Daily Archives: November 19, 2009
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says that while the Tigers are intent on cutting payroll, they are not holding a fire sale this winter.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, who was a part of fire sales with the Marlins and Expos, told Henning:
“I can assure you 100 percent that we do not have any kind of fire sale, or salary dump, or whatever you might call it, taking place…I can also tell you that I’ve been part of that in my career, so I know what that situation is like…In that situation, you go to your owner and say, ‘This is not a good trade, but I can move this salary. Would you still want me to do this?’ And he says, ‘Yes,’ and you just move the salaries … I’ve done that, but not here.”
…i don’t think that he would tell people that he is having a fire sale, because that greatly limits the return on potential trades he would like to make…
The Tigers have $31 million committed to 34 year old Carlos Guillen and soon to be 36 year old Magglio Ordonez in 2010, and if they choose to pick up Ordonez’s 2011 option, he would earn another $15 million.
…Guillen was limited to just half a season in 2009 due to various leg injuries which i think makes his contract unmovable…Ordonez had a disappointing season for Detroit so i wouldn’t think that any team would be willing to take a risk at that dollar amount and commitment…
Last week, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said that the Tigers could be looking to deal outfielder Curtis Granderson, who is due $5.5 million n 2010, and pitcher Edwin Jackson, who is a Scott Boras client and is arbitration eligible after earning $2.2 million in 2009.
…both are very interesting and i think the Mets in particular should pay close attention to Jackson…he is still young and made major progress in 2009 and could be a nice addition to the middle of the rotation at a relatively low cost…
…their problem is that they have so much money committed to aging superstars with diminishing skills, and i would assume that hinders their ability to sign their younger players to long term deals, leaving them no choice but to try and get value in return while they can for them as they wait for their older players to come off the books…
T.R. Sullivan, in a post to his blog for MLB.com, says that it is unlikely that outfielder Marlon Byrd will return to the Rangers next season.
According to Sullivan, Rangers GM Jon Daniels spoke with the agent for Byrd, and Daniels told Sullivan that the Rangers are not interested in bringing Byrd back based on what they are currently looking for in a contract.
…i think that Byrd would benefit by playing with a team that plays in a hitters park, but i also think that he won’t be able to reproduce his 2009 numbers no matter where he ends up…
Byrd had a career year with the Rangers in 2009, setting career highs in games played, at bats, home runs, and RBIs.
Sullivan says that the Rangers are looking to acquire a middle of the order bat, and they are interested in free agents Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Sheffield, Jermaine Dye and Fernando Tatis.
…i remember when Byrd was breaking through with the Phillies in 2002 and 2003, and he was a very highly touted prospect, but just never lived up to the billing…he had been with Texas since 2007 and only now is he putting up good numbers, but even so, they don’t match what i feel the Mets should be looking for…
For more on the Byrd situation, check out Sullivan’s post here.
Leslie Monteiro, in a post to her blog Twins Killings, feels that the trade that sent Johan Santana to the Mets in exchange for Carlos Gomez, Delois Guerra, Philip Humber, and Kevin Mulvey was a bust for the Twins.
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..it’s hard to argue with that sentiment because they now have no players at the major league level on the field for them at this point but the fact of the matter is that with Gomez playing center field for them in 2009, the Twins rallied to win the American League Central and made the playoffs, whereas the Mets are still awaiting their playoff berth with Santana on their team…not that Santana hasn’t done his part, but so far, the Mets have not been able to maximize the benefits from making the trade, whereas the Twins might have with Gomez in that they did make the playoffs with him…
…i still think that this was an excellent maneuver by Omar Minaya, in that he was able to convince the Twins to take this package of players while still retaining their top prospects at the time, and i never thought Gomez in particular would have been as good at what he does as Santana is at what he does, so i felt that made him expendable…also, the Twins had to have known they were settling for a second tier package for Santana because they poorly maneuvered their side of the trade with the Yankees and Red Sox, driving the price down when those two clubs decided not to trade their package of prospects…
Monteiro says that by trading Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy, it’s “addition by subtraction”, and she also says that Gomez acted like he knew more about the game than Twins first base coach Jerry White.
…i really don’t know what Gomez will ever amount too, and if this is accurate, his attitude needs major adjustment if he wants to succeed at the Major League Level, but his speed is so hard to ignore…i always prefer overall athleticism over a player who is just good at a couple of things because i feel that if a player is athletic, he has a better chance of maximizing those talents, and while Gomez has lacked plate discipline and has made mistakes on the bases and didn’t have a good season in 2009, he is still just 23…
For more on Gomez and his tenure with the Twins, check out Leslie’s post here.
After getting off to a slow start in the Arizona Fall League, Mets prospect Reese Havens has begun to hit, raising his average from .182 to .324 since October 30.
Yesterday, Havens helped the Surprise Rafters defeat the Peoria Saguaros 11-9 with a double and a triple in a 3 for 5 effort.
Robert Emrich, in a report for MLB.com, spoke to Havens and he told Emrich that he hasn’t tried to do too much different during his current six game hitting streak.
According to Toby Hyde from Mets Minor League Blog, Havens is a member of the Rafters’ taxi squad, meaning he can only play a couple of games per week.
…i am sure that his early struggles were largely due to the fact that he was rusty and couldn’t get the at bats to get going…i think that he will be more of a factor at the major league level in 2011, but it’s great that he is hitting now and i think that it should a confidence booster for him…
To see video of Havens in action, and read Hyde’s analysis of him, at the plate and in the field, click here.
Tagged Reese Havens |
Tonight at midnight, free agents are able to negotiate and sign new contracts with any team.
According to Marty Noble, of MLB.com, the Mets needs are, in order of importance, “power, at least one starting pitcher, a catcher and a set-up reliever.”
…i still believe the plan is to sign a catcher and a mid-level pitcher, but not until the non-tendered free agents hit the market… in the meantime, they will explore the trade market, either in an effort to bring in impactful talent, or, at minimum, to just switch out parts of the roster… i like i said a few weeks ago, i don’t think they’ll go bananas, like the Yankees did last off season season, and i hope they don’t, because i actually think that’s unwise… but, i do believe they intend to make some moves… i think change is in the air, but to what extent, i have no idea…
In Newsday, David Lennon reminds us that the Mets have vowed to spend on free agents this off season, ‘but how much,’ and on whom?
…i keep hearing on radio, from some reporters and from lots of fans, the idea that the Mets WILL NOT spend money this off season, as if any of us can know that… maybe they won’t… maybe the will… the reality is, they have money to spend, they have holes and they know they have a restless fanbase, on the fence about re-ordering season-ticket plans… so, again, who knows…
…the reality is, two years ago, when omar needed an ace, he got Johan Santana, then signed him to a $137.5 million extension… last year, he wanted a closer, and he committed $36 million to get Francisco Rodriguez, the best on the market… when he wanted to re-shape the franchise a few years ago, he recruited and signed Pedro Martinez, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltran… when he needed a first baseman, he traded for Carlos Delgado… all of whom cost the team close to $500 million… so, this idea that the Mets are ‘cheap,’ or don’t spend, is crazy, especially when you consider no team won more games from 2006 to 2008 than they did…
…the issue is, was it the best way to spend that money… could it have been spent better, more wisely, to maybe have won a ring and put the team in better position for the future… that, and not the amount, is the argument people should be having…
For instance, on Twitter, ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons pointed out that, in the last seven years, the Marlins have 12 more wins, five more post-season wins and one more World Series ring than the Mets, and all for $600 million less.
…in other words, it’s about quality, not quantity…
…and, starting tonight, at midnight, we can start getting answers…
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