Daily Archives: October 23, 2009
Adam McCalvy, in a report for MLB.com, says that former Brewers starter Ben Sheets intends to pitch in 2010 after missing all of 2009 due to a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm.
Sheets is currently throwing off of flat ground and is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
…i’ve had a lot of people ask me if the Mets might be interested in Sheets…he reminds me of the type of pitcher Jeff D’Amico was, as he was a high risk, high reward arm…but the Mets got burned…
…i have to wonder if the Mets would be willing to take a risk on someone who has been sidelined by numerous injuries over the course of his career, given what they went through the past couple of seasons…
…when healthy, he has been solid, but has made more than 24 starts just once since 2004…if the Mets were to bring him in, i can’t see him being depended on to fill the top-of-the rotation void…but if he is healthy, he could combine with Johan Santana and whoever they decide to bring in to be a fantastic threesome…
Before being left off of the Brewers’ postseason roster, Sheets posted a 13-9 record with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts in 2008.
Bowman expects that the Brewers, Rangers, and Red Sox will all express interest in Sheets this winter.
In a report for MLB.com, Mark Bowman says that the Braves and Tim Hudson have begun negotiating a contract extension.
According to Bowman, the two sides began negotiating yesterday and it is expected that talks will continue over the next several days and if they can complete an extension with Hudson, they could then look to deal Kenshin Kawakami or Derek Lowe.
…i never considered hudson a real possibility for the Mets, but the fact that lowe could become available is certainly interesting and if he becomes available, and considering their interest last winter I can see the Mets inquiring, but his big contract at that age is a concern…
The Braves currently hold a $12 million option on Hudson with a $1 million buyout, and was 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA down the stretch for Atlanta after returning from Tommy John Surgery.
For more on this, check out Bowman’s report, here.
Tagged Tim Hudson |
In a recent report for SI.com, Jon Heyman suggests a few ways the Dodgers could improve for next season, such as, “Toughen up.”
Heyman quotes an anonymous player on the Dodgers, who said of the Phillies:
“Those guys over there, they are tough. (Shane) Victorino is a tough SOB. And (Chase) Utley, he drops a knee whenever the runner comes in at second. When Larry Bowa managed those guys he warned (Utley) that guys would get mad if he drops a knee on (baserunners), and Utley told him, ‘I don’t give a —-.’”
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Heyman the Phillies play the game hard, “and they play it that way all the time.”
…this idea of being ‘tough,’ it’s something i bet we hear a lot about over the next few months, because i think it’s something the Mets are very aware of and something they believe needs to be instilled in their own players… the thing is, i have no idea how that happens… or, if it even matters… for instance:
In an interview with WEEI in Boston, as transcribed the Boston Globe, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein talked about the 2009 Red Sox, who did not make the playoffs, and their ‘personality,’ saying:
“It’s basically the same team that we had in 2008. If we get one clutch hit in the 2008 ALCS Game 7, we’re going to the World Series, probably winning it… if the 2004 team, if Tony Clark’s ball doesn’t bounce into the stands, and we lose that series, you’re saying this team had too much personality. This personality was out of control. I understand it. There’s a human phenomenon where you want to sort of attribute personal characteristics to groups and say that they have this personality or they lack this characteristic. The reality is we can’t build a team based on, sort of, psychobabble. We build a team, try to get 25 high character guys. The bottom line is this team had a great personality. It was just calm outwardly, on the field, very professional. Behind closed doors they had a ton of fun. There were a lot of leaders. They showed up hard to play every single day. We won 95 games in a really tough division. Had we performed better in the playoffs, no one would be talking about our personality.”
…that said, there is not a single player on the Mets i can name who i expect to see run over a catcher, or ‘drop a knee,’ or hit a batter on purpose in retaliation… but, like epstein is suggesting, i don’t know how any of this actually equates to wins… i mean, i know it is more fun to watch a ‘tough team,’ but would i watch a tough team that loses, and just has really bad talent… what’s more, the Yankees are dominating right now, and i have never heard anyone describe them as ‘tough,’ so i don’t know what one has to directly do with the other… but, i do think the Mets have shown a lack of mental toughness, especially the previous two Septembers, and i just don’t think that sort of thing changes unless you bring in a new manager and new players…
…in the end, i suspect winning creates a swagger, which evolves in to a confident, sort-of cockiness, which turns in to a ‘tough,’ aggressive style of play, like the 1986 Mets, or these Phillies, i suppose… Willie Randolph talked a lot about the importance of swagger, and the team had it in 2006, but they were also winning… so, did they win because they had swagger, and ended up playing ‘tough,’ or were they tough and had swagger because they were confident and winning…
…Jerry Manuel said his team would have swagger, when he took over for willie and talked a lot about being ‘gangsta,’ but his team too fell apart in September, and then literally fell apart in 2009, and now they are described as being ‘soft,’ and look like they play scared…
To read more from Heyman, including updates on Bobby Valentine’s interview with the Indians, the next Padres GM, and how to deal with MLB umpires, read the rest of his report for SI.com, here.
Tagged News |Update, 8:10 pm:
In a post to Twitter, ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons says three different GMs have warned him to buy in to leaks regarding Chapman, with GM saying, “He may be the Cuban John Rocker.”
Original Post:
The Mets will meet with free-agent LHP Aroldis Chapman today in New York, according to Adam Rubin of the Daily News.
To read Chapman’s bio, sent by his agent, Edwin Mejia, read Rubin’s report, here, which, among other things, says, “Chapman has a fastball (two seam or four seam), sinking fastball, curveball, slider, changeup and a forkball.”
…he’s also 21 years old, 6’ 4”, and hits 100 mph on the radar gun, which is why Ryan Christopher DeVault from Associated Content believes chapman will get a deal worth $50 or $60 million, ‘before even throwing a pitch in the Majors.’…
This morning, at Mets Today, Joe Janish answered, “Who Is Chapman?”
In August, Jorge Arangure did a video interview for ESPN with Chapman, with clips of him pitching, which you can watch 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.
Update, 12:13 pm:
Speaking of International free agents…
According to NPB Tracker, Japanese teenager Yusei Kikuchi will announce whether to pitch in America or enter the draft in Japan no sooner than Oct. 24, as he has a self-imposed deadline of Oct. 26.
The Mets, and other teams, met with Kikuchi in Japan earlier this week.
To learn more about Kikuchi, read this post at NPB Tracker.
Tagged Twitter |
The Mets outrighted C Robinson Cancel, SS Wilson Valdez, SS Argenis Reyes and RHP Carlos Muniz to Triple-A yesterday, meaning they have been removed from the 40-man.
…from what i can tell, the Mets now have five spots open on the 40–man roster…
Cancel had just one at bat with the Mets in 2009; Valdez hit .256 in 41 games; and Reyes had two hits in 17 at bats.
…oh, valdez… that move signaled so much about what has been wrong with the Mets minor-league system… think about it, the farm system was so thin, it offered so few people to fill in for Alex Cora, Omar Minaya had to trade cash to get valdez, a 31–year-old, career .222 hitter…
In September, Joe Janish of Mets Today took at look at minor trades made by Minaya, and where the departing prospects ended up, including players like Jeff Keppinger, Brian Bannister, Heath Bell, Matt Lindstrom, Drew Butera, Mike Carp, Ezequiel Carrera, and Mike Jacobs, among others.
That said, Minaya also traded for Xavier Nady, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Duaner Sanchez, Paul LoDuca, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, J.J. Putz, and Ryan Church, who was traded later for Jeff Francoeur.
…it’s difficult to go back and judge deals, because, you cannot remove context, past valuations, team needs at that time, etc., it’s easy to look back and say, ‘Why did he trade so-and-so,’ but, maybe he had no choice, who knows… however, the important point is, the Mets need to take better care of how they manage the 40–man roster, and from which end of the pool they are making deals, because, it’s a crime to see so many decent, serviceable, young names on that list, and know the Mets had to essentially buy valdez from the Indians, because they had no better, short-term option in the lower levels…
By the way, Carrera, 22, who was traded in the Putz deal, hit .337 with a .441 OBP and 27 stolen bases in 91 games for the M’s in Double-A.
Tagged News |In his chat yesterday for ESPN.com, former Blue Jays assistant GM Keith Law discusses how Steve Phillips nearly sent David Wright to the Blue Jays for OF Jose Cruz Jr. at the trade deadline in 2002:
“The offer was made, though; I was there
when the call came in. It was the first time I’d heard of Wright, since I wasn’t with Toronto in 2001 nor had I followed the draft when Wright was in it. JP’s reaction was, ‘I’m not trading a major league player for some guy in the Sally League.’ And that was pretty much that.”
In 2002, Wright was 19 years old, and hitting just .266 with 114 strike outs in 135 games for the Low-A Capital City Bombers.
Meanwhile, in 2002, Cruz had been hitting around .230 with a .300 OBP around the time of the Trade Deadline.
…look, phillips did a terrific job building up the Mets in the late 90s… but, wow, with his back to the wall and his job on the line, he absolutely murdered the roster… thankfully, the Jays and J.P. Ricciardi allowed the Mets to develop wright… man, could you imagine how things might be different today, for better or worse, but certainly different, without wright in the mix…
Tagged Twitter |Mets 19–year-old SS prospect Ruben Tejada had a walk-off hit for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.
Tejada is batting .320, with three doubles, one walk, five strikeouts and two stolen bases in six games during the AFL.
Yesterday, in a chat for ESPN.com, Keith Law said Tejada could be a solid, starting shortstop in the big leagues, but, “He’s not a star.”
Speaking of Mets prospects…
Also in his chat for ESPN.com, Law said he believes Brad Holt should be a relief pitcher, not a starter, because he is a ‘one-pitch guy, while Jenrry Mejia is a ‘starting pitcher,’ who is two, full years away from the major leagues.
Last week, Adam Rubin of the Daily News said Jerry Manuel watched Mejia’s first start in the Arizona Fall League, “to gauge whether he may be able to help the Mets in the bullpen in early 2010.”
Lastly, Law sees 1B Ike Davis as a starting first baseman in the major leagues, but, he adds, “I’m not calling him more than that till I see him hit a breaking ball.”
Last night, John Lackey pitched 6.2 innings, struck out seven, walked three, and let up six hits and three runs.
…he is impressive… he might have escaped his final inning unscathed, had it not been for a questionable ball four, which was an inside strike…
… friends who love the Angels have told me he throws strikes, he’s a big-time competitor, and he is always in command of his stuff, but, though this serves him well most starts, because of it, he can get burned pretty easily and doesn’t seem to have the ability to adjust and work out of trouble…
Ed Leyro of Mets Merized Online asks, “Did Lackey just pitch his way on to the Mets?”
…i don’t know, but, what’s wooing me is his control, ability to change speeds and levels, and he’s clearly a bulldog out on that mound…
Last week, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said he doesn’t believe Lackey is interested in playing in New York, adding, “He is a Texan who longs to pitch for the Rangers.”
That said, Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers are among the logical landing spots for Lackey.
…i agree… i have heard from people around the game that, while lackey would love to pitch for the Rangers, they are not likely to give him the level contract he is seeking, and, ‘it’s time for him to be paid,’ as he is said to feel like he took a discount the last two times around with the Angels… according to people close to lackey, he doesn’t want to be a star, he just wants to win, and be paid well…
…he’d be a fantastic pitcher for Citi Field… he is exactly what the Mets need, in that he’s not an ace, but he’s a bonafide next-level guy… also, he’s as emotional and intense and focused as Johan Santana, he doesn’t walk people, he lets hitters put the ball in play and he has tremendous command of his pitches, while changing speeds and keeping hitters off balance… lastly, he clearly is not intimidated by anything, including the big-game spotlight…
Lackey rejected a three-year, $40 million contract extension last spring from the Angels that would have taken affect at the start of next season. According to Heyman, “Lackey could double that as a free agent,” and net A.J. Burnett money, i.e., $82 million over five years.
…lackey and Matt Holliday will cost nearly $35 million on next season’s payroll… i love this team, but i’ve never seen them spend that much on just two people in one off season… Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez were close, but not $35 million, which is a whole other level of spending, when you consider they have other holes to fill as well… and, so, you’d need to go a long way to convince me they will this off season, and i’m not even sure it’s the smartest long-term move anyway… of course, never have there been two people, both free agents, who fit the team’s two biggest needs, available in the same off season following one of the worst three-year periods in team history, all with a new ballpark to fill…
The 30–year-old Lackey finished the regular season 11–8 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 starts, while missing six weeks at the start of the season with a forearm strain. He also missed the first six weeks in 2008 with a strained tricep, but finished the season 12–5 in 24 starts with a 3.75 ERA.
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Joe Janish of Mets Today answers, “Who Is Aroldis Chapman?”
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Alex Nelson continues to check in on the team’s 2009 draft picks.
Paul from Section 528 continues his look at 101 Things You Didn’t Know about John Olerud.
Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing looks at two very, very similar seasons, 1979 or 1993.
Speaking of which, Jessie Spector of the Daily News talks with Prince and Jason Fry, writers of Faith and Fear in Flushing.
Lastly, for a non-sports link, Sarah Chong at Penn Olsen lists four ways to allow social media at work… without reducing productivity.
Tagged News |
