Daily Archives: October 7, 2009
The Mets officially announced the acquisition of 1B Chris Carter and 1B Eddie Lora from the Red Sox in exchange for LHP Billy Wagner.
Carter has been added to the 40-Man roster, which is now at 38, according to a team press release.
The 26–year-old Carter hit .294 with 25 doubles, 16 HR and 61 RBI in 116 games with Triple-A Pawtucket this season.
Meanwhile, Lora, 20, hit .222 with a .287 OBP, three triples and three HR in 34 games with the Gulf Coast Red Sox.
Red Sox Monster once said Carter is most known for his ‘intensity,’ while Sox Prospects wrote:
“Extremely intelligent, Carter is a real student of hitting, and has demonstrated success with the bat at every level. Excellent power with the potential for more. Hits for average and consistently gets on base at a very good clip. Hits lefties and righties well. Below average speed. In the field, Carter has spent much of his career at 1B but was moved to the outfield in 2008. He has always been known as a poor fielder, and still doesn’t look particularly comfortable at any position. He has focused on his glove and footwork and has improved slightly, but still not enough.”
The Sox acquired Carter from the D-Backs in 2007, during a trade involving Wily Mo Pena, and a three-way deal with the Nationals.
Tagged News |Earlier today, Jerry Manuel made his final appearance of the season with Mike Francesa on WFAN.
To listen to the entire 20–minute interview, click here.
Manuel had the following to say regarding…
Job Security: Manuel admitted to being worried this season that he might be fired, knowing New York is all about 
winning, and he is thankful to have another opportunity to win a Championship for the Mets.
He knows he must get off to a good start, or his job status could become a distraction for his players, though he believes he has a mature-enough group to deal with it, ‘unlike a young team.’
Jose Reyes: He says he will likely visit and watch Jose Reyes work out in the Dominican Republic and New York this winter.
David Wright: Manuel believes Wright must start pulling the inside pitch, in an effort to drive the ball, instead of working to push it the other way, as he had been doing this season – if he does this, Manuel believes he will return to the power he had shown in previous seasons.
Angel Pagan and Daniel Murphy: “Pagan is a good complimentary player,” Manuel said, though he feels he can be a starting player if the team acquires a big-time hitter at another position. He says the same can essentially be said about Murphy. In short, Manuel believes both players can play everyday, but, as he said, “both in the lineup at the same time could be stretching it.’
Coaching Staff: He said the decision to keep or let go of specific people on the coaching staff was a ‘committee effort.’ The team will first look internally for a third-base coach, and will consider Razor Shines and Sandy Alomar Jr. among candidates for the bench coach position.
Josh Thole: He said, ‘The jury is still someone out,’ with regards to whether Thole can be the team’s starting catcher next season.
Injuries, talent and 2009: Manuel said, in his opinion, the team was in great position to win 90–plus games and win a World Series when it left Port St. Lucie, ‘where you train hard with a set group all spring.’ However, he explained, ‘when the injuries hit, and to be depleted in the manner we were, when you have six different shortstops, it’s difficult to program those players with the same style,’ because it essentially becomes spring training again in the middle of the season.
Citi Field: The team must play to the ballpark, he said, utilizing speed on offense, while his pitchers must limit the walks, throw strikes, let the opposition put the ball in play and rely on a strong defense.
To listen to the entire 20–minute interview, during which Manuel also talks about the team’s starting rotation, Bobby Parnell’s impact on the bullpen, and his picks for the 2009 playoffs, click here.
Tagged News, Twitter |Yesterday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said Omar Minaya might be planning to trade mid-level prospects for other team’s overpriced commodities.
In a post for NY Baseball Digest, Mike Silva explains why, “That should send a chill down the spine of every Mets fan.”
Instead, Silva suggests the Mets buy low on young players who may be out of favor, and expensive, to their current team, such as Rays OF B.J. Upton.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com recently said the Rays might listen to offers for Upton, who Bob Nightingale of USA Today said teams feel might eventually be traded.
The 25–year-old Upton hit .300 with 24 HR in 2007, but hit just .241 with 11 HR this season.
…his numbers are strange… he had between 45 and 50 extra base hits each of his first three seasons, however most of them were home runs in 2007, when batting mostly from the middle of the order, while he had less home runs but more doubles in 2009, when he hit most often from the leadoff position… in either case, he is striking out more and walking less, but stealing more and hitting more doubles and triples… like i said, strange…
…anyway, he’s clearly an exciting, impressive young player, with a ton of talent and raw skills… and, at 25 and still under contract for the next three seasons, he is a player i bet most every team will consider…
Upton will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this off season, and is not able to be a free agent until 2013.
Upton grew up in coastal Virginia and played baseball in the same community as David Wright, Mark Reynolds and Ryan Zimmerman, all of whom played together on the same summer travel team while in high school.
By the way, though he played only center field this season and last, Upton played 48 games at second base for the Rays in 2007.
Tagged News |In a report for Newsday, regarding the team’s media blitz on Monday, David Lennon explains 
why action, not words, are what matter most from the Mets right now.
I agree, 100 percent.
People keep asking why I have been so quiet in my response to Monday’s media tour. I’m quiet because I just don’t think what the Mets say in public matters at this point… and I no longer know what to believe.
It’s hard to take seriously a statement that labels poor results as ‘unacceptable,’ after which essentially every person responsible for the poor results is welcomed back… and that’s the thing, in the end, it’s all just language and window dressing, regardless of whether it is true or not… like Lennon says, now, for the Mets, it’s about action, not words.
The thing is, if the Mets are going to use big language, if they say they plan to spend and make trades and improve the roster, while using words like ‘unacceptable,’ then, guess what, they now have to follow through on those statements. Otherwise, the team will 
look like a bigger failure than it does right now.
Speaking of money, why do the Mets keep boasting, ‘We have one of the highest payrolls in baseball,’ which was repeated on several occasions this week, as if there is some special trophy for this ‘accomplishment.’ I would think, given the on-field results, payroll would be a source of embarrassment for the team, not a source of pride.
The Yankees are impressive. But, spending $200 million on payroll guarantees nothing, and, deep down inside, I believe most fans know this. Instead, I contend, while they may be impressed by the dollars being spent in the Bronx, most Mets fans know success is based on how you spend money, not how much you spend.
I hope the Mets understand this. I’m sure they do. But, emphasizing cost – and not the actual product – makes me fear they believe marketability, advertising and pre-season ticket plans are more important than on-field results; but, to Lennon’s point, in the end, these are all just words. True judgment will come on Opening Day and again next October, on field, and not in an off-season press conference… time to make things happen, gentlemen, just like you said you would.
By the way, to read more from Lennon, specifically how the team might already be lining up replacements for Minaya and Manuel, read his report, here.
Tagged News |
David Waldstein of the New York Times believes the Mets will look in to acquiring Roy Halladay, but, “It is unlikely they will have the prospects to entice the Blue Jays to make a trade.”
…i agree… but, let’s not get too hung up on prospects and farm systems… much like with the Johan Santana situation with the Twins a few years ago, because he has a full no-trade clause, if halladay flat-out rejects toronto’s efforts to sign him to an extension, the Halladay Derby might come down to the team capable of not only trading prospects to get him, but who also has the cash to sign him to what will most certainly be Sabathia– or Santana-like long-term deal… and so, again, like with santana, if the Yankees do not plan to spend that money on pitching, or if the Red Sox decide to spend on a bat, etc., who knows how the market will break and shape out…
…in the end, at least as of right now, i have no clue if the Mets stand a chance of getting halladay, who of course they’ll have interest in… i mean, who wouldn’t have interest in him… maybe they get him, maybe they don’t, maybe they have a chance, maybe they don’t… time will tell… all i’m saying is, to frame his availability as one of just prospects and a straight-up trade is ignoring the realities of MLB… instead, it’s about who has just enough talent to get him, because they’re capable of signing him to a seven-year deal… it’s a two-part move…
Tagged News |In a post to the Daily Stache, Matthew Falkenbury wonders what the Mets would look like if Bloggers ran the team.
… actually, i always thought the Mets would be a perfect candidate to be a publicly-owned team, like the Packers… for more, read here…
In a reports for Baseball Digest, Mark Healey continues his look at why the Mets are destined to fail.
To continue reading about the greatest HR in Mets history, read Mets Walkoffs.
Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest says SNY should not ‘break up the core.’
Dan Lewis lists his Five-Item Wish List for the Mets off-season, which include Accountability and Remorse.
In response to Monday’s press events, on Faith and Fear in Flushing, Greg Prince writes, “I’m all for accountability. I’m all for transparency. I’m all for proactivity. But sausage is not something I necessarily need to see get made. Just place it on a bun and get the Mets on a roll.”
Phil Hoops of Mets Merized Online suggests the Mets sign Mike Jacobs, who the traded in 2005 to get Carlos Delgado.
…for what it’s worth, the 28–year-old jacobs is under contract through 2011, but since he hit just .226 with 18 HR in the hitter-friendly, DH-happy American League, buzz from KC is he will be 
non-tendered… however, he hit 32 HR with 92 RBI last season with the Royals, and so he could be a considered a buy-low guy… in the end, i think the Mets will look to get more of a sure-thing, when trying to acquire a bat this off season…
…the thing is, and i am not sure who wrote it, either Ted Berg or one of the guys on Amazin Avenue, i can’t remember, but like he said, the Mets need to stop focusing on what players might become, and start building the team around what their players actually are…
Tagged News |
