Monthly Archives: October 2009
The Yankees defeated the Phillies last night, tying the World Series at one game each.
…i would love to know what is going through the minds of Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya when seeing these two teams on the same field, in October, and with, of all people, Pedro Martinez on the mound, while the Mets are no place in site… for the most part, i am sure they’re happy for those involved, they’re good men and i know they’re supporting specific colleagues and friends in the game, as they should be… but, i have to think, at least once per game, if not more, they’re shaking their heads in dismay, just like you and i…
Speaking of which, Eric Simon of Amazin Avenue has changed his vote.
Simon started the Series rooting for the Yankees… but, as he puts it, “It is with awkwardness and little fanfare that I now reluctantly declare myself a World Series supporter of the Phillies.”
…i understand, eric… i started out rooting against the Phillies, too… and, for the most part, i have been consistent… but, i will not lie, at least a dozen times per game i find myself instinctively reacting with happiness when Derek Jeter strikes out, or when Alex Rodriguez gets booed, or when CC Sabathia lets up a run… i can’t help it… it’s like breathing… but, then i see Chase Utley rounding third on a home run, and i immediately revert back to rooting against him… it’s all so confusing… and i don’t like it… i don’t really care who wins anymore, i just want it to end…
Update, 9:35 am:
Speaking of the Yankees, the guys at Daily Tailgate have a pretty funny chart up, helping to answer, ‘Which Yankee are you?”
Adam Rubin, in a post to his blog for the Daily News, lists the Mets who will be participating in winter ball during the off-season, including Nelson Figueroa, Omir Santos, Pat Misch, Angel Pagan, Fernando Martinez, Tobi Stoner, Lance Broadway and Josh Thole.
For the entire list, as well as their respective teams, check out Rubin’s post, here.
Tagged News |Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors lists 30 bad contracts from around MLB, including Oliver Perez, and the $24 million he is due over the next two seasons.
Dierkes writes, “Got a bad contract on your hands? Maybe you can swap it for another team’s problem. I’ll list the bad contracts, you connect the dots.”
…i wonder if the Mets will consider signing a free-agent like, say, Randy Wolf or Jon Garland, to a one– or two-year deal, while trading perez for one of dierkes’s bad 
contracts, say, Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse or Dontrelle Willis, all in an effort to totally re-shuffle what is around Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine, with Jon Niese waiting on deck…
Lohse, 31, who was good in 2008, earning himself a new contract, was not good in 2009, and will now earn $32 million over the next three seasons with the Cardinals.
Silva, 30, will earn $25 million the next two seasons. He had back-to-back rough years in 2007 and 2008, then again struggled in limited action during 2009, during which he spent much of the season on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
Willis, 27, will earn $12 million next season, after which he will be a free agent.
He made just 15 starts the last two years in Detroit, going 1–6 with an 8.33 ERA.
Tagged News |
Joe D over at MetsMerized Online wonders if Braves starter Javier Vazquez has become expendible, and if so, it might be worth it for the Mets to look into acquiring him.
Vazquez just completed his tenth consecutive season in which he has made 30 starts, and finished the year 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA in 219 1/3 innings pitched.
…Vazquez had an outstanding season this year, no doubt about it… i have always liked him and when he was with the Expos i remember hoping that the Mets would avoid him when they played them…he is a durable and dependable pitcher which is something the Mets really didn’t have at all this past season…
Vazquez is entering the final year of a three year contract and is due to earn $11.5 million in 2010.
…trading intra-division is always tricky, even though the Mets and Braves made the Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur swap this past summer…i would think the Braves would want more than the Mets would be willing to give for a high-priced, mid 30s pitcher who has more or less a .500 record for his career…
For more on this and Joe’s analysis of the Braves rotation for next season, check out MetsMerized Online.
In a post for MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes looks at 10 first basemen who could be traded this off season, from Adrian Gonzalez to Jorge Cantu.
…i’d like to think the Mets could acquire fielder or gonzalez, but i just don’t see it happening… i believe, if the Mets are going to dish the necessary prospects for this caliber player, it is far more likely to a pitcher than a bat, which, these days, is easier to find on the open market…
Last month for the Daily News, Adam Rubin said he believes the Mets will likely will trade for a righty-hitting first baseman with a short-term commitment to pair with Daniel Murphy in 2010, as they wait for 1B prospect Ike Davis to develop.
…cantu fits this description… he is eligible for arbitration next season, in which he will probably be paid around $4 million, after which he can be a free agent… so, there is motivation for the Marlins to trade him, and the price tag will limit demand… plus, he’s a short-term play, he’s showing signs of becoming a more disciplined hitter, he hits a ton of doubles, and he hit .322 against left-handed pitching this season, against whom murphy hit .223… he also plays third base… that said, he is not very good on defense, and he’s not particularly quick, two things the Mets should value more these days given their ballpark…
…the thing is, i see the Marlins keeping cantu, and, instead, trading 2B Dan Uggla or OF Cody Ross… but, time will tell…
…which begs the question, should the Mets acquire cantu to play second base, sacrificing defense for power…
Speaking of the Mets and Marlins…
Marlins reporter Joe Frisaro, of MLB.com, believes the Mariners, Rays, Mets and Blue Jays will be among teams interested in Marlins OF Jeremy Hermida.
Tagged News |Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Red Sox are willing to give free-agent OF Jason Bay a four-year deal worth roughly $15 million per season.
Heyman sees the Giants, and maybe the Mets, bidding more.
Tagged News |
Adam Rubin of the Daily News believes Chip Hale will eventually be named Jerry Manuel’s new third-base coach.
Hale, 44, was third-base coach for the D’Backs, and was Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 2005.
Rubin says it is not a given that Razor Shines will end up bench coach, as the team is considering former D’Backs manager Bob Melvin, among other candidates.
…obviously, bench coach is a huge hire, because, whomever it is will likely replace Jerry Manuel, should manuel get fired mid season…
…mevin, who was a back-up catcher during his playing career, led Arizona to a National League West title in 2007, when he was named Manager of the Year… in arizona, they call him ‘The Mad 
Scientist,’ because of the way he micro-manages his lineup, bullpen and rotation… he had been interviewed for the opening in Houston, which was eventually filled by Brad Mills… so, i have to think he will also be considered by the Nationals…
…i do find it very, very interesting that all of sudden, the Mets are doing a lot of talking with people with ties to the D’Backs… in an earlier post, i wrote about Sandy Johnson, who helped build the 2001 World Champions, and who hired Wally Backman to be the team’s manager at one point… backman is supposedly returning to manage the Mets single-a team… and, now, we’re talking about hale, who was third-base coach for melvin, who is being considered for bench coach…
…are the Mets trying to become the Citi Field D’Backs…
To learn more about who the team might hire to replace Tony Bernazard, read Rubin’s report, here.
Howard Johnson is writing post-season reports for the Stuart News of St. Lucie.
In his first report, Johnson picks the Phillies to win the World Series, saying, “The Phillies are the best team I have seen this year.”
Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors looks back at the Victor Zambrano-for-Scott Kazmir trade, as one of the most notable trades of the last decade.
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Alex Nelson continues to look back on players who were drafted by the Mets in 2009.
The Brooklyn Met Fan, explains why, “Ya gotta root for Pedro Martinez.”
Ed Ryan of Mets Fever is intrigued by Kansas City’s catchers.
In a post for his blog, Ted Quarters, SNY’s Ted Berg discusses leadership in sports, and pies in the face.
Lastly, Tie Died of Mets Merized Online looks back at Jerry Koosman’s performance in 1969.
Tagged News |Jon Heyman of SI.com says Sandy Johnson will not retire, but will remain on as Vice Pres. of Scouting and assistant to Omar Minaya.
Johnson had been telling people he planned on retiring, according to a report last month in the Daily News. He is 69 years old.
According to Heyman, “Some Mets officials believe the unusual effort made to retain Johnson is another sign of diminishing faith in Minaya.”
…i agree… this looks to be a ‘just in case,’ type move… johnson is not a GM, but he’s an old school, player-oriented baseball guy, with strong ties all around the league… and so, if omar is ever fired, and, say, John Ricco or some other mid-season replacement is hired, sandy will be the perfect mentor, which is essentially what he initially was to omar…
…johnson was hired with minaya to be, from what i understand, a top advisor, someone for omar to lean on, who omar had worked with before, and trusted… sandy had a big hand in building the D’Backs of a few years ago, but before that worked with omar in texas, helping to bring along players out of Latin America, such as Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa… Brian Lamb, who now also works with the Mets, recommended omar to johnson when he first went to the Rangers… the thing is, as far as i can tell, johnson had been somewhat marginalized by the rise of Tony Bernazard…
Heyman also writes, “The Mets also are looking for another senior baseball executive to join Johnson and assistant GM John Ricco and form a strong triumvirate under Minaya.”
Heyman said former Padres GM Kevin Towers had been considered for such a position, but is no longer on the list, because the team believes he has no intention of leaving the West Coast.
…for what it’s worth, though, johnson drafted towers in his first job as scouting director for the Padres…
For more, including how the stage could be set for Minaya’s dismissal, check out Heyman’s report, here.
Tagged News |Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three-year extension with the Braves, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, who now believes Atlanta could look to trade one of Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez.
Hudson was 2–1 with a 3.61 ERA in seven starts in 2009, after missing much of the season recovering from elbow surgery.
Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the deal will be worth $9 million per season.
…basically, they rolled in his $12 million option for next season, added $15 million more, and tacked on two years… nice work…
…i think what this says is, free agents like Jarrod Washburn, Jon Garland, Rich Harden, Randy Wolf, Doug Davis, and, to a lesser extent, Erik Bedard, can all expect to get paid in a similar $9 million range, on a two- or three-year deal… which sounds about right…
…i am starting to buy in to what Jon Heyman has been saying, which is the Mets are more likely to spend on a left fielder than starting pitcher… in terms of free agency, from what i can gather, the Mets prefer to bring in a reliable starting pitcher, more than say a ‘star,’ i.e., someone they can count on, day in, day out, but on as short-term of a deal as they can find… so, say, wolf, who could probably be had for two years, at around $8 million per season… but, i would not be surprised to see them explore the trade market first…
Tagged News | ← Older postsNewer posts →
