Daily Archives: October 21, 2009
According to the Associated Press, “Bobby Valentine will have his second interview with the 
Indians on Thursday.”
Yesterday, Manny Acta met with the Indians for a second time, as well.
The Indians also intend to interview Dodgers batting coach Don Mattingly, as well as two other undisclosed candidates, according to the report.
…ugh, i am so torn… i like bobby, i hate to root against him to find work… but, at the same time, i hate the thought of him going to another team… of course, it’s not fair to wish him out of work, just in case the Mets decide to seek a new manager some day… ugh, again…
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New York City ranks third, behind Los Angeles and Boston, but ahead of Philadelphia, as America’s Hottest Sports City, according to Forbes.
However, Forbes writes, “The recent drag on New York pro sports scene? The lowly Mets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2006.”
…ummm, really, forbes… have you seen the Knicks over the last decade… and, please, don’t get me started on the Jets…
…hat tip to Mets Police, on Twitter, for the link…
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Jon Heyman of SI.com believes Matt Holliday first prefers the Yankees, then the Dodgers, Angels and Mets, “perhaps in that order.”
…in reading heyman’s report, it sounds to like, if the Yankees bring back Johnny Damon, and if Manny Ramirez executes his option to stay with the Dodgers, the Mets and Angels could essentially end up competing for holliday, who i have to think will end up with whomever gives him the most years and money…
According to Heyman, “Holliday is said to be preferred by Mets people to Jason Bay as a gung-ho clubhouse presence and a little better bat.”
To read more from Heyman on the Indians managerial search, the Padres next GM, and the Ramirez situation, check out his report at SI.com, here.
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Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing looks back at the day the Mets traded Mookie Wilson, when he realized the 80s were really ending.
…actually, greg’s post got me thinking, in my lifetime, the Mets have only really been good in 10–year swings, always towards the end of the decade… early 80s awful, late 80s great… early 90s awful, late 90s fun and exciting… early 2000s awful, late 2000s exciting and dramatic… and now it’s time for the early 2010s… hopefully, this trend is about to end…
By the way, in case you missed it, Adam Rubin of the Daily News said the Mets are close to bringing back Wilson, John Sterans, Tim Teufel and Wally Backman in to their minor league system.
Tagged News |According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com, Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman will arrive in New York today and begin a series of meetings with MLB teams.
In August, Arangure did a video interview for ESPN with Chapman, with clips of him pitching, which you can watch by here.
In July, in a report for ESPN The Magazine, Arangure said many scouts believe Chapman is the best left-handed pitching prospect in the world.
…from what i can gather, out of people around MLB, because he is in his early 20s, left-handed, has a huge personality, a big-time fastball known to reach 100 mph, along with a decent set of secondary pitchers, there is a chance he could land a six-year deal, with numbers getting up around the Daisuke Matsuzaka, $40 to $50 million range…
According to Buster Olney, of ESPN.com, “Some evaluators view Chapman as a left-handed Stephen Strasburg, who was the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft last month.
“He’s pretty special,” a team official told Olney.
Chapman’s agent told Yahoo! Sports in July that his client will be in shape and ready for next spring training.
Update, 2:00 pm:
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post said, “The Mets have said they’re interested.”
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In a post to Metstradamus, John takes a closer look at C Brian Schneider.
In the end, John writes, “Considering the options out there, Schneider doesn’t look so bad.”
…my hunch is the team will return rookie C Josh Thole to Triple-A next season… he looked good, and i believe they see him having the potential to be a Paul Lo Duca type, but he needs time in Triple-A where he can catch former major-league pitchers, who have more substantial repertoire than he received in Double-A… i bet he gets recalled at some point in the middle of next season, though, but i get no sense he’ll be on the opening day 25–man roster… in the end, assuming they get a bat for left field, i feel the Mets should sign a free-agent, defense-first, veteran catcher to split time with Omir Santos…
To check out the full list of potential free-agent catchers this off season, which includes Rod Barajas, Benjie Molina, Yorvit Torrealba, and Ivan Rodriguez, go to MLB Trade Rumors.
…because the team is said to value defense first at catcher, i have a feeling we might hear lots of buzz connecting the Mets to barajas and pudge… barajas is a platoon catcher, best used against left-handed pitching, he is strong on defense, he’s been around the block, he doesn’t walk much, but he can hit for power and he’ll hit some doubles… pudge is still strong on defense, but offers little in terms of power… in pudge, the Mets would be signing a leader, but he gets hurt a lot and i have to think he’ll again seek out a starting job before settling in to a platoon with omir… i’d toss torrealba in the mix, because he is a contact hitter, a decent defender with a strong arm, and his super intense, but i just can’t see him or the Mets going down that road again, given what happened last time…
Last week in the Boston Globe, Michael Silverman said Victor Martinez will likely be the starting catcher for the Red Sox next season, adding, “The Sox hold a $5 million option for Jason Varitek’s services for next season. If they decline it, Varitek then will decide if he wants to stick with the Red Sox for another year for $3 million or go to free agency and seek a full-time catching job somewhere else.”
In 109 games this season, Varitek hit just .209 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI, after hitting just .220 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 2008.
Last off season, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Mets were divided on whether to sign Varitek, who ended up returning to Boston.
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Matt from Seven Train to Shea wishes Keith Hernandez a Happy Birthday, as he turned 56 yesterday.
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Meddler looks in to the off-season Bargain Bin, shopping in the BABIP aisle, while looking at players like Jody Gerut and Hank Blalock.
Dominick at Pessimets looks in to answering the seemingly inevitable question of who to root for in the World Series, the Yankees or the Phillies.
…frankly, i’m trying not to think about this, and i do not plan on addressing it, until it actually happens… go Angels, go Dodgers…
This year’s post-season reminds Mets Lifers of the Mets.
ESPN’s Steve Phillips is having issues, according to the New York Post.
Lastly, Joe Janish of Mets Today takes a look at Jon Niese’s 2009 season, concluding, “Niese is nowhere near ready to be counted upon to take the ball every fifth day for a championship club.”
Tagged News |According to Impacto Deportivo, Licey Tigers manager Dave Jauss was in New York on Monday to meet with the Mets about a job in the organization.
…thanks to Rafael T for the link…
The report does not indicate the type of position, or who he met with.
In the late 80s, while he was Field Coordinator of the Expos, Jerry Manuel hired Jauss to manage in Montreal’s minor-league system, where he was eventually named the Eastern League Manager of the Year in 1994.
Jauss has also spent time working for the Dodgers, Red Sox and Orioles, ranging in positions from first-base coach to bench coach to minor-league field coordinator.
In early October, Manuel told WFAN the Mets 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.
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According to this report from Erik Larson for Bloomberg, Mets LP, an entity tied to the Mets and its owner Sterling Equities Inc., might be sued for withdrawing $47.8 million more from Bernard Madoff’s firm than it deposited.
…in the last few weeks, i have had a few different people speak with me and e-mail me about this idea of ‘clawbacks,’ and, basically, as i understand it, there are three groups: one) people who invested and made big withdrawals, taking big ‘profits,’ two) people who invested and made some withdrawals, maybe ending up as net winners or losers, but more or less ‘breaking even,’ and, lastly, three) people who invested and lost all of their money… because these aren’t real profits, because it was a scam, the people who made significant withdrawals and were able to pocket money are being sued to pay back the people who lost everything, while, in most cases, the middle group, i.e., the people who essentially broke even, will likely be left alone… the goal is to divy up all money sent to madoff so everyone comes out even, so to speak…
…the question continues to be, which group are people connected to the Mets in…
That said, Larson notes, “Sterling Equities, led by Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon, hasn’t been sued.”
Meanwhile, the Mets continue to issue the following response, “As has been stated previously, this has no effect on the operations of the Mets.”
Additionally, in an informative report for the Wall Street Journal, MLB Commissioner Bug Selig is quoted as saying:
“I have enormous respect for Fred Wilpon and his family, and I have no evidence that the Mets have been negatively impacted at all… Fred has said it over and over again that they haven’t been, and I have no concerns about the Wilpons’ financial stability.”
For more, check out Bruce Golding’s report in the New York Post.
Tagged News, Twitter |Last night, in his second start in the Arizona Fall League, 20–year-old Mets prospect Jenrry Mejia let up three runs, five hits, walked three and struck out one, in just two innings pitched.
He has allowed six hits and six runs in 18 innings this fall.
Earlier this week, in a report for ESPN.com, Keith Law describes Mejia as, ‘The most impressive arm so far,’ that he has seen in the AFL.
Last week, Adam Rubin of the Daily News said Jerry Manuel watched Mejia’s first start, “to gauge whether he may be able to help the Mets in the bullpen in early 2010.”
Meanwhile, 1B Ike Davis had two doubles, and is batting .364 in 22 at bats, while 20-year-old SS Ruben Tejada is batting .412 in 17 at bats this fall.
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