Daily Archives: November 18, 2009
Last week, on Veterans Day, Carlos Beltran took time to visit the VA hospital in Manhattan, to thank soldiers for their service, which you can read more about in the Daily News.
Joe Janish of Mets Today looks at 19 minor-league free agents that should intrigue the Mets, from Ryan Freel to Chad Cordero to Jesse Orosco Jr.
According to Mike Silva, of NY Baseball Digest, it looks like it might be difficult for teams to trade players this off season.
…i’m with mike, in that, from what i can tell, there is lots and lots of talk going on, and no sign of action… i think teams are still waiting on budgets and they also prefer to know who will be non-tendered… i have a feeling the bulk of action will take place in the weeks between the Winter Meetings and the holidays, then there will be another frenzy in mid-January as teams scramble to sign lingering free agents…
Speaking of which, in a post to Mets Lifers, Dave debates whether to trade or keep Fernando Martinez.
In a poll to MetsBlog.com on Monday, 61 percent of more than 6,000 said the Mets should keep Martinez, and let him develop.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post talked to free-agent RHP Jason Marquis, who feels he is a ‘perfect fit for the Mets.’
Marquis was 15–13 with a 4.04 ERA in 216 innings pitched for the Rockies last season, 
during which he struck out 115 batters, walked 80, and got twice as many ground balls as fly balls.
…to his credit, he has been pretty consistent over the last few seasons… i mean, since 2004, he’s essentially been the same pitcher… and so, i think it’s fair to expect he could win, say, 12 games or so for the Mets, have an ERA in the low 4.00s, make 30 or so starts, get himself in to the sixth inning every night, while leaving one or two guys on base per inning, and basically being your run-of-the-mill, back-of-the-rotation starter, no better or worse than, say, John Maine… and so, if the Mets goal is to put a body in the rotation who is likely to be healthy and from whom they know what to expect, for better or worse, marquis can certainly be that guy… i just don’t know that he should be that guy…
…from what i can gather, like Jon Garland, Randy Wolf, Doug Davis, and Joel Pineiro, teams are likely to offer marquis something around a two– year deal, worth roughly $8 million or so per season… i am sure one of the guys will be able squeak out a three-year deal, and i fear it could come from the Mets…
…in an ideal world, i like marquis on a one-year deal… i mean, if he wants to return home, and he would ‘love to pitch for the Mets,’ as he told Jeff Francoeur a few months ago, according to the Post, how about jason takes a home-town discount… i love the idea of local guys pithing for the Mets… i think that’s good for the brand, and for the fans to rally behind… but, it shouldn’t be the driving force to sign someone… and, i am pretty sure the Mets agree… regardless of where he was born, in the end, i’d rather wait and see how the overall market for starting pitching shakes out before rushing to sign a guy coming off a very good year…
According to published reports, the Mets rejected a deal from the Cubs during the Winter Meetings last off season that would have swapped Marquis for Aaron Heilman, who was instead traded to the Mariners for J.J. Putz.
To read direct quotes from Marquis, speaking about the Mets and Citi Field, check out Hubbuch’s entire report, here.
In a post to his blog for the New York Times, Ben Shpigel quotes ‘Captain Obvious,’ and says this off season the Mets hope to acquire another slugger and add a No. 2 starter behind Johan Santana.
Shpigel sees 22–year-old 1B Ike Davis as being on a path similar David Wright, who was promoted to Double-A in 2003, then hit well in the Arizona Fall League, returned to Double-A the following season for 90 games, he was promoted to the Mets later that summer and never looked back.
In the meantime, according to Shpigel, Omar Minaya will visit the Puerto Rican winter league to scout Carlos Delgado, “who must first prove that he is healthy before entertaining contract offers.”
To read more from Shpigel, who also writes about other off season goals for Minaya, and the type of contract Delgado can 
expect to receive, check out his blog post, here.
Delgado had been hitting .298 with four HR and 23 RBI in the 26 games before ending his season with a hip injury, which ultimately needed surgery.
…people seem to think i hate delgado, which is not true… i have actually enjoyed watching him play… i think he’s a fascinating guy, he’s super smart, his charity is amazing, he can be powerful with the bat when he’s healthy, and he’s been fun to watch… but, i just feel the Mets need to move on, in some way… and, if not in places like delgado, Fernando Tatis, Brian Schneider, etc., then where…
…i mean, every season fans and reporters argue the team is the same as those that failed, yet we all keep clinging to the same people… i believe the Mets need to, at the very least, rotate their role players, if for no other reason than to a) change up the faces and culture of the team, and b) dislodge the old leadership in favor of a new one, which i wrote more about yesterday, here…
…yes, i wrote the same thing about Pedro Martinez, who returned to help get the Phillies to a World Series… ouch… but, i still think it was the right move, despite how the season turned out… to me, delgado is a place the team can do this again especially given the unknown that surrounds him physically… plus, for him, he just seems better suited for the American League, where he can get paid, in peace, be a DH and not put a ton of stress on his hip…
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Bill Ladson from MLB.com says that the Nationals are interested in acquiring John Lackey.
According to Ladson the Nationals are interested in having Lackey serve as a mentor to John Lannan and prospects Stephen Strasburg and Ross Detwiler.
Meanwhile, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says the Braves are among those interested in Mark De Rosa.
However, according to Hernandez, De Rosa’s agent, Keith Grunewald, says that the Braves are one of twelve teams interested, including the Mets and the Yankees.
Finally, Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times wonders if Omar Vizquel would be willing to backup Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley in Philadelphia.
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