Daily Archives: November 7, 2009
John from Metstradamus has a conversation with Xavier Nady on his couch.
Meanwhile Sam over at Amazin’ Avenue does a fantastic job breaking down the Mets top 10 prospects.
Also, Matthew Artus, in a post to his blog for the Star Ledger, hopes that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s cheering for the Mets becomes more sincere when they’re back on top.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to my “Mets Photo of the Day” on Twitter here.
Dylan Hernandez in today’s Los Angeles times believes that the Dodgers will try and trade outfielder Juan Pierre now that Manny Ramirez has decided not to opt out of the final year of his contract.
…the Dodgers didn’t miss a beat with Ramirez suspended and Pierre in his spot…the thought on Pierre is that his skills are diminishing but he did steal 30 bases this season and he hardly strikes out which tells me that he can still be a great leadoff hitter…however he doesn’t walk that much and his average is strikingly close to his on base percentage, but that has been the knock on Jose Reyes as well…
…i just don’t think Pierre should be considered as a solution in the outfield for the Mets…he is fast and can be a catalyst, but the Mets need power and a greater ability to get on base than what he can provide…
For more on Pierre and Ramirez, check out the Los Angeles Times.
Ed Ryan, in a post to his blog for Mets Fever, discusses the market for free agent catchers and that Matt Treanor, Yorvit Torrealba, and Ramon Hernandez have all had their options declined by their respective teams.
…of the three, i believe that Hernandez is the most attractive…i wouldn’t think that Treanor, who became a free agent after refusing his assignment to the minors by the Tigers, would be on the Mets radar and Torrealba evidently still has a chip on his shoulder after the Mets retracted their contract offer to him two years ago…
…Hernandez is interesting…he was injured for half the year but has always been on the Mets radar…he was offered a contract by the Mets in 2006 before going to the Orioles and as Ed points out in his post, he is a highly regarded defensive catcher and i’d think he would be an upgrade over Brian Schneider from an offensive standpoint…he will be 34 in May, but he could serve as a good mentor to Josh Thole, much like the role played by Rey Sanchez for Jose Reyes in 2003…
In 11 seasons, Hernandez is a lifetime .262 hitter but hit just five home runs and 37 RBI in an injury plagued 2009 campaign.
For more on this, check out Mets Fever.
Yesterday, Metsblog reader “therambler” asked:
“I’d be curious to know if you think an offer of Mike Pelfrey, Ike Davis, Reese Havens, and Fernando Martinez would be enough (or be too much) to get Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres? I think that it is a slightly better package than what the Red Sox would offer (probably – Clay Buchholz, Daneil Bard, Michael Bowden, and Lars Anderson).”
…great question and i think that would be enough…the question is – does such a move make sense for either side…i think that acquiring Gonzalez is the best possible move the Mets could make and in this particular scenario, he negates the need for Davis for sure, but I think the Mets would be giving up too much by sending away Davis, Pelfrey AND Martinez as i have to think that at least one of those players can have a major impact at the major league level for a very long time…but ultimately, i don’t think Gonzalez would cost the Mets or the Red Sox this much talent, nor do i think either team would execute a deal to send that much talent away for one player to begin with…
…i’d be more inclined to trade Martinez at this point, simply because I don’t know where he fits into the puzzle anymore…if they acquire a Holliday/Bay/Crawford and keep Jeff Francoeur, what does that mean for Martinez…that said, this was the guy Omar Minaya would not trade for Johan Santana, so i wonder if he would consider dealing him for Gonzalez now…
…i think that the key for any package, when comparing one team’s package to another team’s package is whether or not, in this case, the Padres like those players and if they fit into their puzzle…i don’t think they can doubt the talent of guys like Davis and Martinez, but do they feel Davis can fill the shoes of Gonzalez in the long term, and do they think Martinez fits into their plans…they may better players than those in Boston’s package, but not necessarily better for San Diego’s short and long term goals…
Peter Gammons of ESPN.com wonders whether or not the Red Sox might consider trading Josh Beckett.
Gammons believes Beckett will travel to Boston in the coming weeks and see how the Red Sox feel about giving him a contract extension.
Beckett, who will turn 30 in May, has a $12 million vested option for 2010, but can become a free agent after next season.
Gammons says Beckett is likely looking for a deal like CC Sabathia signed with the Yankees, i.e., seven years, $160 million.
…i would imagine that Beckett and the Red Sox could be at somewhat of a crossroads here, not because of his performance because he has been outstanding for them, but he is at an age where he will want a long term contract, but his age at the back end of such a contract puts him in some dicey territory, and any team that takes on such a contract has to keep that in close consideration…
…that said, if the Red Sox decide to shop Beckett, i wonder if the Mets might consider getting in on the sweepstakes…Boston will want to maximize the return on their ace and with good reason…he has been one of the best postseason pitchers of our generation and has proven to be a big game pitcher even during the regular season…and it’s obvious that they will not trade intra-division which would help keep the cost in return down to a certain degree…even so i wonder if the Mets have what it would take to land Beckett…
Lifetime, Beckett is 106-68 with a 3.79 ERA, and after a mediocre 2008, he bounced back to go 17-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 212 innings and 32 starts for the Red Sox in 2009, and has won two World Championships and is a 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA in his postseason career.
For more on Beckett and the Red Sox, check out Gammons’ article.
