Daily Archives: January 22, 2009
Adam Rubin of the Daily News reports the Mets and free-agent RHP Freddy Garcia have agreed on a minor-league contract.
According to Rubin, the deal could reach as much as $9 million due to incentives.
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that ‘according to major league sources’, free-agent pitcher Randy Wolf may soon sign with the Dodgers.
Wolf has been rumored to be part of the Mets’ contingency plan, should they fail to sign Oliver Perez.
…so if all the rumors are correct, and with the signing of garcia, it could soon be down to perez, sheets, and garland…oh, and some guy named pedro…
Tagged Randy Wolf, Regis Courtemanche |Danielle Sessa of Bloomberg.com spoke to Mets COO Jeff Wilpon about the possibility of acquiring free-agent OF Manny Ramirez.
According to Sessa, Wilpon denies the perceived notion that Mets ownership has said no to the acquisition of Ramirez, rather that Mets GM Omar Minaya has not brought the idea to ownership because the baseball staff is not interested in the 36-year-old slugger.
Wilpon goes on to say Minaya has ‘total flexibility’ to acquire another pitcher and is not concerned with acquiring an outfielder, notes Sessa.
…first off, many are going to blame the wilpons for not wanting to increase payroll, imply the madoff ponzi scheme has tied their hands, or even the image of manny being manny as reasons why Mets ownership lacks interest, but i highly doubt any of these are the case…
…if the ‘baseball staff’ truly lacks interest in manny, then it is minaya and his staff that are to blame…
…i understand the focus on pitching…pitching wins in this league, but if the Mets want to admit it or not, there are other holes on this team that have yest to be addressed, the corner outfield spots being one of them…
…if i were minaya, i certainly wouldn’t pin my hopes on the continued progression of Daniel Murphy and for Fernando Tatis to continue his amazing comeback…add the uncertain production of Ryan Church to the mix as well…
…so, before you jump to blame the wilpons for the Mets lack of interest in manny, take jeff wilpon at his word that minaya and his staff are the ones uninterested, and then ask yourself why…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Once a week, dating back to mid-summer, I post a 
video of New York Baseball Today, a three-minute web video produced by SNY.tv, which features a variety of guests who discuss the Mets and Yankees.
If you watch the show from time to time, and feel like providing a bit of feedback to help us improve for next season, click here.
Tagged SNY |The Mets today officially announced the signing of infielder Alex Cora to a one-year contract.
Mets GM Omar Minaya, on the signing of Cora:
“You win championships with a 25-man roster. Alex Cora has been an integral part of teams that have been to the postseason in four of the last five years.”
Cora, who has spent the last three season with the Red Sox, batted .270 with a .371 OBP while striking out only 13 times in 152 at-bats last season.
…this is a good signing by minaya…the bench, which minaya seemingly neglected last season, will be improved with the addition of cora…despite the lack of power, cora is a much better option than Damion Easley…
Tagged Mike Nichols |Joe at Mets Today wonders why the Mets are acting like a small-market team this winter, writing:
“The Mets are based in New York City, own their own superstation, and have attracted a loyal and rabid fan base that numbers in the millions. But they haven’t been able to make the most of those advantages in terms of dollars.”
At the blog Priced Out Of The Citi, Mackie comments on the retiring of Jeff Kent. Also, Metstradamus expresses no sympathy with his must-see illustration of the former Mets second baseman.
Watching ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball just got better, as former Mets GM Steve Phillips is slated to join Joe Morgan and Jon Miller.
Phillips, as quoted here said:
“Jon and Joe have set the standard for baseball telecasts over the last 19 years, and I look forward to being a member of their team.”
…to me, and stop me if i’m being too harsh, they only set the standard for how to be boring broadcasters…
The ‘Ropolitans thankfully forward along useful information regarding Delay Play, which syncs your radio broadcast with TV programming so that the ESPN crew is silenced.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |In today’s edition of Daily Scoop, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated discusses the teams that will still make moves this off-season, including the Dodgers, Brewers and Braves.
Of the Mets, Heyman writes:
“They are hoping to land Perez after missing out on Lowe. While they have been looked at as the favorites for Perez, there’s still quite a discrepancy in where the sides stand (Perez seeks about $60 million over five years, while the Mets have been thinking more like $30 million over three). ”
“Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Sheets are all part of the backup plan. Some inside the organization are wondering whether one year for Sheets is wiser than five for Perez, though GM Omar Minaya loves Perez (even over Lowe), so the Mets may stretch a little to try to retain Perez.”
…i try to be a patient fan and let the chips fall where they may, but the media swirl around the same couple of names every day is starting to affect me a bit – it feels like a merry-go-round…if Ben Sheets is not considered to be healthy enough, the Mets should bring back Ollie, but five years and $60 million is outrageous…
Metsblog reader Mike Baron sent in his flickr slideshow which captures the current state of Shea Stadium, including the picture below.
Also, the guys at Baseball Fever have many disturbing images of the deconstruction process as well.
…again, as excited as i am to see citi field open up, it is just as disturbing to see a place that holds tons of memories for me, both good and bad, come crashing down…reminds me of when i finally sold my 1989 nissan sentra, complete with rust holes and no radio for $300…
The following video, courtesy of SNY.tv, is of my recent phone conversation with Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors, during which we talk about whether the Yankees are after Oliver Perez; why the Dodgers are sitting on $50 million; and whether the Braves are still looking at Jake Peavy:
In short, based on what he is reading around the web, Dierkes feels the Yankees have roughly $10 million left to spend, and only become likely to sign Andy Pettitte or Oliver Perez, for instance, if they’re able to trade OF Xavier Nady.
Meanwhile, Dierkes believes the Dodgers are still earmarking dollars for Manny Ramirez, and a starting pitcher worth less than $10 million per season, like a Randy Wolf.
Lastly, Dierkes no longer sees the Braves as a possible landing spot for Padres RHP Jake Peavy, who could still be moved before the start of the season.
Tagged SNY |
Keith Law, writing for ESPN.com, ranks every organization’s farm system, with the Mets coming in at 17th:
It took a few major trades, but their system finally has thinned. Their international scouting department has saved the system, with three of their top six prospects (Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte) all coming via that route. Keep an eye on Brad Holt, a potentially fast mover from the 2008 draft whose curveball is improving.
…i think this is a fair ranking, but one that could be drastically different next year… as Law notes, Wilmer Flores and Jefry Marte are two of the team’s top six prospects, and played at Kingsport and in the GCL, respectively in ’08… as such, big seasons further up the ladder should catapult them, as well as the rest of the system… also, better seasons out of first rounders Ike Davis and Reese Havens should help, as well…
Law ranks the Braves as the fourth best system, while he places the Marlins at eight, the Phillies at eleven and the Nationals at twenty nine, while the Yankees are fifteenth.
Tagged Minors, Wilmer Flores | ← Older posts
