Daily Archives: January 30, 2009
The following questions were all sent it to MetsBlog via e-mail…
Afros Supreme: “How come you haven’t talked about the Cole Hamels deal? Shouldn’t the World Series MVP signing for only $7 million cut into Oliver Perez‘s final contract? I’m a Mets fan, but I’ll be the first to admit Hamels is about 10 times the pitcher OP could ever be. How can he still command 14 million?”
Matthew Cerrone: Well, Perez can ask, but I’d be shocked if he gets $14 million per season, especially from the Mets. Also, Hamels’s contract was negotiated with one team and covers part of his arbitration years, so it’s understandable that the annual salary will be lower than if he were on the open market, with competition to help raise his price – if anything, Hamels’s deal will impact John Maine or Mike Pelfrey, who will likely seek new contracts from the Mets in the coming years.
Dr. Cashman: “I love how everyone forgets what Manny Ramirez has pulled in the past – faking injuries, refusing to pinch hit, refusing to back up teammates in a brawl, physically abusing a 60–year-old Red Sox official over tickets, and causing drama every year over showing up late to spring training… The Mets need to bring in ‘character guys,’ not more egos. Didn’t we learn anything from the Yankees when they over-paid free agents and won zero championship? No Manny, No way.”
Matthew Cerrone: Excellent points, Doc. Still, though, you can’t tell me it’s not exciting to think about what he would bring to the lineup – and, last I checked, his baggage, and all the things you cited, didn’t seem to keep the Red Sox from winning two World Championships and it didn’t stop the Dodgers from making the post-season.
J Stark: “Where is Orlando Hudson? How come we haven’t heard about 
him even entertaining offers from other clubs? Could he be waiting for the Mets?”
Matthew Cerrone: I think you’re right, I think he is waiting to see what the Mets do with Luis Castillo and what the Yankees do with Robinson Cano. The problem for Hudson is, it appears both Castillo and Cano are staying put. In the end, it’s looking like he may take a one-year deal with a team like the Nationals, and then re-approach the market next season.
Auliano: “Is there any chance that the Mets sign Garret Anderson to about a three-year deal and use Daniel Murphy as trade bait and wait for Fernando Martinez in a couple of years and ride Anderson until then?”
Matthew Cerrone: Dear Lord I hope not. If you try to ride Anderson for three years, you’ll be hitchhiking a long way. Also, if it takes Martinez three more years to make the major leagues, then something went horribly 
wrong and you’re gonna wish you still had Murphy. Yikes.
Kantonides: “Why don’t the Mets take a chance with Andruw Jones? If he could get back to form and play left field the Mets would have one of the best outfield in baseball.”
Matthew Cerrone: Jones is still looking for a major-league deal, which the Mets will not and better not give him. Once he’s willing to accept a minor-league deal, my bet is the Braves welcome him back, which is where he wants to be any way.
Adam W: “If George Bush becomes the commissioner of baseball, do you think we’ll go to war with the Mexican League?”
Matthew Cerrone: Like the kids say, “LMAO.”
Michael A: “I’ve noticed the Mets have been spending a million here, a half million there, on guys who realistically aren’t difference-makers – Casey Fossum, Cory Sullivan, Alex Cora – when you add it up, they could use that $4 or $5 million to sign Ben Sheets and Oliver Perez, instead of choosing one or the other. I feel that this isn’t a judicious use of a budget.”
Matthew Cerrone: I agree. I think most fans agree. Yet, the team doesn’t, which leads me to believe there is something in this equation we are not aware of. It’s seems simple to me, though. I realize the organziation needs players for Triple-A to fill in during times of injury at the major-league level, 
but with 75 remaining free agents and only 30 or so roster spots in the league, I have to imagine there will be plenty of people looking for work in a pinch.
C Sulli: “Why don’t the Mets Defer Luis Castillo’s contact like the Dodgers did with Andruw Jones?”
Matthew Cerrone: I get this question a lot in terms of Manny Ramirez, as well, wondering if the Mets can sign Ramirez to a two-year deal, paying him $10 million in 2009 and $40 million in 2010, etc. The thing is, to do this, you need four corners to turn their key, 1) the player, 2) the team, 3) the agent, and 4), and most importantly, the Players Union. Frankly, look at how extreme the scenario needed to be to jet the Union to allow Jones to do what he did. If the Union allows this to become a trend, where does it end? Point is, it’s not as easy as just telling the player, ‘Hey, deal with it.’
To watch my latest MetsBlog Mailbag for SNY, click here.
In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings column, for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark quotes a source familiar 
with the Mets thinking as saying, ‘signing Manny Ramirez is not going to happen.’
Stark says the Yankees have made it clear they will not be bidding on Ramirez either, and, according to a person familiar with their thinking, the Angels position to not pursue Ramirez is ‘etched in stone.’
Meanwhile, the Giants are only interested in Ramirez on a short-term deal, and talks with the Dodgers are in the same place they were in October, according to Stark.
In the end, Stark believes Ramirez may not sign a new deal until mid-March, allowing him to skip the majority of spring training.
By the way, Stark also believes Adam Dunn would prefer to play for the Dodgers, and so he may wait until Ramirez signs before choosing a new team.
Stark also writes about Ryan Howard’s arbitration case; five Winter League players worth noting; Jake Peavy, the Padres and Cubs, all of whom may resume talks during spring training; and Matt Holliday, who, according to a recent study, gets better on the road with every game he plays.
According to a report on MLB.com, the Mets have signed John Maine to a one-year, $2.6 million contract, avoiding arbitration.
Pedro Feliciano is the lone remaining Met facing arbitration.
Tagged Pedro Feliciano |According to Newsday, Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Ted Poe (R-Texas) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner asking that he force the Mets to ‘scrap’ 
their $400-million naming-rights deal with Citigroup, “because of the bank’s receipt of federal bailout money.”
The Associated Press talks with Ron Swoboda about his ‘two magical catches.’
Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest believes the Manny Ramirez Dream is Over for Mets fans.
Lastly, check out Andrew Marchand’s blog for 1050 ESPN Radio to hear clips of David Wells rip Joe Torre on the Michael Kay Show.
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the Braves would prefer to first sign Bobby Abreu, or look to trade for Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher, or, lastly, sign Adam Dunn, who is seeking $14 million per season.
The Braves have between $5 and $9 million to spend, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Mark Bowman of MLB.com believes it is now doubtful the Braves bring back Andruw Jones, because he is still looking for a major league deal.
Speaking of outfielders…
Last night, the Mets signed OF Bobby Kielty to a minor-league deal.
In 2005, Kielty, and his bright red hair, dressed up as Ronald McDonald before an A’s game, which you can check out in more detail by clicking here.
Tom Kaminski in Chopper 880 has new aerial photos of the Shea Stadium on WCBS880.com.
…you know, they should leave that one remaining section of Shea, just the wall, as a piece of art work in the parking lot… i think that’d be pretty cool…
By the way, just a reminder…
On Saturday, tomorrow, January 31, at 12:00 pm, a group of Mets fans are organizing a final farewell at Shea Stadium, ‘to share stories and take photographs of what is left of the ballpark… This is not for a funeral, but a celebration.’
According to an e-mail from one the event’s organizers, the group will be meeting on the north side of the demolition site near Gate A, or what is left of Gate A.
If you’re on Facebook, and plan on attending, you can get more details by clicking here.
Tagged Shea Stadium |Last night, a group of 30 die-hard Mets fans 
gathered outside the SNY studios, on air during the network’s Mets Hot Stove show, in what they described as the Million Manny March, while chanting, “Manny, Manny,” with some carrying signs, wearing customized Ramirez jerseys and dread-locked wigs.
To see photos from the rally, check out Priced Out of Citi Field, and this link, and to read quotes from the participants, check out the Daily News – and to read why the event may have hurt Ramirez’s chances, read Brooklyn Met Fan.
Meanwhile, in a report for El Nueva Dia, Carlos Delgado said he, too, would welcome Ramirez, adding, however, that baseball is a business and that all teams must work within a budget.
He’s not alone. Through a collection of 
conversations yesterday, I got the feeling Omar Minaya and both Wilpons are actually enticed by the idea of Ramirez batting clean-up for the Mets, just like most fans. However, also like a lot of fans, they are not interested in paying $20 million per season to get him, because it would come at the expense of the starting rotation – also, they have no interest in signing Ramirez beyond one season.
At this point, if it’s not going to happen, the Mets may want to consider coming out and just saying, “No, we are not going to bid on Ramirez,’ much like the Yankees did yesterday, because time and silence only fuel speculation, conspiracy theories and resentment towards ownership’s decisions – regardless of how wise they may or may not be.
Otherwise, people will continue to create crazy scenarios and think there is a chance – and rightfully so.
Frankly, I think most fans will accept whatever their reason – be it financial, personal, etc. Sure, there may be some backlash for a few days – but, after that, most every one will turn their attention to the rotation, which is the same as last season; the starting lineup, which is the same as last season; and, to more important subjects, such as the start of spring training, hating the Phillies and getting ready for the season.
OK, enough already, let’s get to it…
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However, let’s assume the Mets have just $20 million or so to spend on payroll for 2009, and still need a starting pitcher…
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According to reports from yesterday, Mets GM Omar Minaya met with Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
However, Newsday writes, “It was more of a courtesy to Martinez than a big sit-down to talk contract… Minaya was in the Dominican Republic on a prearranged scouting trip,” according to a person familiar with the situation.
Minaya told Newsday in an e-mail yesterday that 
he has was simply keeping in touch with Martinez, while adding there is nothing new to report on negotiations with free-agent RHP Oliver Perez.
Yesterday, Marty Noble of MLB.com categorized Martinez’s chances of returning to the Mets as ‘a long shot,’ according to a person familiar with the team’s activities.
In the Daily News, John Harper believes the Mets will only bring Martinez back if they fail to sign Perez, or fall-back options Randy Wolf or Ben Sheets.
Nevertheless, according to the New York Post, Martinez plans to use the WBC as an audition for major league teams.
As Adam Rubin of the Daily News put it last night on SNY’s Hot Stove Show, Martinez is most likely going to want a guaranteed contract – however, how can the Mets give him anything other than a minor-league deal, when they already have Freddy Garcia, Tim Redding and Jon Niese competing for the fifth starter spot.
Speaking of pitchers…
Ken Gurnick of MLB.com believes the Dodgers and Randy Wolf have resumed contract talks, though Wolf is unlikely to make a final decision until after Perez inks a deal.
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
