and owed way way more money than Castillo. I don’t understand why anyone would want to trade for him.
Because they looked at his batting average from 3 years ago and saw him in the all star game once.
I vote for O Hudson
Pay $10M more and get Manny. j/k
No thanks, not when Hudson can be had for less than $10M and you still have the problem of not being able to trade Castillo.
Just sign Abreboo and call it a day. 2/18
I like Daniel Murphy a lot but his long term position here is 1B. LF is just a temporary position for him until Fernando Martinez is here (and he’s not a good LF). There are big 1B out there right now that no one even wants to sign. So how much value does Murphy really have to this team?
If you can get rid of Castillo and bring in Young in this trade, you have to do it.
People keeps saying “If you can get rid of Castillo in this trade”
… why do you think the Rangers would take Castillo?
They won’t. That’s why it has not been done already.
The issue is that Young isn’t anywhere close to the player he was. He is as overpaid as Castillo.
Exactly. Young’s contract is ATROCIOUS!!!!! He’ll be the next ‘dog’ the Mets will need to ‘get rid of’ in a year or two.
If you can get rid of Castillo and bring in Young in this trade, you have to do it.
And then you’re stuck with an even worse salary you are going to want to jettison in a year. Young is signed for FIVE years at $15 million. Good luck ridding yourself of that in a couple of years.
Correction. It’s closer to $13 million per season, but that’s still pretty bad.
But he’s a good 2B who can hit. The Mets charge a billion dollars for tickets, who cares about a few million dollars a year more for a far better player?
To all those talking about Castillo (and others) for Young, do a google search for Ian Kinsler.
This wouldn’t be a straight up trade anyway with what is owed to Young. Instead of sending cash back in the deal, its possible they could take Castillo instead and use him as a utility guy or just cut him.
How about they throw in one of those catchers they have and take castillo off our hands.
if not, looks like you stick with slappy….
I’ll take the worse salary on a far superior player. Even Young’s declining numbers would be far more of a contribution that anything Castillo could offer. Hope Luis proves me wrong though if he sticks around.
Murphy’s value will never be higher, and although he is young his body is rather filled out, and thus I do not see him developing power. His outfield defense is also a question mark. With this in mind, he does nto fit at LF because we need a thumper in the corner spot. He did not do well at 2b in the AFL, so that is a no too. This trade is a no-brainer. Part of being a good GM is knowing when to sell high, and Murphy will turn out to be a medicore slap hitter in my opinion. Pending on who the pitcher is, Omar should pull the trigger. We as Met fans have a nasty tendency to overrate mid level prospects (Milledge, Bannister, Escobar, the list goes on). This does not mean I want to trade the farm, but impact prospects are obvious to the naked eye, minor league fodder/AAAA player is what we often trump up. Murphy is the latter.
Agreed, if I can use him in a package to get young guys like Delmon Young or Johnathan Sanchez, I deal him. If that is not his value then keep him.
Delmon Young hasn’t shown anything in the Majors.
So you’d trade one not TOP prospect for another who in in 2 FULL MAJOR LEAGUE seasons has not topped 13 homers and has a .290 average.
I’d rather sit with Murphy and see what you get this year. then move him for a mediocre Outfielder who has shown ZERO power in 2 seasons in the Majors. But he was a top prospect at one point at least.
Speaking of which why would Minnesota make that trade?
Good lord you are all over the place. So Delmon Young does not have enough power but Murphy does? Especially to play 1B eventually?
Young will be a 15-20 HR guy with a lot of steals and a good BA.
And why would Minnesota do this? They need a 3B more than an OF.
Come on you know that Delmon Young still has a higher celling than Murphy. What is your over value of Murphy. I hope he turns into what you think he will. For the Mets sake. They are going to have 2 David Wright’s.
I agree with you there. I rather keep Murphy than get Delmon Young. He hasn’t proved much at all. They expected him to hit like Longoria and he’s no way near that.
“We as Met fans have a nasty tendency to overrate mid level prospects”
We as Met fans have a nasty tendency to over rate aging players based on stats in the past that they will most likely never produce again.
Look at his contract again and picture that at age 34, no less 37.
Millage was and is no “mid-level” prospect.
And heads up Jimmy Rollins About to be
interviewed on Cold Pizza or whatever they call that show on espn2. The tease was JRoll
to explain why the Phillies own New York.
that’s just stupid. head to head, philthies do not own the mets. they played well against the crap teams in the division and the mets didn’t.
I don’t get the Murhpy’s trade value “will never be higher” notion. If you can his weaknesses, you don’t think any GM in baseball can’t?
While I agree in trading Murphy for a Pitcher, Sanchez and Lowery are nothing more then #4 and #5 starters.
I do love Sanchez’s K ability, but the fact is he’s a what 26 year old Starting pitcher who has nothing more then 1 season with 150+ innings. Pitched to an Over 5 ERA with a nearly 1.5 WHIP. I love the potential, but he’s no guarantee.
Lowery is coming off major surgery on his Forearm and missed the entire season. So while in theory it would be nice to move Murphy for one of the 2 pitchers mentioned neither are realistically that good.
Also As mets fans we are fast to over-value our prospects. But the ones you mentioned were in the Minors and Bannister’s Brief Major league stint was terrific, and then he was traded to KC where he has become a decent back end innings eater. Something when the Mets made the trade of him could have used in 2006 and 2007. And can you tell me what in return they got for MR. Bannister?
That’s right ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!! Mr Bannister is and was seen as nothing more then what the mets just signed in Tim Redding. But as I’m saying if they never made that trade they never have to sign Redding. They are never heavily reliant on Pedro last season. You don’t see Figeourra or any of the other stiffs as he would have taken that spot in the rotation.
While we tend to over value them, not one mets fan thinks any of the prospects have SUPER STAR written all over them. I sure don’t see Murphy as a Super Star. I see him as a very good Major leaguer.
I would not trade Murphy for Lowry either. Maybe Evans.
However, to say that Sanchez is no guarntee is to imply that Murphy is.
Sanchez fill a role on the team and Murphy may fill one this year and who knows after that. Sanchez is just a better fit.
murphy hit .313 over 131 ABs.
34.1% of his hits went for extra bases. (d. wright has averaged 39.2% in his four full years)
he had a .397 OBP.
it’s okay to think dan murphy has a high ceiling.
He is a 7-8 hitter at best… And regarding the Bannister deal, I trade a soft tosser who was hovering around 500 for a flamethrowing potential closer any day of the week. Fair, it did not work out, but Bannister is nothing special, he is back end guy who can be picked up any year, not a young player to cherish. And as far as me saying Murphy’s trade value will not be higher, fans and the media alike seem to flock to his “playing the game the right way” or “good major league eye” abilities which we could sell him on before he is exposed. I am not saying he could be dealt for somebody good, but we should not hesitate to part ways with Murphy should the chance arise (i.e. he is no dealbreaker)
Actually, Young is due $62m over the next five years, which is just over $12m/year. Not as bad as $80m. And, he apparently had a broken finger that hampered him over the last two months last year. So, the Rangers will definitely need more in return for him.
And, he apparently had a broken finger that hampered him over the last two months last year.
So what’s his excuse for the previous 16 months of action from 2006-2008?
just laying out the argument for his price tag being higher than what some in this room seem to think it will be (i.e. castillo and murhpy).
…and, 2006 and 2007 were essentially average years for Young. He had over 200 hits in each season and hit .314 and .315 in ‘06 and ‘07, respectively. His HRs were down from the previous years, but no one accused him of being a home run hitter. That effected his slugging %, but that’s to be expected. You’re not paying him to hit homers, anyway. In 2006, he was 30th in MVP voting. He increased in doubles count from 40 to 52 from 2005 to 2006. While in 2007, his slugging numbers were a touch off (.041 pts), he still had 201 hits.
Does he really need to make excuses for these numbers?
I don’t understand why Matt would even post this. He knows we can’t add another ridiculous salary on top of Castillo. Your all getting all jacked up over nothing. If your pinching pennies for starting pitching, your not going to shell out 15 mil a year for another second baseman.
Its time for us to start getting realistic. These conversations are only going to make you guys more agitated when you come to realize that we don’t have money this season. Our time would be better spend discussing a guy like Ty Wiggington. Who can play everywhere.
there’s NOTHING else to post about.
yeah but Lee Smith was the most feared late inning reliever of the 80’s!!! LET HIM IN!
Lee Smith never saved a big or important
game in his life. When you think Lee Smith–
Think Armando Benitez.
Young is the kind of player that people who really don’t know much about baseball would support trading for. He has the name, the career stats, the all-star appearances, but anyone who actually knows something about this game, knows trading anything significant for this guy would be an absolute travesty, as well as taking on his salary.
100% correct Darkstar…..Texas should be adding players or cash to take that contract back…..
sorry that was supposed to be back in the jim rice discussion, I was joking being feared is no reason to be in the Hall of fame, but today it will becoem one, when Jim Rice after failing 14 times before will for some reason water down the hall today, congrats to being elected to the Hall of Very Good and above.
Again,my fellow fan if you think Rice was only
a “very good”player, you obviously were either
not around to see him play or didnt follow the
game at the time. Hell teammate Boggs is in the Hall and Rice not?
Admittedly when I was 2-4 years old I was not watching much Red Sox baseball, b/c those were the only times besides 1/2 other years that Rice put up Hall Worthy numbers…. most others years were not, again his best arguemnt for the Hall is he was “feared”, which is like saying I watched jeter everyday and he’s a good fielding SS, even though the #’s don’t say so….320/.374/.576 at home = Hall worthy, .277/.330/.459 = decent major lg OFer……overall = .298/.352/.502 = very good player not hall of fame….If Rice gets in I hope Moises Alou wears a met cap when he gets in as he has higher career BA, OBP and SLG and pitchers were mildly afraid of him sometimes….
Again, its called the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Great Stats
277/.330/.459 = “on the road”
Ok, it appears to me that the comments are going off base. So if I may for a second get on topic, I would like to add my vote for a Castillo/Murphy for Young trade.
I love Murphy but he doesn’t have a position here and would in Texas. And with this team being a win-now team, I think it makes perfect sense to do it if the Rangers would take Castillo’s contract and there is nothing more appealing from other teams (from the Rangers view)
Dan Murphy + Pitching prospect (not Niese, not Holt) = deal.
Are you guys insane? Did you not see he is owed 15 mill each of the next FIVE years? I would trade Castillo for him.. But 21 mill for the 2nd base position is ludicrous! Maybe Murphy IF they are willing to eat a lot of that contract.
I have a feeling Young would be a bust if he came to NY. His numbers are on the decline and he is owed a lot of money.
I didd not get to vote but I just wanted to say.
YES!!!YES!!!YES!!! I WOULD ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!
I can’t believe 50% said NO! WOW!
Because this is not fantasy baseball! You want to pay 15 mill AND Murphy for Young? That’s 21 mill for 2B and you lose Murphy. This is absurd. Now if we can dump them Castillo and get them to pay some salary.. or Castillo + prospect.. That’s a different story.
Lifer’s right, to get a pitcher and Murphy means they’d need to eat Castillo contract 100% & eat some of young.
But Lifer, I’d take the deal straight up. Castillo, Murphy and Holt for young. 15 million 4-5 years from now for one of the premier 2B won’t be much money by that time.
Remember when Piazza signed 7yrs/91 mil?? by the end of that contract, it seemed small too. Mets have the money and seriously need a consistent, right handed bat that can hit for power.
Might I add that young is awesome in the “Clutch” with this lineup also sorely needs. He shows a decline in B-avg. & power in the last year but he’s a gold glover and can steal a base here and there
So lets see….
Gold Glove infielder, Steals bases, has some pop, plays every game and never gets injured, is CLUTCH, (Hovers around 100 rbi’s), would great for D-wright…..
I’d say he fits right in. and at 15 mil it might be high, but to get all of the above and dump Castillo to get him, …..??? I’d say its a steal.
1) Reyes
2) Beltran
3) Wright
4) Delgado
5) Young
6) Church
7) Tatis
8) Schneider/Castro
Really need a guy after Delgado who can keep the rally going. How many times did an sizzling inning burn out with the bottom half of the order last year? This guy adds serious depth.
Thoughts anyone?
Michael Young was 17 runs above replacement level offensively last year. He was -4 at shortstop last year, which all in all made him 3 runs above replacement in the field. To put that in perspective, he was about as effective as Cesar Izturis and Ryan Theriot, but with a huge contract. I’d take him, but definitely not for Murph and a pitcher.
This is just stupid to me…Why would you give up a great young, talanted hitter and fielder in Murphy who you could easily put at second base and he would adjust..throw Castillo to the wolves, he’s done…have murphy (or Evans who’s also an infielder) at second and have the other and Tatis platoon in left OF would be a cheap and efficient patch to this defense..
no way I would give up Murphy for another overpaid, declining second baseman (im not saying he’s the same as castillo; he’s obviously much better)