October 27, 2009 at 12:55 pm
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46 comments
by Matthew Cerrone
Angels reporter Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times believes free-agent RHP John Lackey will get at least a five-year deal, worth around $100 million, while Chone Figgins will likely land a five-year, $50 million deal on the open market.
In 158 games this season for the Angels, Figgins hit .298 with a .395 OBP, 42 extra base hits and 42 stolen bases.
…i get e-mails from readers all of the time suggesting the Mets sign figgins to play second base… he’d be a wonderful No.2 hitter behind Jose Reyes, no doubt about it… he was treated a super-sub during the first few years of his career, playing games at second, shortstop and the outfield… but, he’s turned in to quite the impressive defensive third baseman… and so, i have to think some team will gladly sign him to a long-term deal to be their prominent lead-off hitter, and starting third baseman… the Mets, on the other hand, would need to first move Luis Castillo, and then convince figgins to switch back to second base, where he has not played regularly since 2005, and they will probably have to overpay to sway him to do it…
…three other things about figgins, 1) everytime my wife sees his name on screen, she says, ‘Shown,’ 2) he has the same birth date as SNY’s Ted Berg, and 3) he might be Willie Randolph’s doppelganger…
October 27, 2009 at 11:27 am
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31 comments
by Matthew Cerrone
Joe Janish of Mets Today gives a detailed review of Omir Santos, asking, while he is a good back-up, is he a ‘strong enough all-around to catch regularly for a championship club.’
Santos hit .261 in 74 games as a starting catcher, while batting .235 as a sub.
“He has played extremely well for us for a period of time,” Jerry Manuel said, regarding Santos, at the end of the season. “How that would manifest itself over the course of a year is still somewhat unknown.”
…i think santos showed he can be a .250 hitter, whether he’s a starter or a back up, complete with a few hot and cold streaks to sway opinion… he puts the ball in play, and keeps the line moving, but he is border-line useless when behind in the count… also, he is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching than left-handed pitching… interestingly, santos ranks as the fifth-best defensive catcher in baseball, according to these fancy stats on Beyond the Boxscore… janish paints a less exciting picture of omir’s receiving skills, basically saying, ‘he is below average to average in all areas,’ and a ‘so-so game-caller,’ according to some team insiders… according to my eyes, santos is good, not great, i have seen better and i have seen worse… i think he’s fine, but i believe the Mets would like to have someone to turn to on the roster who is better…
This off season, free-agent catchers will include: Rod Barajas, Josh Bard, Toby Hall, Jason Kendall, Benjie Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Vance Wilson, among others.
…unless they trade for an every-day starting catcher, i still feel like the Mets will pursue barajas or pudge, though i have no reason to think that, other than they fit with what i suspect they’ll be looking for…
October 27, 2009 at 9:58 am
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29 comments
by Matthew Cerrone
In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch says, ‘The Phillies are everything the Mets are not, most notably durable.’
According to Klapisch, six Phillies each played 150 games or more this season.
…i know people dislike hearing how the Mets failures this season is solely on the injuries… truth is, this team played sloppy even when everyone was healthy, this season and last season… but, the injuries cannot be ignored…
…like i mentioned before, with regards to why the Mets hit so few home runs in Citi Field, it’s hard to hit home runs when you do not have home-run hitters… similarly, it is hard to win games when you have so few, proven, every-day players… i mean, had the Phillies lost three or four of their six iron men, say, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, and, say, three-fifths of their starting rotation and their second-best arm in the bullpen, i am not sure their ‘grit,’ and ‘toughness,’ would have been enough to get them to the post season… at some point, a team needs quality talent to get quality results…
…in the days following the end of this season, Jeff Wilpon proudly told reporters the Mets have been, and will continue to be, among the top teams in payroll…
…like i have said before, , it’s not about how much you spend, but how you spend it… this argument has come up a lot of late, since the Yankees once again are in World Series… i even notice Red Sox fans again 
dipping in the Yankees-Buy-a-Ring pool, despite the Sox winning two of the last four World Series with the second-highest payroll in baseball…
According to Baseball Analysts, the Mets spent the most money of any National League team from 2006 to 2008, during which they also won the most games of any team in the National League.
…so, i don’t think it’s fair to suggest the Mets are cheap… instead, the question should be, while they clearly spend money and get results, are the spending their money in the best way so to get the best-possible results…
October 27, 2009 at 9:12 am
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4 comments
by Matthew Cerrone
Paul Lukas of UniWatch unveils his Worst NFL Uniform results, and is now asking fans to submit suggestions for the worst baseball uniform of all time.
…i agree with Mets Police, Mercury Mets, hands down…
…speaking of uniforms, i have had other readers e-mail me uniform suggestions for the Mets… i will post them during the next couple of weeks… if you have one, do a mock up in Photoshop, i will post it, and at the end of the off season will have one massive vote to see what people like best…
October 27, 2009 at 9:07 am
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12 comments
by Matthew Cerrone
Last night, in his third start during the Arizona Fall League, Mets 20–year-old prospect Jenrry Mejia let up one run and four hits, while striking out three and walking one, in three innings.
Mets 1B Ike Davis had one hit and is batting .378 in nine games.
