Comments on: Opinion: Plans, Rumors, Ideas and 2010

By: Bench5urvivor

Bench5urvivor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:46:47 +0000

$10mm for Delgado is WAY overspending, especially if Omar has $30 to spend. I think best he can expect is $5-6mm with incentives, maybe an option on top.

By: davidus1

davidus1 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:38:15 +0000

Trust me, it didnt look like that when I wrote it up. Thats the problem with bullets.

By: thedude

thedude — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:30:24 +0000

Not really. If you know anything about Dayton Moore and the Royals front office, it’s that they’re even dumber and less aware of stats than Minaya.

They’re exactly the kind of dopes that would take Castillo because they’re under the mistaken impression he’s a good defensive player. This is the team that loves Mike Jacobs and Gil Meche.

By: Sylow59

Sylow59 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:06:13 +0000

constructive critism: use paragraphs

By: Hit The Weights Zeile

Hit The Weights Zeile — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:58:41 +0000

I agree, the only guys we should be thinking of trading for are adrian gonzalez and prince fielder bc they are young (but we wont get them anyway). This is the offseason to SIGN not trade. The Mets have an opportunity to sign all their needs like the yankees did and spare their prospects while NOT losing their first round pick at #6.

By: davidus1

davidus1 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:46:17 +0000

The Minor Moves (I’ll be less critical here as these are minor moves):
• Sign Carl Pavano 1 year/$6 million dollar contract– Even though it’s a tough move mentally to make after witnessing his impact on the Yankees, it’s also an interesting move. But does anyone think he would come back to NY? The press was not kind to this guy. Plus incidents like crashing your Porsche and not telling anyone while trying to pitch with a broken rib probably won’t fly here. I saw proceed with caution. Only if your due diligence blows you away should you consider something like this. And $6 million is far from a buy-low contract. Also it concerns me when opposing hitters have a .300 average against a pitcher.
• Sign Kiko Calero 2 years/$5 million dollar contract– He’s pretty good, I’d do it.
• Sign Adam Everett 1 year/$1 million– Yeah, this is a good move, but $1 million? Really? What makes anyone think he will take that?
• Sign Greg Zaun 1 year/$800,000– I agree with the assessment of Omir Santos, but I disagree with this move. Gregg Zaun should be an absolute last resort. You can forget about Yorvit Torrealba, not that I would want him anyway, but your top two choices should be Bengie Molina and Rod Barajas. Barajas might be the top choice. If it weren’t for Molina’s price tag I would say that he should be the top choice, also factor in that type A status and its tough, but if you sign Holliday then you lose a 3rd which is a little easier to do (though it’s still a lot. There is a ton of talent you can get with a top 10 pick in round 3, a ton. Especially if you flex your financial muscle a little you can get a first round talent.) But make no mistake about it. Molina is a stud player. He’s a catcher batting clean-up and you could definitely have seen his impact on that clubhouse.
• Sign Endy Chavez 1 year/$1.5 million– YES, yes yes yes yes. “Thats all I have to saaay about thaaat” – Forrest Gump
• Sign Shawn Hill 1 year/$400K– Yes, good move. Haha, would this guy really move out to NY for $400k and no guarantee of playing time? Maybe I’m a little out of touch, but I don’t see it happening.
• Sign Mike Sweeney 1 year/$600K– Nice.
• Sign Kelvim Escobar to a 1 year contract with incentives/max value $2.5 million– Might be one of the most underappreciated and overlooked moves in the offseason, but quite possibly the best. Getting this guy for $2.5 million is an amazing move. This would round out our rotation to Santana, Harden, Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, Niese, Escobar, with Nieve, Hill and an assortment of others in the minors. If anyone questions Omar’s ability to provide organizational depth after something like this, then they are just not paying attention.
• Trade Luis Castillo to the Royals for virtually nothing– I also agree in selling high on Luis, who did have an impressive season. Of course you cannot expect to get much in return because of the contract that anyone would inheret, but such a move allows the Mets to be flexible. It’s just a shame that the Mets dont have a great defensive 2B in their minors. It doesnt even have to be a big RBI guy. But if you could replace Castillo with a guy who will come in and play .265+ ball with a couple of home runs and some RBI, then you haven’t really lost any production but you gain millions in payroll flexibility. Whats 25 extra hits at the end of the season if it means you can have $6 million more to play with and a chance to showcase a young kid. I wonder if Anderson Hernandez can be that guy? Maybe its Everett?

By: davidus1

davidus1 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:45:48 +0000

The Major Moves:
• Sign Matt Holliday to a 6/$110 Million contract, starting salary $17MM–Maybe he will only sign for five years, but I think at age 36 he would still be at least an adequate outfielder given his skillset. – I totally agree with this as I imagine most Mets fans do. This is probably one of the most prominent examples I can think of where going into an offseason for the Mets and player simply had to be signed. In fact, once we do it I can see parallels being drawn to Brian Cashman and CC Sabathia, where Cashman was praised for not sacrificing prospects in a trade when he knew he could get his man in free agency just a short while later. In fact our situation is even better because we won’t lose our #1 pick, which makes this even more of a no-brainer. Then take it one step further and notice that Holliday proved all doubters wrong by posting great numbers outside of Colorado where his splits scared many fans away, and you’ve got a match made in heaven.
• Trade Bobby Parnell and Wilmer Flores to the Rays for Carlos Peña – I’m sorry, but this is a terrible idea. I think most fans underestimate the value that Bobby Parnell has, and these same fans are probably choosing to ignore the tremendous future value that a Wilmer Flores can have. Parnell is a guy who can be a closer or a starter for you. He has a special arm, he is cheap and he is a tough competitor. Sure he had a bad half season, but something tells me his value will reach new highs next year when he gets another chance. Wilmer Flores is the type of player who if you give him another season in the minors will have teams beating down your door to get him. He’s the type of prospect who could be the centerpiece of a deal to acquire a star, not just a throw-in. I realize it may come across as though I am blindly in love with our prospects, but make no mistake I am not one of those people. I will admit though that I love these 2 prospects, and I am not alone. — I cannot knock a plan for 1B without at least presenting an alternative though. My alternative is to sign Carlos Delgado for 1 year $10 million. He just might do it if it gives him a chance to stay with a team he knows and gives him a year to prove he can be healthy and productive. If the market slants in our favor then we might even be able to get him for less. If the signing doesn’t pan out then you still have Daniel Murphy who batted .266 with 12 HRs and 63 RBI in his first full professional season. Do not underestimate the impact of a first full season on a player. To think that Murphy does NOT have the potential for a .290+ AVG with 20 HRs and 80+ RBI in his second season is just foolish. While you’d like to have more production out of 1B, this is a very nice backup plan, and let’s not forget the defense.
• Sign Rich Harden to a 1-year/$10 million contract with incentives and a mutual option for a second season– I LOVE this move, love it. Huge mistake if we don’t take a gamble on a guy like this. Even if he has a really good season, and not a great season, he will likely project as a type A and so signing Harden has the potential to be an investment in the MLB team and the minor league system all at once. With Harden, if it doesn’t work out then it’s still a 1 year deal. If it does work out and he turns out to be great, you will likely also have a clause that gives you a real chance to have him for a second season too as your #2. Sure taking a risk on a player with an injury history is tough to do a year after having the worst injury streak in franchise history, but it’s also important to keep in mind that the team needs to stop looking backwards. This has been a common criticism. That Omar also plugs holes because he looks backwards rather than thinking about the future. Why should the argument be any different then if he stays far away from injury risks just because we had injuries last year for the first time. With this move the roster would sit at Santana, Harden, Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, Niese, with a few spot starter options in the minors. Good, but still not great. I think one more starter needs to be looked at, but not a #1 or #2 type, more like a #3-5 type.
• Trade Jeff Francoeur to the Cubs for Mike Fontenot.– Why on Earth would/should the Mets do this? This is a prime example of overvaluing statistical measures and not using any qualitative analysis. That is hard for me to say because all I do for a living is quantitative analysis, but at some point you have to draw the line. Jeff Francoeur is currently the perfect player for this team, and I have no interest in seeing him go. If you are going to sell so low, why not take a chance and ride him out for the start of the season. If he repeats his 1/2 season performance from last year, then teams will be climbing over each other to get this guy. He’s young, cheap and a terrific defensive player with grit and by all accounts he is a terrific person.

By: Sylow59

Sylow59 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:43:37 +0000

plus you don’t empty the farm.

By: Sylow59

Sylow59 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:41:23 +0000

it is also a deep lineup. Francouer’s faults are well hidden at #8 and his positives are enhanced there too.

Castillo pretty much has one offensive quality which really exists only batting behind a Reyes, or at the #9 slot.

They will score some runs making the pitching appear better. For what is’t worth the hard core fans out here in St Louis love Marquis.

By: georgetseaver

georgetseaver — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:18:43 +0000

The Mets really have to start thinking long-term strategy as opposed to short-term fixes. There is absolutely no way that they should include any of their top prospects in deals that don’t net them top prospects.