Daily Archives: November 14, 2009
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says that former Indians manager Eric Wedge is a candidate for the Mets bench coach job.
In addition to Wedge, former Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin and former Orioles bench coach Dave Jauss are also candidates, but Rosenthal says that the Mets are not close to a decision.
For more on this plus other buzz from around the Major Leagues, check out Rosenthal’s blog here.
Tagged News |Alex Speier, in a post to his blog for WEEI Sports, says that the agent for Jason Bay, Joe Urbon, did not go to the General Manager’s meetings in Chicago because he has already had enough constructive conversations with teams about his client.
According to Speier, Urbon says Bay is the most “durable and productive outfielder in the game” and notes that he is one of four outfielders that has not been on the disabled list in the past five years.
…there’s no question that Bay has become a top tiered hitter, and the fact that he has been so durable should be an appealing quality, especially for the Mets who have had a black hole in left field since the departure of Cliff Floyd…but as productive as he is, i don’t see him fitting as well as either Matt Holliday or Carl Crawford, but i wouldn’t be opposed to him as a long term solution should the Mets be unable to acquire the other candidates…
…on the plus side, he has shown he can play in a pressure cooker as he has spent a year and a half in Boston, and he has been playoff tested, but he is a year and a half older than Holliday and almost three years older than Crawford, so there are more peak years ahead for the latter than there are for Bay, no matter what he has proven in the past, and he averages 42 more strikeouts per year than Holliday and almost 60 more strikeouts per year than Crawford…
For more on Urbon’s selling points for Bay, check out Speier’s post here.
I’m Reading: about Books, Bad Ideas, Prospects, Plans and Predictions, Swapping Players, Photographs
Kerel Cooper, in a post to his blog On the Black, reviews a new book about the 1969 Mets.
Meanwhile, Tom from MetsGuide feels that trading for Roy Halladay would be a bad idea.
Andrew from The ‘Ropolitans wonders who is the most exciting Mets prospect.
Also, Syler from Amazin’ Avenue offers his unique plan for the Mets this offseason, while Drew from Mets Fans Forever analyzes the Mets infield and offers some predictions for 2010.
In a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish wonders how swapping Juan Pierre for Luis Castillo would help the Mets.
Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to my “Mets Photo of the Day” on Twitter here.
Jon Heyman of SI.com will be on WFAN with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts at 11:05 this morning.
To listen live online, click here.
Update, 3:53 pm:
Joe Smith, in a post to his blog for the St. Petersburg Times, says there is no truth to the rumor that Carl Crawford wants to be traded from the Rays.
According to Smith, Crawford’s agent, Brian Peters, says both Crawford and the Rays are “very interested” in working out an extension, and Crawford said in late September:
” I hope we can get something done, but if not I’ll just go into next season, do what I have to do and try to help the team win and go from there…”
Original Post:
Mike Silva of New York Baseball Digest says that Carl Crawford is “livid” that the Rays picked up his option for 2010 and wants out of Tampa.
According to Silva, Crawford wanted to negotiate a contract extension which was evidently agreed upon when he signed his current contract.
…if he does in fact want out of Tampa, i expect the Mets to be paying close attention to this situation…if Crawford or the Rays or both have no interest in signing or deal, they will get the highest return on him now as opposed to the trade deadline, but if the team intends to win, they need him…it’s a tough call for the organization…but i have said it before that i think Crawford is the ideal fit for the Mets in left field as he fits the mold that caters to Citi Field which is speed and defense…that said, he doesn’t address the team’s need for more power and if they went down the road of Crawford, there would be a significant cost in prospects, limiting their ability to trade for power elsewhere…
For more on the Crawford situation, check out Silva’s post here.
David Lennon of Newsday says that Omar Minaya received a favorable impression from their meeting with the agent for John Lackey when they met with him this past week, and intend to heavily pursue him this winter.
Lennon says that Lackey wants a deal somewhere in the $100 million range, but Lennon says that figure might be too high for the Mets given the other problems that need to be addressed.
…i think that trading for Roy Halladay would give the Mets one of the best 1-2 punches of this generation and there is no question that he and Santana are the best pitchers in baseball…but my gut feeling is to go with Lackey, who is a year younger than doc, playoff tested, and a top tiered pitcher, and save the trade chips for a younger position player that can be established as a cornerstone, such as Adrian Gonzalez…it’s not to say that Gonzalez will be made available and it doesn’t mean that if he is available the Mets can or will land him, but if they trade for Doc they will likely have to sign him to a Santana like deal, pay him the bulk of the money from the contract after age 36, deplete their farm system and it will limit their ability to sign and trade for other players that they undoubtedly need, which i feel will limit their ability to win over the next three to five years…to me, Halladay would be ideal if the Mets were one player away from being a championship team, but right now, they aren’t just one player away…
Lennon also says that the Mets interest in possibly bringing back Carlos Delgado is their reason for their new focus on Chone Figgins who can be used both in the infield and outfield, but Lennon also says that bringing in Figgins means that the Mets would not pursue either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
…i am not one of the Delgado supporters at this point, but this is a scenario that could work, at least for a year, although if they bring in Figgins, i feel they still have to find a durable and reliable power source other than Delgado and be forced to hold on to Luis Castillo…
For more on Lackey, Delgado, Figgins, and Castillo, check out Lennon’s article in Newsday here.
Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the Daily News say that due to the uncertainty in the economy, teams might choose to delve into the trade market rather than fill their needs via free agency.
Both Feinsand and Madden say that most teams are looking to trim payroll, thus making many big names available via trade.
…at this point, it’s hard to determine what the Mets course is going to be since it’s still so early and no free agents are even available except their own, but ownership has said they will have among the highest payrolls in baseball once again…of course, they could trim payroll and still be among the highest, but i think teams like the Mets, who are in big markets and still have a lot of capital will be looking at both and trying to take advantage of some bargains that might be available via trade and free agency…
The report says players like Lance Berkman, Carl Crawford and Brandon Phillips could be made available by their respective teams.
…i’d be surprised if Crawford is traded this winter, only because i feel the Rays want to win and feel they can win, but Crawford is an integral piece to their puzzle, but if Berkman is made available, he is an interesting piece because he can play the outfield or first base, hits for power and is a good on base guy, however he will be 34 at the start of Spring Training and will probably want a contract extension beyond 2010 if he is traded…
…Phillips is ideal but only if the Mets can trade Luis Castillo…he will be 29 in June and has already established himself as a five tool player…i’d be surprised if the Mets were able to acquire him, only because at this point, i think they would be looking to use their top prospects in deals for pitching, first base or the outfield…despite hitting over .300 i think Castillo is a weak link, but when a team loses 92 games, there aren’t just a couple of problems…
For more on the trade and free agent markets, check out Feinsand and Madden’s article in the News here.
Updated by Matthew Cerrone, at 10:00 am:
…the buzz around baseball suggests teams are probably going to hold off doing anything major until around the middle of December, to see who exactly ends up being non tendered, because it is expected that there could be up as many as 100 additional free agents to hit the open market… additionally, it sounds like the Mets are very focused on that end of the market, seeing it as a way to build out the edges of the bench, bullpen, rotation, etc… in fact, every time i talk to anyone connected to the Mets, it seems they use the words non and tender at least once...
Edgardo Alfonzo would like to finish his career with the Mets, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
According to Kernan, the 36 year old Alfonzo believes he has two or three years left in him, and would like a chance to go to Spring Training with the Mets.
Alfonzo told Kernan:
“I’m prepared for anything,” Alfonzo said earlier this week. “Baseball is the one thing in my life that I know how to do. I don’t expect to play every day, but I feel I can help anytime. I can say many things with my mouth, but I have to prove it…“My dream is to retire with the Mets colors…That’s my dream. That’s what I’m praying for, maybe it will happen, maybe not, but dreams sometimes come true, you know.”
…i suppose an invite can’t hurt, just to give him a chance to retire in a Mets uniform…it would be similar to when the team invited Andres Gallaraga to camp in 2005…i guess you never know, but fonzie hasn’t exactly shined in a real long time, which is a reason he has been out of the majors for three full seasons…
Alfonzo last played in the Major Leagues in 2006 when he appeared in 30 games with the Angels and hit .126, and has played with the Long Island Ducks, the Mexican and Venezuelan Leagues, and most recently, the Yomiuri Giants this past season.
For more on Alfonzo, check out Kernan’s article here.
