Daily Archives: May 22, 2009
Padres RHP Jake Peavy rejected a trade yesterday that would have sent him to the White Sox, according to multiple reports.
Peavy has full no-trade protection.
“San Diego is the place for us,” Peavy told reporters yesterday. “We’ve made that decision, for the time being,” suggesting he could be open to accepting a deal to a different location.
According to SI.com, Peavy specifically told his agent he will only accept a deal to a team in ‘Middle America,’ and in the National League, as ESPN.com added.
…i have been sent all sorts of mock trade proposals from Mets fans, in an effort to get peavy, ranging from deals including Ryan Church to Mike Pelfrey to Fernando Martinez to Robert Parnell… but, what most people are missing is that a) he is not likely to accept a deal to New York City, or i bet it would have happened by now, and b) i don’t think the Wilpons will let Omar Minaya move Citi Field 500 miles to the west, all for the sake of acquiring one starting pitcher…
In the off-season, the Padres were close to working out two separate deals with the Cubs and Braves for Peavy, but both deals were never finalized, according to previous reports.
In Newsday, David Lennon writes a must-read report on Jerry Manuel, explaining how the manager uses his eyes, studying people before the game, to determine who should play and who should 
not.
Lennon quotes Manuel as saying:
“A lot of it is based on an ability to read individuals… To try to put them in situations that are best for them and then how does that fit in the context of winning… That’s why I like early hitting. I watch that very carefully because I think that can be critical in making the right decision on what you think is best. Not just study a number and say, ‘OK, he’s nine out of 10 against this guy.’ Am I going to get that one out of 10 or that nine out of 10? I don’t like to rely on stats.”
…this is a great argument to have, pitting people who are obsessed with statistics againt people who are not… manuel is approaching this more in the middle… in other words, if manuel knows a hitter does better against a left-handed pitcher, but that hitter has been struggling overall, especially in the cage, does it matter if that batter faces a lefty or righty if he’s just in a funk and likely to get out either way… at what point do the past stats become less relevant when trying to gauge the present for the future… i think some fans look at stats like an absolute given for what should and will happen, yet ‘going with your gut,’ like we’ve heard before, and ignoring stats may be equally ignorant…
Lennon proceeds to detail decisions that have back-fired on Manuel, while noting he tends to lead his team’s to a better record in the second-half of the season than in the first-half of the year.
Gary Sheffield had food poisoning and was unavailable during the three-game series in Los Angeles, Jerry Manuel told 
reporters on Wednesday.
Manuel said he expects Sheffield to back in the starting lineup during the team’s weekend series in Boston.
Sheffield is hitting .384 with three RBI in his last 26 at bats.
…for defensive purposes, i hope he uses sheffield as the DH, keeps Daniel Murphy at first, and uses Jeremy Reed in left field, since i trust reed most to navigate the Green Monster… reed is the second-best defensive outfielder on the team, and he has played 10 games in Fenway Park during his career…
…you know, four months ago, i never imagined i would be discussing the merrits of using Gary Sheffield, Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis… 
i mean, this happens every season, for most every team, at some point, because injuries are part of the game, but, wow… what a crew…
…that said, if and when the team’s offense does not turn it around, and if they need an injection of energy, it may be time for to promote Fernando Martinez…
The 20–year-old Martinez is batting .293 in 38 games for Triple-A Buffalo, with 23 extra base hits, a .344 OBP, while averaging just under one strike out per game.
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In case you missed it…
Jose Reyes had an MRI in New York yesterday, he has tendinitis behind his right calf, and he remains day-to-day.
He has not been put on the disabled list, and will be with the team in Boston tonight, though he is not expected to be in the starting lineup.
…i believe reyes may sit out this entire series, which is mind-boggling to me… i guess this means more Ramon Martinez, though i would rather a clumsy Fernando Tatis, who can at least hit, than martinez…
…seriously, how many times is this team going to do something like this…
…each of the last few seasons, it seems like one or two key players end up riding the pine for a days, then get an MRI, ride the pine more, they get one or two at bats, then end up on the disabled list, like Billy Wagner, Orlando Hernandez, Ryan Church and Carlos Delgado…
…this is why, despite yesterday’s ‘day-to-day’ comment, it would not surprise me if reyes ends up on the disabled list before tonight’s game…
…from what I can gather, though there is seemingly no urgency to trade for a first baseman, left fielder or starting pitcher, the Mets have been making calls to other teams about acquiring a role player who can slot in at shortstop, among other infield positions, since Alex Cora is not due back until late July, early August…
…i hope this means Indians infielder Mark DeRosa… the thing is, i bet they wait through the weekend to see how reyes progresses…
Yesterday, Ed Price from AOL Fanhouse said the Mets had been talking with the Indians about acquiring DeRosa, according to an official from one of the two teams.
Lastly, though there is no indication the Mets are interested, according to MLB Trade Rumors, the Mariners are clearly looking to trade infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, talking with teams like the Pirates and Padres, among others.
The 28–year-old Betancourt, who has played the bulk of his career at shortstop, while getting nine starts at second base, hit .279 last season, and is batting .269 in 36 games for Seattle this year, with just eight extra base hits and a .293 OBP.
He will earn $2 million this year, $3 million in 2010, $4 million in 2011, with a $2 million buyout for 2012.
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