Daily Archives: November 15, 2009
Kevin from Metsopolis wonders what the Mets would to do compete with the Phillies if they were to acquire Roy Halladay.
Joe from Mets Today would like prospect Jenrry Mejia to develop, as he sees “no reason to push him up the ladder”.
Joe D from Mets Merized Online prefers that the Mets John Lackey over Roy Halladay.
Finally, take a look at an in depth look at Josh Thole here.
Nick Cafardo, in a report for the Boston Globe, says that free agents this winter are not likely to get contracts as big as others in prior years.
Cafardo notes that because of the economy, the Tigers, Reds, Blue Jays, Rays, and Astros are intent on cutting payroll and making many stars available via trade, and that teams will be paying close attention to players who aren’t tendered contracts in December.
According to Cafardo, one general manager said that Matt Holliday “won’t get what Mark Teixeira got. No chance.” and that John Lackey “may get A.J. Burnett money, but I’m not even sure anyone would go that high.’’
…i wonder if these free agents won’t get what Teixeira got because of the economy, or because he is a notch below Teixeira in terms of his abilities, or both…Tex is performs at a high level both offensively and defensively, while Holliday and Bay are more offensive oriented players…that doesn’t take anything away from either of them because are tremendous hitters and the Mets should still heavily pursue both of them, but if Tex is being used as a standard, then neither Holliday or Bay should get what he got in dollars…of course, the Yankees bid above anyone else to get Tex, so the standard could be unfair to begin with…
For more on this, plus Cafardo’s other notes from around the Majors, check out his article here.
Zach Links, in a post for MLB Trade Rumors, wonders if the Mets should consider bringing Fernando Tatis back in 2010, or look elsewhere for a versatile veteran.
…Tatis was a great story in 2008, and the Mets suffered badly when he injured his shoulder down the stretch that season…he did come back down to earth this past season and hit into way too many double plays…of course, he was depended upon to be a starter when he is probably no better than a role player or utility player at this point in his career, so i don’t fault Tatis, nor do i fault many of the Mets who were asked to be something they weren’t in 2009…
…i think the Mets should bring back Tatis…he has done everything he was asked to do over the past two seasons, and for the most part, he did a great job for them…he would be a great role or backup player at many positions and despite his age, there aren’t many players that are as versatile as Tatis…
Tatis hit .282 with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 340 at bats in 2009, and hit .297 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 2008 in 306 at bats.
Every day at 1:35 pm on Twitter, I post a Mets Photo of the Day featuring footage of the 2009 season as well as other moments I have captured over the years.
On Friday’s, beginning at 9:05 am, I hold a Photo of the Week poll, asking you to vote on your favorite photo from the week.
To see my Photo of the Day, every day, follow me on Twitter here.
To see my entire collection of Mets photos on Flickr, click here.
Tagged Photographs |In a must read article in the Daily News, Wayne Coffey recently spoke with Dwight Gooden and says that the former phenom has been clean and sober for three and a half years and is living happily in New Jersey with his new wife and five year old son.
…i couldn’t be any happier for Doc…i was so excited to see him back for the final game at Shea Stadium last year, and i got the opportunity to meet him this past April which was a thrill as well…
Coffey describes Gooden’s path to drug and alcohol abuse, as his drinking started when he was around 14 or 15, and after being clean from Cocaine between 1987 and 1995 Gooden calls his Cocaine relapse his “$5 million high”.
However, Coffey says that Gooden does not live in the past, but recognizes the mistakes he made, saying:
“I know I cheated myself…I should’ve won a lot more games. I should’ve been a Hall of Famer. At one time I beat myself a lot for that – the guilt and shame and embarrassment I have and that I brought to my family.”
…i remember how good he was as a Met but wasn’t old enough to appreciate the impact of his talent on the game until long after his star had faded…when he threw the no-hitter for the Yankees in 1996, i was thrilled to death for him and thought he had gotten himself back on track…but at the very least, it’s great that he has found himself and has a new lot on life…
Gooden, who was 194-112 with a 3.51 ERA, was part of three World Championship teams, won one Cy Young award, has a new job with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League, serving as their Senior Vice President.
For more on Gooden, his family and his bright future, be sure to read Coffey’s article in the News here.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that while teams like the Tigers and Reds intend to reduce payroll, the Mets are looking to spend this offseason.
Although it is unclear how much will be spent of the $30 million coming off the books, Sherman says the Mets are in a very good position and wonders if the Mets would “accept a bad contract as a way to lower the price on something else they desire.”
…it’s an interesting question, but my question is ‘what makes a bad contract bad’ and that usually is an aging player not living up to the contract, or a team that signed an undeserving player to a big contract, so i have to wonder what the advantage would be for any team to want to take a bad contract in exchange for a bad contract…
Sherman wonders whether or not the Reds would be willing to deal Bronson Arroyo and Brandon Phillips in exchange for Luis Castillo and prospects Ruben Tejada and/or Brad Holt, as that could save the Reds $22.75 million in total.
…i like the notion of that trade, mostly because the Mets would be getting Phillips at a relatively low cost talent wise, but i hardly view Arroyo as a bad contract…he won 15 games in 2009 for the second consecutive season and is a proven workhorse as he has put up five consecutive seasons of 200 or more innings, and he would likely pitch to a lower ERA at Citi Field rather than Great American Ballpark and be a big part of the team…i don’t think he answers the question for the number two starter, but certainly solidifies the middle part of the rotation…
For more on this, take a look at Sherman’s article here.
