Daily Archives: November 13, 2009
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says that Jeff Francoeur will return to the Mets in 2010.
According to Hubbuch, Omar Minaya said that he wouldn’t rule out a contract extension for Francoeur.
…frenchy was one of the few bright spots this year, and he played through a painful injury in his hand at the end of the season…he is a great defensive right fielder and did very well offensively after being acquired by the Mets…i’m hoping that carries over and he can develop a little more plate discipline…
Francoeur hit .280 with 15 home runs and 76 RBI this season, and hit .311 with ten home runs and 41 RBI in 75 games after being acquired from the Braves.
Jerry Cransick of ESPN.com says that Ben Sheets will be 100 percent by Spring Training.
According to Cransick, Casey Close, the agent for Sheets, says that he is doing very well and has “already heard from a number of teams inquiring about Ben’s health and availability for 2010.”
…Sheets is very tempting…he is coming off of flexor tendon surgery in his arm but when healthy, he is a big asset…i’m not sure if the Mets are interested in taking a chance on him given his injury-plagued career and what the team just went through this past season, but he is worth watching if his arm is in good shape…
Sheets missed the entire 2009 season after almost signing with the Rangers last winter, but was 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 198 1/3 innings in 2008, helping the Brewers to their first postseason since 1982.
For more on Sheets, check out Cransick’s article here.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says that Omar Minaya hopes to travel to Puerto Rico to see Carlos Delgado in Winter Ball next month.
…i like Delgado and i always have liked Delgado but i agree with Matt in that it’s time to move on and get younger and more athletic…i fear that if the Mets bring him back for another year, he just won’t be durable or dependable enough…
Yesterday, Carlos Beltran told reporters at an event in Harlem that he would like to see Delgado return next season, which you can read about here.
In addition, Hubbuch says that the Mets are expecting “a glut” of non-tendered players in December, and will look hard at them as they become available.
…the way the economics of baseball have changed, being non-tendered these days isn’t always performance based…it’s not to say that the Mets shouldn’t pursue the marquis free agent class or make trades for upgrades, but there are often economic reasons as to why a team might non-tender a productive player…
Finally, I installed a new Contact Form to send me a question, comment, tip, 
criticism, etc. The link will always appear at the top of the middle column on MetsBlog.com.
This has been up, but not working the last few days. However, the great people at Press Harbor fixed the issue and the new Contact Form should be working properly.
In other words, if you sent in a message the last day or so, you may want to send it again as I most likely didn’t get it.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports says that Dan Uggla would like to remain at second base.
Uggla’s agent, Jeff Borris, told Brown “There should be no reason to consider a position change at this time.”
…if the Marlins decide to trade Uggla, he really doesn’t have a choice in the matter, but that doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it…
…i said it earlier that he is a slugger, he was an All-Star in 2008 and even participated in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium that year…but he has glass hands at second base, and frankly he has become a defensive liability…if he was moved to the American League and made a full time DH, he would probably benefit from that change…
Tom Haudricourt, in a post to his blog for the Milwaukee Sun Sentinel, is reporting that the Brewers have declined the option for Braden Looper, and instead will pay him a $1 million buyout.
…it seems like it’s been an eternity since Looper was closing games for the Mets…he was good for the Mets in 2004 but struggled in 2005 as he pitched with an arm injury all year…
Looper was 14-9 with a 5.22 ERA for the Brewers this year, but allowed a Major League high 39 home runs.
Brian Costa, in a post to his blog for the Star Ledger, says that the Mets are currently renovating the bullpens at Citi Field.
According to Costa, the Padres complained of the obstructed view from the visitors bullpen, and the Mets are now renovating the area so that the bullpens are side by side on the field.
…i wonder if this will change the dimensions of the ‘Mo Zone’ area in right field…
For more on these changes, including pictures of these changes, check out Costa’s post here.
Mike Silva of New York Baseball Digest says that Wally Backman will manage the Brooklyn Cyclones for the 2010 season.
Last month, Adam Rubin of the Daily News reported that Backman would manage a Single-A team in the Mets organization, which you can read here.
…i’m excited to see Backman back with the Mets…he has had his troubles recently, but he brings a lot of character and grittiness to the organization…
According to Silva, the Mets will hold a press conference on Tuesday, making the move official.
Tagged Wally Backman |
Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald believes the Red Sox expressed interest in Jon Lackey, to his agent at the GM Meetings.
Meanwhile, in a new post to Twitter, ESPN’s Buster Olney says Lackey rejected a $72 million offer from the Angels last season.
Original Post, 11:35 am:
In a post to Twitter, David Lennon of Newsday writes, “The Mets are testing the waters on John Lackey.”
Lennon believes Omar Minaya has already been in contact with Lackey’s agent, which are likely to be the start of more conversations to come.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes, while teams like the Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Orioles and others will look at the possibility of making a deal for Tigers OF Curtis Granderson, “it’s unlikely that anybody is going to hand over a couple of big-time prospects for him because of his lefty-righty splits.”
That said, according to Ken Davidoff in Newsday, the Tigers and Angels have discussed sending Granderson to Los Angeles, where he would play left field, meaning the Angels could then look to trade OF Juan Rivera.
…well, that was inevitable, as i feel i end up posting rumors of the Mets and rivera every off season…
The 31–year-old Rivera will earn $4.25 million next season, $5.25 million in 2011, after which he can become a free agent.
He hit .287 with a .332 OBP, 25 HR, 24 doubles and 88 RBI in 138 games for the Angels last season, while playing left and right field.
…i have been pretty hard on rivera in the past… i don’t know why, since i don’t have much experience watching him 
play… so, i asked some friends who are Angels fans, and they say he has a very strong arm and is better than people think on defense, he plays hard, he has surprising power and he hits left-handed pitching well… but, he can also go in to massive slumps, he comes up with all sorts of bizarre injuries, and they don’t think he’d do well against the soft-tossing pitchers of the National League… i wasn’t aware there are more soft-tossers in the NL, but, it’s an interesting observation nonetheless… in the end, they said, he’s the kind of guy who when he’s playing every day, you think, ‘This guy is a fourth outfielder,’ but then when he’s on the bench, everyone wants him to play…
According to FanGraphs, his 2009 season was worth $15 million, though he earned just $3.25 million.
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