Daily Archives: November 27, 2009
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Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing discussed how the Mets were playing poor fundamental baseball last season, even before losing could be blamed on injuries.
…this is 100 percent correct, greg… i recall writing and talking a lot about how sloppy the Mets looked, even with Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes in the lineup and on the field… so, i hope the Mets do not get fooled in to thinking health will solve everything, because it will not…
…the problem is, short of totally switching up the roster, how does a coaching staff force grown, veteran, major-league players to play better… despite what some people want to think, baseball is not necessarily about numbers and will, and shouting at people doesn’t help a player refine his skills…
…like i mentioned the other week, from what i can gather, beltran is on record with management as saying the team must play a better, more crisp style of baseball, not just in how they act on field, but in how they prepare for every single game… i heard he is asking the team to pay as much time to on-field drills and focus, as they do to physical conditioning in the weight room… so, it will be interesting to see what the roster looks like in Spring Training, and how the team tries to change behavior, with more or less the same coaches and players as last season…
According to FoxSports.com, the Cubs are looking for a center fielder, but first must trade OF Milton Bradley to determine how much they can spend on the free-agent market.
Mike Silva of NYBD wonders whether it would be worth it for the Mets to take on Bradley, in exchange for 2B Luis Castillo.
…like Ted Berg wrote about at Ted Quarters the other day, it’s pretty clear the Mets and Cubs are working to find a home for bradley, in a three-way deal that would send castillo to chicago… so, since the obvious solution would be to just swap the two players, and that hasn’t happened yet, with both GMs clearly looking for a third party, i think it’s safe to assume the Mets have no interest in bradley, otherwise he’d be on their team by now…
…i have no interest in bradley… he’s never played with any sort of emotional or physical consistency, and so, i have no idea what the Mets would be acquiring… i’d rather have castillo and his contract at second, than bradley and his contract in left, put it that way…
Castillo will earn $6 million each of the next two seasons, while Bradley is due $10 million each of the next two seasons.
Blue Jays reporter Jordan Bastian of MLB.com doesn’t think free-agent C Rod Barajas will return to Toronto, who is likely to offer him arbitration.
Bastian believes Barajas might have a multi-year offer to play elsewhere.
Barajas hit just .226 last season, but with 19 HR and 71 RBI, in 125 games for the Blue Jays, while hitting .267 against left-handed pitching.
Earlier this month, Joel Sherman of the New York Post quoted two Mets officials who said they are looking for a catcher who can catch at least 100 games.
In a follow up report, Sherman said the Mets prefer free-agent C Bengie Molina, and are also interested Barajas and D’Backs C Chris Snyder.
…i am not yet convinced of what the Mets should do, or will do, at catcher… i do know i am not a big fan of molina, which you can read more about here… i mean, molina is fine, but i just don’t trust in the direction of his career at this point, especially at 36 years old… i am not too excited about barajas either, but i do think he is capable of cracking 15 or so home runs, and he’ll play significantly better defense than molina… but, i am not sure i would give him a multi-year deal either…
…from what i can gather, there will be a collection of catchers who will be non-tendered, plus, some are available on the trade market, so i still believe the Mets will hold off on catcher for a bit, and wait to see how all markets take shape, before going all-in for a guy like barajas or molina…
According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, Ex-Padres GM Kevin Towers told ESPN he will meet with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Mariners at the Winter Meetings about being hired as an advisor.
“I’d like to align myself with a winning organization, someone I trust, someone I like working with,” Towers said, according to FoxSports.com. 
“To be honest, preferably an American League team, just to become more familiar with that league.”
In a post to blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney said, “Given his longtime friendship with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, it figures that he will wind up working for the defending champions.”
…i can’t see towers coming to the Mets… i get the feeling Omar Minaya is already being micro-managed, and is surrounded by advisers and bosses, and people shaping the direction he is going… and, to bring in yet another person like this, someone with a lot of clout and who could easily take his job, it just doesn’t seem smart… plus, the Mets are not in the American League, nor a winning organization if you consider last season…
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes the Red Sox will need to trade Clay Buchholz and minor leaguer Casey Kelly in a deal to get RHP Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays.
According to FoxSports.com, there is no way the Red Sox will part with both Buccholz and Kelly, however.
…from what i can gather, out of people connected to Toronto, the Blue Jays will ask the Mets for at least Mike Pelfrey and Ruben Tejada; they’ll ask the Yankees for at least one of Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, and one of Austin Jackson or Jesus Montero; and they have already talked about Chad Billingsley with the Dodgers… according to people who know halladay, the only way he will approve a deal to Los Angeles is if he decides to not push for a contract extension, and instead plans to pitch one season and then take his talent to the open market… otherwise, if he insists on a contract extension, like santana, halladay is far more likely to be traded to the Cubs, Mets, Phillies or Cardinals, followed by the Yankees and Red Sox, since, despite what the team says, the Blue Jays would prefer not to send halladay to the American League… they’ll do it, if they have to, but it’s not their first choice, for obvious reasons…
Olney quotes a team executive as describing this year’s market for Halladay as, ‘Santana 2,’ because of the similarities with Minnesota’s situation with Johan Santana before 2007.
…olney estimates halladay could be in for a $60 to $80 million contract, whereas santana was seeking a seven-year deal, which included his 2007 option year… so, technically, it was a six-year extension… i’m thinking olney paints this price tag because of halladay’s age… i do not want to see him traded to the Mets, if it means giving a 33–year-old pitcher a seven-year contract, on top of next season… but, if he’s seeking a five-year deal, which includes next season, so, say, $90 million through 2015, i think that is reasonable… i’m still not sure it’s smart business… but, it’s a reasonable request on his part…
…in the end, i bet there will be a lot of reports and very little talk, with teams communicating who they are willing to trade… then, at the Winter Meetings, substantive talks will occur, teams will be made aware of who has a chance and who doesn’t, and, it will get quiet again as the Jays decide what they want to do… and, it will be up to guys like Omar Minaya to decide, like he did to much criticism with johan, should he stay on hold, or hang up and work on something else…
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The new Mets, 60s-inspired, cream, pinstripe jersey is officially on sale, and Mets Police has a photo.
…it looks pretty cool… i may end up buying one of these, if i can find it in a store without a name on the back…
