Daily Archives: November 22, 2009
Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times says the Mets and Braves have shown interest in Rays OF Carl Crawford.
…this shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering he is one year away from free agency and a perfect fit for their hole in left field…
According to Smith, the Rays are interested in working out a long term extension with Crawford.
…i just don’t think the Rays can afford Crawford in the end and I do think at some point, probably in July, he will be dealt…I can see the Rays being interested in prospects and major league talent that would be under team control for a long time…
For more on Crawford and other rumors surrounding the Rays, check out Smith’s article here.
The Optimistic Mets Fan wonders if Citi Field needs some neon, much like the neon characters that were on the outside of Shea Stadium.
Mets Walkoffs details what he thinks are the greatest doubles in team history.
Andrew from Take the 7 Train says the trade market depends on the Mets.
Dave from Mike’s Mets offers his two cents on how to fix the Mets this winter.
Finally, don’t forget to vote on my “Photo of the Week” on Twitter here or Facebook here.
Bill Madden of the Daily News says the Mets will likely be focusing on second-tier free agents this winter.
According to Madden, the Mets were “right in the middle” of teams that made money this past season, but due to reduced revenue projections for 2010 and raises due for their returning players, they will have about $20 million to spend.
…if they have $20 million to spend it makes no sense for Omar to be speaking with the agents for John Lackey and Matt Holliday among others, which is why i believe that no matter what, the Mets recognize the need for a major improvement and will do what it takes to put a competitive team back on the field…
…keeping this in mind, one of the Mets biggest problems right now is that they have spent, but their money is in a lot of bad places at the moment…there have clearly been wiser and less costly investments in terms of dollars and years to make at certain positions over the past few years and that was evident even when these investments were made…
…it looks as though the Mets have been attempting to fix this by shopping Luis Castillo‘s bad contract and replace him with a better and less costly player, such as Orlando Hudson, which is a great example of how the team is trying to improve in a more economically sound fashion…it’s easier said than done, but the team can be better performance-wise while at the same time having greater flexibility in terms of years and dollars at the position, and i dont feel there is anything wrong with that approach…
Considering this, Madden feels the Mets should be focusing on players like Randy Wolf, Mark DeRosa, Marlon Byrd, and Jason Marquis.
…the only one from that list i wouldn’t consider is Byrd, and i am not totally sold on DeRosa for that matter…i think that an objective approach to filling a roster is to basically ask ‘can this player start on any major league team’ and if the answer is yes, the player can be considered…looking at their current roster it’s hard to say that about a few of their players which is why upgrades are necessary, but i don’t feel there is any point in acquiring a player if he can’t start on any team, because that puts them right back where they started…
…there is no way to know who the Mets will sign and who they won’t sign, but what they spend should not be the focus, rather the quality of the player or players should be considered…i know that quality players usually require a team to spend, but i’d rather the Mets acquire five or six solid players with their money rather than making a big splash and sending all of their prospects away and over-spending…
For more on this, check out Madden’s report here.
Tagged News |
The Arizona Fall League came to a close this weekend with the Peoria Javelinas defeating the Phoenix Desert Dogs 5-4 in the AFL title game.
Ike Davis finished the AFL season hitting .350 with two home runs and seven RBI, with a .422 on base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage.
…he showed real promise this fall although it is such a small sample…i think we will be seeing and hearing a lot about him during Spring Training and i expect him to start the season at Triple-A…
Meanwhile, the AFL season did not go quite as well for Jenrry Mejia, who struggled mightily in six starts going 1-3 with a 12.56 ERA in just 14 1/3 innings, but he had 16 strikeouts.
…it appears his problem this fall was control, as he walked 13 batters in those 14 innings…he did allow 25 hits but i’m sure he got into a lot of hitters counts which forced him to throw fastballs…i wouldn’t be too concerned at the moment with Mejia…its a small sampling and he is so young, and people were impressed with his fastball during those starts…
…i always enjoyed reading Abraham’s work when he was with the Journal News even if it was for the Yankees and i wish him luck up in Boston…
Abraham says that Chapman’s former agent, Edwin Mejia, is a lawyer with limited experience in baseball, but helped him defect and establish residency outside of Cuba.
Other players who the Hendricks brothers represent are Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and former Yankee Roger Clemens.
…how convenient…sign on with the agent who has a deep relationship with the Yankees…i think he will ultimately end up in the Bronx but there is no way to tell how good he will be in the end…i thought Jose Contreras would be phenomenal based on what i had seen in international competition, and outside of a couple of spurts, he never was as good as advertised and it just goes to show that Major League Baseball is a true measure of a players mental and physical talent…of course Chapman is younger which is in his favor, but the fact that he is such an unknown quantity tells me the Mets should pass…if it was a year ago, i’d bet the Mets would be more involved and willing to take the risk, but their needs are so much different at this point in time…
For more, check out Abraham’s article in the Globe here.
Adam Rubin of the Daily News says the Royals have identified the Mets as a possible trading partner for Jose Guillen.
…this is not exactly the kind of player i would like to see join the Mets, having nothing to do with how good he is…i’m sure the fact that he has played for nine teams in 13 seasons something to do with his employers eventually becoming disenchanted with him…
Rubin says that Guillen is a backup option in the event the bidding for Jason Bay and Matt Holliday get out of hand, and the Royals would want an inexpensive outfielder in return like Angel Pagan.
…i just don’t see how a guy like Guillen fills the need…i can think of many different outfielders who i’d rather have, such as Pagan, or Jermaine Dye or even Eric Byrnes…i just don’t see how Guillen fills the need considering he is now 33 and his skills are diminishing…
…i always look at teams that have bad seasons like the Mets or are just perennially bad like the Royals and say ‘what makes this a bad team’ and it usually comes down to the quality of play on the field, but the game of baseball is so mental that i have to believe the play combined with personalities on the team is what makes a team who they are, and i feel guys like Guillen are not usually part of the solution and they are part of the problem…
In 81 games, Guillen hit just .242 with nine home runs and 40 RBI for the Royals and missed half of the season due to leg injuries.
…right, so the Mets might be interested in another guy who has injury problems, putting them right back where they started…he just doesn’t fit into what i believe is the correct course for this team, and by acquiring Guillen, it would be a move for the sake of making a move which i believe is the exact opposite reason for acquiring a player…
For more on the Mets and Guillen, check out the Daily News here.
