Daily Archives: August 27, 2009
Last week, the Boston Globe reported Red Sox 1B-OF prospect Chris Carter would be one of the two player’s to be named later in the swap with the Mets for Billy Wagner.
Tonight, the Globe’s Amalie Benjamin said on Twitter that the Yankees claimed Carter on waivers, blocking him from being immediately traded to the Mets.
Benjamin later explained that the Sox, obviously, pulled Carter back, meaning he will not be traded to the Mets until the off season.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes the Yankees likely claimed Carter, knowing the Sox would pull him back, which will force Boston to keep on their 40–man roster through September.
…typical… thanks, cashman… i mean, the Mets will still get carter… it’s just, he could have been on the team in September, in Citi Field, allowing us and the Mets time to see what he’s about in advance of a busy off season… now, he’ll just sit idle, occupying a roster spot in Boston…
For more on Carter, click here, here and here.
Carter is batting .279 with 14 HR and 59 RBI this season for Triple-A Pawtucket.
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Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Padres will entertain offers for 1B Adrian Gonzalez this off season.
…he’ll cost a fortune, though… for instance, when the Dodgers were linked to the Padres in rumors regarding gonzalez at the trade deadline, the talk was of James Loney heading to San Diego in the deal…
The 27-year-old Gonzalez will earn just $4.75 million in 2010, with a $5.5 million team option for 2011, after which he can be a free agent.
..speaking of first baseman, it will be interesting to see if the Brewers look to trade Prince Fielder, who will cost at least one serious pitching prospects, i would think… i am not a huge fan of his, but, like was the case with Adam Dunn, he draws walks and is certainly capable of hitting the ball out of any ballpark, let alone Citi Field…
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The Mets beat the Marlins by the score of 10-3 today at Land Shark Stadium.
For a full recap and box score, click here.
The Least You Should Know:
It was a landslide at Land Shark Stadium today. Every starting position player had at least two hits, topped off by Daniel Murphy who had three RBI on the day. Angel Pagan, and Fernando Tatis also had solo homers today. Overall, the Mets notched 17 hits.
Tim Redding had a shaky start, giving up a leadoff home run to Chris Coghlan who had two solo shots, but then got out of a bases loaded jam and pitched relatively well today. He went into the seventh inning and gave up two other solo homers and five total hits, but that was it.
Other Observations and Notes:
The Mets’ five game losing streak has ended, and all twelve people at Land Shark Stadium were there to see it on a hot day in Miami.
When Coghlan homered to start the game, I rolled my eyes and expected the worst. I was wrong, and if Redding can give the Mets that kind of production the rest of the way, it will be tremendous.
Nice, clean game. They put the ball in play when it mattered, and it paid off today.
The Next Game:
The Mets start a three game series against the Cubs tomorrow at 2:20 p.m. with Pat Misch (0-1, 4.09) making his first start of the year, opposing Ted Lilly (9-8, 3.40) at Wrigley Field.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |Kent: I would love to see Carl Crawford call Citi Field home in 2010. I think Citi Field would suit his talents well. I read that the 
Rays may have been looking to trade him before the deadline. Do you think the Rays will be looking to trade Crawford in the off-season? What do you think the Mets would have to give up to get him?
Matthew Cerrone: In the days following the trade deadline, I was convinced the Mets would make Crawford a top priority this off season, since he fits many of their Citi-Field needs. Now, I’m not so sure.
The Rays are said to be looking to clear money from their payroll, but that was more of 2009 issue, to acquire pitching, than it is a need for 2010. Frankly, it might have been easier to acquire Crawford last month, assuming a team would take on all of his salary, than it will be to acquire him this winter.
I have no idea what he’d cost. I bet there are lots of rumors this winter connecting the Mets and Rays, because they are willing to move three players - 1B Carlos Pena, LHP Scott Kazmir and Crawford - all of whom happen to play positions the Mets will likely look to upgrade.
The 27–year-old Crawford is batting .316 with a .372 OBP, 44 extra base hits and 54 stolen bases this season for the Rays.
He has a $10 million team option for 2010, after which he can become a free agent.
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Last week, Adam Rubin of the Daily News said C Josh Thole, 1B Nick Evans and RHP Eddie Kunz will be promoted to the Mets when rosters expand in September.
Will Sommer of Mets Fans Forever talked with Thole the other day in Binghamton, for a Q&A that you can read here.
Here is one exchange from Sommer, regarding Thole’s defense:
Sommer: Some scouts view you as weak in terms of your defense.
Thole: They an think what they want to think. It’s their own opinion. I feel confident and comfortable back there. So different strokes for different folks I guess you can call it.
Yesterday, on WFAN, Jerry Manuel was asked about Thole, after having watched him in spring training, and said:
“I thought he was a gamer. I don’t usually throw that term out too liberally, but I thought Josh Thole was a kid that looks like he loves to compete, loves to scrap, loves to grind out at bats, loves to engage in strategic conversation as far as the pitcher and batter are concerned, and I was really, really impressed by the job our player development people have done with Josh Thole. So, I look forward to watching him play… I will get him in there, Josh Thole will get an opportunity to play.”
The 22–year-old Thole is batting .324 with a .390 OBP, 32 extra base hits and 45 RBI in 100 games for Double-A Binghamton.
He’s batting .324 against lefties, and .323 against righties.
Tagged News |In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney says Omar Minaya will remain as GM of the Mets, “But whether or not he retains actual power is probably another question altogether.”
According to Olney, “The Mets need a Bill Parcells type, because of their internal dynamics, because of their current quandary, because they are in New York.”
As such, he suggests seven people Mets ownership should look at, some of whom are available, some of whom are not, including A’s GM Billy Beane, Bobby Valentine and Buck Showalter.
Regarding Valentine, Olney writes:
“First and foremost, there is the advantage of familiarity that Valentine
has with the organization and the Wilpons have with him. He is a great baseball mind who would serve the organization well, and if the Mets brought him in to be the team’s Mike Scioscia… he’d be a great fit. He and Minaya know each other well, and the hiring of Valentine would allow the Mets to keep Minaya as the GM while assigning the true power to somebody else, because Valentine and Minaya would work well together. Valentine will be available this fall.”
…i have heard that for valentine to return to any team, the Mets included, he would need an influential seat at the table, and maybe even have veto power over roster decisions… i like it… the thing is, how many GMs can the Mets have… i mean, they want to give John Ricco more power, minaya might still be around, Jeff Wilpon obviously has a say, and then you’re gonna add valentine to the mix… i mean, can i get a vote too, at that point…
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The Mets (57–70) conclude their three-game series with the Marlins (67-59) at 1:10 pm in Miami today, with Anibal Sanchez taking on Tim Redding.
Angel Pagan will leadoff, followed in order by Wilson Valdez at shortstop, Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, Cory Sullivan in left field,
Fernando Tatis at third, Omir Santos, and Anderson Hernandez at second.
Redding (1-4, 6.10 ERA) lost his only start against the Marlins this season, allowing seven runs over four innings in May. Opponents are batting just .188 against Redding in the first inning this season.
Sanchez (2-4, 4.97) gave up just one run and two hits with seven strikeouts against the Braves in his first game back from the disabled list last week.
He tossed five shutout innings against the Mets on April 10, but allowed six runs to the Mets two weeks later.
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Yesterday, the Rockies designated OF Matt Murton for assignment.
According to R.J. Anderson of Fan Graphs, “Murton has major league baseball player talent, some team should give him the label, jersey, and roster spot and reap the benefits.”
In July, in a column for SNY.TV, Ted Berg wrote:
“Murton is the type of guy I always harp on in these columns because I can’t understand why he hasn’t had more opportunities to play… it’d be awesome to see the Mets cash in on a guy like him for once.”
The 27–year-old Murton is hitting .287 with a .353 OBP, 80 extra base hits and 112 RBI in 339 career games between Colorado, Chicago and Oakland.
…the Mets really should claim this guy… i suppose a team like the Nationals could snag him first… like i just discussed with berg, he’s better than Ryan Church, and probably better than Jeff Francoeur, because of his plate discipline… he hits well against left-handed pitching, he’s quick on the bases, he’s a decent outfielder, and while he doesn’t have the best arm, his power is still developing, he’s never really been given the chance to play everyday, and he’s at that turning-point age of 27… i’m not saying he’s a lifesaver by any means, and he could easily just be sent to Triple-A again, but he’s a player the Mets should consider, considering where they are at with their roster, physically and financially…
Murton is hitting .267 with a .327 OBP, one HR and six RBI in 22 games for the Rockies this season.
Tagged News |Matthew Carruth of Fan Graphs takes a look at what’s left on Johan Santana’s contract, and whether the Mets will get their money’s worth.
In a post to Faith and Fear Flushing, Jason is worried the Mets may be headed towards the abyss, writing, “I know the Mets are badly 
run, I fear they’re financially damaged, and I worry that the latter will make it impossible to fix the former.”
Michael Ganci of the Daily Stache lists a nine-point plan for ownership to get the Mets back on track, including, “Bring back Steve Phillips.”
Dominic of Pessimets creates a mock conversation between Luis Castillo and the Devil.
Dave Singer has some fun at NY Sports Dog, reporting a variety of Mets bloggers have also hit the disabled list, writing, among others:
“Matt Cerrone of Metsblog skipped a start due to losing his ability to ‘sense’ what is going on with the Mets. After a 3-hour break from Mets blogging, Matt is back and convinced he can once again ‘sense’ in the manner his readers have become accustomed to.”
…nice work, dave… well played… i sense you are correct…
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Sam Page looks at the role of David Wright, having an edge, and being a leader.
Lastly, if you’re a Mets fan in Chicago for this weekend’s games against the Cubs, Julie from Chicago Mets Fan says fellow fans will be meeting before each game at Merkle’s, located at 3516 N. Clark Street, which is a block south of Wrigley Field.
For more on Merkle’s, click here.
Tagged News |Assistant GM John Ricco told reporters yesterday that Carlos Beltran is in St. Lucie awaiting the results of an MRI, which, if all goes well, will clear him to run the bases.
…from what i understand, it goes MRI, run bases, slide, then return to the team around the first week of Sept., then ease back in to playing…
David Wright took batting practice with Single-A Brooklyn yesterday, for the second-straight day.
…the word from Citi Field is that wright must first go through a series of tests, on field and with a doctor, at which point, if all goes well, could allow him to re-join the team towards the middle of next week in Colorado…
…lastly, from what i can gather, Carlos Delgado has been essentially idle after he pulled an oblique muscle the other week… he wants to get back on field, to help his chances of getting a contract next season, as he is a free agent this winter…
Speaking of injuries…
The Mets have roughly $90 million in salary on the disabled list right, which, according to the New York Post, is more than the total budgets of 17 other teams.
…i asked the following a few weeks ago, but i’d like to see if the results have changed at all:
[poll id="294"]
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